Shadowhunters 3×05 Review: “Stronger Than Heaven”

This week, Shadowhunters’ “Stronger Than Heaven” was heart-wrenching in more than one sense. Brian Millikin’s jam-packed script did not pull its punches and was surprisingly well-paced despite the many threads in motion: Jimon bromance, Malec angst, Cleophas and Luke bonding, Izzy going on a date and fighting a demon, and somehow Simon still had time to sing us another one of his songs. Oh, and somewhere in there, an angel gets killed, too! How they managed to juggle all of this is a mystery; maybe we slipped into whatever time vortex the writers have been living in. Two months? Seriously? Ridiculously confusing timeline aside, this episode was somewhat of a return to the former frenetic pace we are used to seeing on this show but tempered with Season 3’s more reflective tone. This was enhanced by director Geoff Shotz, courtesy of some cleverly framed shots (such as Magnus’ reflection in his glass case moving away from Alec as he pulls him closer) that served as symbolic clues for the audience about the emotions of the characters.

The Power of Lilith

This isn’t the first time a Greater Demon has known about Magnus and his abilities (remember, Azazel knew him by name) – has he got that much of a reputation on his own or is Daddy Dearest kind of proud of his famous warlock son? Just picture Asmodeus full-on stage mom-ing it from Edom, showing everyone how successful this one turned out. Ugh.

It’s a bit difficult to get a real gauge on just how powerful Lilith is on her own. Just from sheer “blood purity,” one would imagine that angels and greater demons are far more powerful than any Downworlder and Shadowhunter. Does Lilith truly need help with something that only took Magnus a snap of his fingers or is there something deeper and more nefarious behind her request? Also, why is she bothering with just a sliver of Clary’s soul when she could probably a) take the whole thing or b) just get rid of her altogether? Later in this episode, we see Lilith’s “true form” (it isn’t; Lilith was a human woman, the first in fact) and she also does something pretty devastating – we’ll get there – so it seems incongruous that she would be so reliant on Downworld help and so willing to be subtle about her methods.

Speaking of Lilith’s (let’s call it) dragon form, it’s not much different from the other dragon demons we’ve seen and I really expected a little more of a wow factor. Certainly, Lilith isn’t a fallen angel, but still…the Mother of all Demons could’ve been a bit bigger.

Speaking of her formal title, it’s striking to see the way Lilith feels it physically when a demon is slayed – very much the way in which one would imagine a mother would feel about losing one of her children.

Is Doctor Charlie Evil or Just a Really Good Guy?

Dr. Charlie and Izzy seem to have a lot in common and I’m finally starting to trust this guy (even though it’s probably just in time to get betrayed). When I say they have a lot in common, I mean the pressures of living up to family expectations and not, you know, the demon hunting thing.

It’s good to see Magnus’ demon sensor gem in a brand-new setting and though there is an in-universe reason for Izzy to set it into a bracelet, it also opens up a lot of room for the costume department to dress Izzy in outfits that don’t have to accommodate the dangly original pendant. All the practicality of a demon-alert Fitbit aside, Izzy really could’ve exited this date a lot more smoothly. It was sweet to see Dr. Charlie come to Izzy’s (quite unnecessary) rescue, and here’s hoping he sticks around long enough to see her in action.

Also, a couple of stitches on the house? Sign me up for that health insurance, Dr. Charlie!

Jace’s Mental Health

It’s still a bit of a mystery where the writers are going with the mental health angle and Jace. I’d still love for this to be explored thoroughly and not as a red-herring for Lilith’s possession, especially with how Jace has embraced the idea of seeking professional help (even if in the form of the Silent Brothers) instead of trying to weather his way through a potential disorder on his own. It’s especially commendable when we consider that Clary – one of the people Jace loves most in the world – tries to talk him out of it. We know that Clary means well – many loved ones mean well when they try to offer different options for people dealing with issues related to mental health – but Jace stands by his choice.

Next Stop on the Malec Express: Drama Town

Lilith’s visit to Magnus seems to have shaken him up a bit, as we can see him reminiscing with his box of memories before Alec steps in with his ideas about moving in together. Although Magnus’ reasoning about hitting the breaks on their relationship seems solid enough, it certainly seems like all the talk of heartbreak and the mercy of forgetting is lingering in his conversations with Magnus this episode.

While we can all agree that invasions of privacy are not cool in loving relationships, I can’t blame Alec for a minute. There’s a box and it’s a secret and it’s nothing more or less than human weakness to take a peek. There’s a whole Greek myth about it after all!

We’re also seeing something different from Alec this episode: a step away from the non-stop heart eyes we’ve been seeing since the couple got back together at the end of last season. There’s plenty of passive aggressive looks and worrying about his relationship, which can steer us into bumpier and arguably more interesting territory for Malec.

Meanwhile, at the Institute, people are (rightly so) calling Alec “sir,” and wow…that’s hot. I was fully waiting for Underhill (a.k.a. blond Shadowhunter) to just say something like, “Nice shirt”; but whoa, I didn’t think they were gonna bring up what a damn inspiration Alec is to the larger Shadowhunter community so early on! Underhill really is an avatar for the fandom in this scene and the honesty of his delivery is just gorgeous. It probably also slightly helped Alec come down off that jealousy spiral he was just about to jump into.

