SHADOWHUNTERS:”Beati Bellicosi” (S3E13): Moving In For The Checkmate

If I had to sum up the latest episode of Shadowhunters in one word, it would be control. That was certainly the theme of “Beati Bellicosi”, an episode that was more focused on setting the pieces of the game for the final checkmate than really giving too much substance to the narrative.

While I really enjoyed the episode, there was a boredom that began to creep in, a need for more. It felt as though the storyline were being dragged out and concluded, with viewers handheld to the obvious pieces in motion for the future conflict – which looks to be with the Clave itself.

Now that’s not to say the episode wasn’t enjoyable, I had just expected more from it. We have been concluding storylines and setting up for the end for the last few episodes, and I had just expected to begin moving forward more. The previous two episodes were about resolving loose ends, where “Beati Bellicosi” was an episode resolved in setting up the pieces for the ultimate checkmate.

Control

If there was any theme to takeaway from “Beati Bellicosi”, as mentioned earlier, it would be the idea of control – who has it, who wants it and who needs it. This desire for control, and in some cases necessary, looks to be the driving force throughout the remainder of the season.

With Clary’s (Katherine McNamara) return to the Clave after being rescued in Paris at the end of “Original Sin”, her lack of control sits just below the skin, her life connection with Jonathan a constant reminder of the individuality she was robbed of. While Jace (Dominic Sherwood) wants to let go of the control, bask in the moment of Clary’s return and their relationship, Clary is desperately trying to find any means to get the mark off her chest that ties her to Jonathan (Luke Baines). She needs to gain the control back, needs to be free of the ritual that has become her curse.

While this need is originated on a psychological basis, as she is physically free of Jonathan, the ability of their connection to close distances becomes eerily apparent. As Clary tries to explain to Jace, fear and desperation piercing from her eyes, how much she needs to remove the mark, her hand begins to painfully heat up. Jonathan, from whatever safe haven he has found refugee in, has found that he can still reach Clary, remind her of his presence, by injuring himself thus injuring her. Setting his hand on fire, his hold on Clary is more apparent than ever. Though nothing is as eerie as when she wakes up sometime later, the phrase “I Miss You” slowly, and painfully, carved into her arm. The sadistic workings of Jonathan are far from over.

While Clary stands in purgatory, her options of moving forward limited to none, Heidi (Tessa Mossey) flexes her muscles of control, organizing what is likely to become a full out war between the werewolves and the vampires. Downworlders live in a fragile state of peace, the dislike between them controlled only by the rules set down by the Clave and clear understanding of lines drawn in the sand. Respect and tolerance are tumultuously maintained, a tiny pebble is all that is needed to fracture the peace.

Heidi, the vampire Simon had created last season and Raphael had experimented on, has once again escaped the captivity of the Jordan (Chai Hansen) and his special force werewolves. A dangerous vampire who was never taught the ways of downworlders or treated with any kind of affection, tries to find refugee in the home and clan where Simon and Raphael once resided. When she is turned away, she begins to formulate a plan that will get her back into the good graces of the vampires, yet the peace between vampires and werewolves is sacrificed in the process.

Women in Control

Where Clary has lost her individual control on herself, two other woman in the series have risen, displaying not only fear but the strength to overcome. Isabelle, a former addict to the venom one receives when a vampire feeds on them, gave herself to Simon (Alberto Rosende) at the end of “Original Sin” to save his life. Removing the Mark of Kane had nearly killed him, and the only way to gain his strength back was to feed. As she fights with the cravings of her returned addiction, she also fights the need to pull back from others and work. She begins to open up and ask for help, starting with Magnus (Harry Shum Jr.), then her brother Alec (Matthew Daddario). This is a different Isabelle than before, stronger, determined and resilient. What was her downfall in the past has become her greatest strength.

Maia (Alisha Wainwright) too finds that the thing she fears is what will make her stronger. Faced with the reality of the pack, who has fallen and become fractured since Luke left, she calls out her leader for his ill-intentioned methods, reaching out to Luke (Isaiah Mustafa) to bring him back. What she finds, though, is not a leader in exile, but one in waiting – in herself. Luke places his faith and belief in her, encouraging her to take leadership of the pack. She was always made to be a leader and the time has come for her to stand up and take it. While hesitant at first, she begins to take the steps necessary to make her moment a possibility – and not a moment too soon.

Secret Clave Organization

In a final season, you need a final battle, one that will change the face of the series, one that will leave our characters in a better place when they go. The Clave presents the perfect final conflict, the corruption within that has been no secret the entire series and now the introduction of a secret abusive organization hidden within its walls.

While Clary was in one of the Clave prisons awaiting death, and in whispers following her escape, there is word that the Clave is secretly torturing downworlder inmates. The purpose and type of abuse is unknown, but just the mention of the practice is against everything the Clave is suppose to stand for. As Isabelle leads the charge in trying to find more information, it becomes quickly apparent that the Clave will not go down and surrender information without a fight. As an informant loses his life, Isabelle and Alec are faced with a decision that could spell death for themselves – and those around them.

Conclusion

While there was not much progression in the narrative, there were epic pieces put into play. There is not an individual left to fight, but rather a mass of people hidden behind power, greed, discrimination and corruption. You can continue to fight the small battles, but it is for not if the overarching protector and enforcer is more corrupt than those it tries to manage. While the path to the end seems clear, the means by which we as viewers get there will be the enjoyment. We know where we are going, but how will we get there? Only time will tell.