SHADOWHUNTERS: “A Kiss From A Rose” (S3E14): A New Clary Lurking In The Shadows?
Shadowhunters was back with a punch, delivering one delicious detail after another. Just when you thought the wind down to the end might have begun, the writers prove they have a lot more in store for our collective of demons and angels before the curtain closes. With Jonathan (Luke Baines) running amuck, the Clave secretively defying what they stand for, new leaders taking a stand and Clary staring down the barrel of her greatest fear, Shadowhunters proved it has a lot more to give us before it goes.
Once a Warlock, Always a Warlock
Once the man whom all sought out to cure whatever ails them, Magnus (Harry Shum Jr.) had to crawl to Lorenzo (Javier Muñoz), the high warlock who replaced him, to beg for his help re-obtaining his magic. His time as a mortal has proven more difficult, and Magnus longs to feel the power flowing through him. It is what makes him, him – as he tries to explains to Alec (Matthew Daddario). Willing to do anything, he offers whatever Lorenzo can name, no matter how demeaning the request may be. Understanding that the infusion of magic runs a risk of not “sticking”, Magnus agrees to give up his apartment immediately for the slight chance he can return to his former self.
While Magnus basks in the returned feeling of himself, Alec finds the treatment Lorenzo has placed upon him degrading. Promising to make him pay for what he has taken from Magnus, Alec and Lorenzo seem to have drawn a line in the sand, threatening each other to make the first move. Yet, as Magnus’s return to glory seems too good to be true, temporary peace with Lorenzo may become a necessity.
It was interesting watching this scenario play out, Magnus crawling back to Lorenzo, asking for forgiveness and his help. Typically a strong character always willing to find a way, he is broken and succumbs to the power of those above. Alec, who initially seems to hold onto the materialistic aspect of the lost apartment, is fighting for the man within Magnus. While he wants to support him through this time and celebrate the return of his magic, he knows that the cost was greater than just an apartment – it was his self worth. It is a dynamic setup for both their relationship, as well as the future for Magnus going forward, especially if the magic does not “stick”. With no hope of getting his magic left and no confidence, how will Magnus face the future?
The Leader of the Pack
When we left Maia (Alisha Wainwright) in “Beati Bellicosi”, she and Jordan (Chai Hansen) had found refugee within the pantry from the vampire attack on the pack in the Chinese restaurant. Wounded with a silver stake, Jordan is fighting for his life while Maia discovers they have been barricaded inside, her claustrophobia an Achilles heel, succumbing to the anxiety it creates. With everyone dead and the restaurant closed, survival, at least for Jordan, seems bleak.
Yet, death is not a tool callously used by the writers of Shadowhunters. Yes, there is a need to tie up loose ends with the final episode approaching, but there is also a need to still build up characters, not just for the end but for a satisfying conclusion that will leave viewers pleased. While there’s nothing beyond a farewell conversation of sorts between these two characters as Jordan slowly slips away, it is in the final moments when all hope seems lost that the brilliance within Maia’s character development occurs. As Jordan passes out, Maia finds the release she has longed for all these years. In that moment, Maia truly accepts that she is a werewolf, freeing the anger she has held for so long at her circumstances and at Jordan. While she may have been ready moments earlier to vie for leader of the pack, in this moment she has become emotionally ready to lead.
Good thing too, because even though her and Jordan have found their release, Luke (Isaiah Mustafa) has found himself once again surrounded by bodies, arrested for his presumed participation in the incident…
Incest on a hole new level
What is Jonathan’s deal with Clary (Katherine McNamara)? While the episode lends itself to an incestual desire, there has to be something more. It cannot just be a desire to have her for his own, there must be a power between them that is stronger when they are together, or a mixture of Morgenstern blood that has something to do with the Morning Star Sword. Does Jonathan need Clary to have the same intentions as him when the time comes to use it?
Having finally let go of the obsessive need to remove her ruin and find Jonathan, Clary and Jace’s (Dominic Sherwood) night together had spilled over into the daytime, Jace wanting nothing more than to have a day with Clary, treat her to the dating environment they should have always had together. Jonathan, however, shows his prowess is far more superior than anyone could have ever prepared for, knocking Jace unconscious and transferring into his image. Replacing Jace in the date, Clary doesn’t take too long to figure out he is not who he appears to be, calling out to Isabel (Emeraude Toubia) for backup. As help arrives, Clary holding Jonathan in position to take him in, she finds herself frozen, unable to go against her brother. Could this be the bond between them? Is it possible that they may share more than just a twin ruin – injury, harm and death not the only things mirrored between them?
While there is much more to discover in the relationship shared between these two characters, it seems as though the fear of not understanding what is happening to her may be more than Clary can handle – and the person she may be slowly becoming is exactly what Jonathan needs. Could the final season bring a glimpse of the darker side of Clary?
Conclusion
The intensity with which this episode picked up the season was incredible, the excitement to return each week freshly renewed. There is excitement in the air, and the moving pieces of a working storyline are intertwining fast. Add in the USB drive Isabel found in the body of her dead informant from last week, and there is much, much more to come.
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