While Shadowhunters is a show packed with exciting action, adventure, and fantasy elements, it shines most when it delves deep into the characters and the humanity underneath.
Allison Rymer is one such Shadowhunters writer who has made great splashes in exploring the emotions and connections between characters. In Season 1, she penned the emotional juggernaut “Bad Blood,” which showcased Clary struggling to come to terms with Simon’s death, as well as Alec’s tailspin fix-all proposal to Lydia in the wake of discovering his parents’ Circle days. So far this season, she’s written “Iron Sisters,” an episode highlighting the beginnings, adaptations, and evolutions of several key relationships – Simon and Maia’s first meeting, Maia and Luke remembering theirs, and who can forget Alec and Magnus finally taking time out for their first date?
We got the chance to ask Allison about her work on Shadowhunters, where she talked a bit about connecting emotionally to her storytelling and Malec’s first date. See our interview below!
What was your very first impression of Shadowhunters?
‘Wow – I love this world!’ I was lucky enough to be around for the production of the pilot. And watching Cassandra Clare’s books, her vivid and magnificent imagination just come to life…it was truly incredible.
What kind of stories or experiences are you inspired by, and how are you incorporating that into your writing on the show?
What I really gravitated to is how strong the female characters are. Clary and Isabelle are both fierce and don’t need a guy to save them. Actually, half the time, they’re saving the guys! I think it’s important to portray that to young women.
What scene has been the most challenging for you to write, and why was it difficult?
Season 1, Episode 8 – the scene where Clary processes that Simon has died. Having lost loved ones myself, it’s hard to go back to those emotions. It’s like you want to put a wall up and never revisit the devastation. But in order to really feel for what that character is going through, you have to lower those walls. And I did in order to get into Clary’s mind and heart – to know what she was going through when seeing Simon, her best friend who she loves dearly, lying lifeless in front of her.
Which character do you enjoy writing for the most?
All of them! They are all so different and complex.
You guys get to actually be on set while they are filming the episode you’ve written. What sort of thing goes through your mind when you’re watching your writing become live action? And what scene of yours were you most excited to see play out?
Being on set is such a treat and you learn so much. It’s amazing! I think the whole Malec date was what I might have been the most excited to see play out. Just because it felt very real and relatable – we’ve all experienced a first date and they don’t always go well. It was really special to see Magnus and Alec connect and get to know each other.
Has there been any particular scene you’ve written that ended up drastically evolving in the script to screen process?
You pine over every word when you are writing and then the actors take it and make it their own, which is wonderful. One of my favorite scenes that came to life was when Simon and Maia were driving to look for Luke. They had such great improvisations and took the material to another level. And the flashback of Maia in the ambulance with Luke – I had tears streaming down my face when we shot that.
What kind of scenes do you enjoy writing the most? Action? Comedy? Romantic?
I think it would be a combo platter of all three. All action needs a little comic relief and there always has to be a love interest…
You had the opportunity to write Malec’s first date! Tell us about the process of building that in the writers’ room. What was it that made you decide on the date we all saw?
I was so honored to get to write Malec’s first date. In the writers’ room, we discussed many of our own personal stories of first dates. And I have to say, there were some that were hilarious, some horrific, some romantic, and, of course, there’s always awkwardness. So, we tried to combine many of those elements into the Malec date. But what we really wanted to do was to make it feel as real as possible and get to the core of two people who are attracted to one another but really don’t know each other that well.
Is there a scene or a line that was deleted that you really wish had made the cut?
There was a really fun scene (in episode 2×06) that was cut. It was Jace using his ‘charm’ on Lindsay, a fellow Shadowhunter, to gain access to the Institute’s computers, which Aldertree had denied him. The episode was simply too long so we had to find things to cut. But seeing Jace flirt is always such a treat and Lindsay found him irresistible.
Is there anything in particular that you would like the chance to explore in your writing on the show?
Would love to just keep going – delving further and further into all of their relationships. As the show progresses, the relationships get deeper and deeper and just more complex. The characters will just get more dynamic over time and that excites me.
To end, describe 2B for us using three words.
Journey of self-discovery.
Shadowhunters returns Monday, June 5th 8/7c on Freeform, and Tuesday, June 6th internationally on Netflix.