As always, Alec and Magnus are out here trying to win “Best Communication” awards or something, and as usual, it’s over drinks (side note: Alec is a gin boy, the trashy babe). The very concept of this mystery box is painful – Magnus’ memory isn’t immortal and I’m totally fine, just sobbing in a corner (don’t mind your broken reviewer). But then Alec adds to this already heartbreaking moment with, “If I’m lucky, maybe one of my arrowheads ends up in that box.” Wow, why don’t you shoot us with it instead, Alexander? What. The. Hell.

It’s obvious Magnus wants to get out of this conversation because this is probably the conversation which usually ends with people leaving him. With Alec fessing up (even though Magnus was well aware of his snooping) and Magnus explaining the importance of focusing on the here and now, we could assume that all is well and that Magnus has nipped this jealousy mess in the bud. But there’s something unsettling about the expression on Alec’s face after they finish their conversation – an expression that says he has a dark alley and a bad idea to follow (Fall Out Boy, anyone?). Book readers know that in this situation, Alec is capable of some really terrible ideas, but I really hope the show continues to find ways to turn left and surprise us. Surprise me, show – I’m begging you.

Jace and Simon 5eva

It’s a great point of character development to see Simon looking out for number one after all his time spent caring about Clary and his family before himself. Russell (and werewolves in general), Raphael, and the Seelie Queen are all on Simon’s case, so we can’t really call it selfish to prioritize his own wellbeing for once. Just let my boy un-live!

Dom Sherwood and Alberto Rosende have such an easy, subtle chemistry in their scenes that it just leaves us hungry for more. Jace’s instant suspicion about Simon’s new place really puts it into perspective how much Simon is the “dumb dude” in the horror movie who thinks the suspicious house/object/evidently cursed basement is gonna give their family a new start and then everyone dies. I am just loving how protective Jace is here, but as it turns out, Kyle is also trying to protect Simon… OMG, IS SIMON THE NEW CLARY?

On a more technical note, Kyle’s eye effect is extra amazing compared to what we’ve seen on other werewolves before. It looks incredibly natural and realistic on Chai Hansen.

We also get a clue about the Praetor Lupos – the secretive but seemingly benevolent organization that Luke entrusted Simon’s care to. It seems the Praetor’s mission of looking after wayward Downworlders has enough of a shining reputation to calm Jace from his protective rage – and whoa, that was impressive to see – and he even explains to Simon that this fine upstanding werewolf is only doing his job. The Praetor really does sound like a nice bunch, having designed the apartment for Simon’s comfort. Meanwhile, Simon’s having a tantrum about not needing anyone to protect him – give me a break, Simon! Everyone in the city is trying to kill you!

I am so here for Jace, Kyle, and Simon supporting each other. Could this be a new power trio? In any case, Jace could be the new leader of Simon’s fan club and it seems as if Kyle hasn’t protested his title of roadie-slash-bodyguard (cue Whitney Houston karaoke scene, please) – so let’s go with Team Rock Solid Panda! Now someone please talk to Simon about whatever Elvis thing he’s trying out with his hips.

Father of the Year, Luke

Listen, y’all, Luke has a farm…he’s literally the perfect dad. I say just bring all your children out to the farm and let the city burn. I truly loved seeing all of the dad jokes come to fruition when the first person Clary comes clean to is Luke, who is, for all intents and purposes, her true father. Sister Cleo is looking great and wholesome. And although she’s apparently delighted to see Clarissa, there’s not much help she can offer since the angels are leaving Cleo on “seen.” But of course, that doesn’t matter because Clary has a direct line to her personal angel, Ithuriel. Of course, Ithuriel shows up looking like a freshly frosted cupcake and totally willing to be kind and wonderful to his little Nephilim child, until LILITH JUST SHOWS UP IN FULL DRAGON MODE AND GOUGES HIM THROUGH THE HEART. WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HELL?! This show doesn’t regularly shock me, but when it does, it really does – and it usually involves blood and guts…and someone getting their heart ripped out. Huh.

It’s my very dear hope that all Lilith did was destroy Ithuriel’s – truly gorgeous – mortal form and that this isn’t the last we’ll see of this angel. I mean, angels are immortal beings of pure light; they don’t have human bodies to kill unless they’re using one to have a chat…right? Right?!

Clace Can’t Catch a Break

Well, in any case, Lilith did THAT and now she has some of Clary’s soul – and boy, did that not look like just a sliver – she needs to complete the potion Magnus made for her, and poor Jace doesn’t seem to know the very important tip about keeping a hand over your drink at bars, huh. I just know that Magnus’ involvement in all of this is going to become A Thing even though he was duped just the same as anyone else who has come across Lilith thus far – which is perhaps fair. After all, Magnus knew how inadvisable that sort of potion was for anyone and yet got talked into concocting it anyway.

Things are really looking dark for Clace at the moment, with Clary so thoroughly roughed up and Jace’s memories and feelings compromised by Lilith. It’s worth mentioning that Dom really was hitting emotional note after emotional note this week in sharp contrast with the last episode, and I hope we continue to see that, even through his magically induced antipathy towards Clary. After all, Jace adores Clary, but she isn’t the only person he loves – might Alec and the rest of his family be the answer to his current predicament?

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Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays 8/7c on Freeform and Wednesdays internationally on Netflix.