S01.E04: Raising Hell

[justcris]

 

The Shadowhunters will have to put their trust in a Downworlder to access Clary’s memories.

 

This is my first time creating a topic, sorry if I didn't do it quite right. Episode's name is Raising Hell.

Edited February 3, 2016 by justcris

[justcris]

I really liked this episode, best one so far.

Magnus was made of win, his interactions with everyone were great. Not sure I understand why he gave Izzy the necklace back other than she should have it for plot reasons though.

I thought that whole tracking parabatai thing was way too intimate too, although obviously more so to Alec. I wonder if we'll get a conversation between him and Jace about the reveal that Jace is the person he loves the most, or if Alec will continue to talk (or not talk) about this exclusively with Izzy.

I liked that Clary chose helping Alec and Izzy save Jace rather than preserve the demon and a chance at getting her memories back. So I guess they really are gone for good. I thought the conversation afterwards between Clary and Jace was well done in that I think you could tell he appreciated what she did and what she gave up to save him without him actually saying it.

Is Simon an actual vampire now, or are these just side effects of the encanto? Jace was going on last episode about how becoming a vampire is a complicated process.

[Chicken Wing]

I liked this episode, too. Seems the show is starting to find its groove as it goes on.

 

Magnus Bane is hella awesome so naturally every scene he will ever appear in will be made of win. His scenes in this episode did not disappoint, and I think Harry Shum Jr. got the character down perfectly.

 

I would like Izzy to tone it down just a few notches still. I did giggle at her lamenting that she wishes she were as flat-chested as Clary. I mean, Katherine McNamara's got some cleavage on her, so, "flat-chested"? But yeah, compared to Izzy... And speaking of, does she ever put them away?

 

Alec continues to be my favorite, if for no other reason than he wants nothing more than to smack Clary upside the head. Naturally the person he loves the most is Jace, although I'm not sure everyone should have automatically inferred what we know, and he knows, it means. I mean, Jace is his parabatai, his best friend, his brother. Why shouldn't he love him the most? Magnus never said it was the person you were in love with, hence Clary seeing her mother and Izzy seeing Alec. At any rate, if they didn't understand on their own Alec's freaking the fuck out about it gave it away anyway.

 

I must say, I find this whole Mortal Cup business to be the least interesting aspect of the show, which is probably a bit problematic since that's the hook for the entire plot. I kind of don't care anymore. And I read the books.

 

Simon's fun, and you have to feel sorry for him stuck in this strange world and his best friend choosing these weirdos she just met over him. Of course he wanted to leave, despite the very logical warnings by Jace and Clary that it's not safe now that the rogue Downworlders know who he is and who he knows. justcris Simon isn't a vampire now

but he's slowly transitioning. It is like Jace said, it's a complicated process. He's drunk vampire blood and everything's all topsy-turvy in his body. He returns to the Hotel DuMort because he felt "pulled" there, due to the blood. Further complications ensue.

Edited February 3, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[justcris]

I didn't even remember about the cup until they brought it up. They seem to be very single minded about things, first it was save Clary's mum, then that changed to save Simon, then that lead into get Clary's memories back. The cup almost feels like an afterthought at this point, something to think about in between crises.

 

This was also the first episode where no one's acting made me cringe. 

 

I've decided, I shall read the books now!

[Pixel]

The acting is slowly improving. It's beginning to feel like a real show now. Still annoyed by Kat's voice though.

[sjohnson]

It's shocking I'm still watching this. I mean, it's not like The Messengers or Olympus, which were so weird they at least had novelty. 

 

The problem with Jace/Clary is that they are obviously doomed to gloriously perfect yet plot-thwarted True Love, despite also being predestined to victory. No doubt this will make for a dizzying succession of plot twists where every inevitable triumph is undone so that they get new perils to save somebody else from, instead of their happily ever after. Well, at least that's my diagnosis and I'm sticking to it. It's just not that gripping. 

 

Alec and Simon have real problems. I don't believe friendzoning much happens in real life. But on the extremely  rare occasions it does, I think it's really just the zoner using the zonee because the zoner deeply believes they are so superior to the zonee that it is offensive to think they would lower themselves that way. So doing it twice in the same show is doubly implausible, and attractive for neither character. So perversely, I'm eager to see Magnus saving Ale. And for Simon to save himself from the vampires and hook up with Maureen, instead of playing her in their musical group. 

[dragonsbite]

While I'm kinda liking the show -- and I'm definitely giving it a lot of leeway for now --, two character things really bug me:

• Clary's hair. Jeez, does it have to be so perfect all the time? No one's hair is like that! And if her hair really were like that all the time, then she just needs to die. Because, NOT FAIR. Er..ah, what was I saying?
• The actor playing Magnus is much too young or seems much too young. He's not believable when delivering the lines that imply he's very very old. For example, his throwaway line about Michaelangelo. Nope, nope, nope. Poor choice for actor.

[Sunspot2003]

Now this is what I signed up for! Loved Magnus (I shall stop calling him Mike Chang now), loved Alec (as usual) and loved them together, I have a ship!

 

Luke better be moved into the A plot soon though, it's like he's on another show.

[madhacker]

I agree with everybody's comment and the show does to be moving along , but I do have one tiny quibble: at the rave they couldn't have the first shot of Magnus dancing? Anybody here who's watched Glee knows damn well that Harry dancing was always awesome. Oh well,, they can correct this by having Magnus take Alec out to a club on one of their dates.

[galax-arena]

Alec continues to be my favorite, if for no other reason than he wants nothing more than to smack Clary upside the head. Naturally the person he loves the most is Jace, although I'm not sure everyone should have automatically inferred what we know, and he knows, it means. I mean, Jace is his parabatai, his best friend, his brother. Why shouldn't he love him the most? Magnus never said it was the person you were in love with, hence Clary seeing her mother and Izzy seeing Alec.

I bet that the memory itself had something to do with Alec's specifically romantic feelings for Jace though, and that made him freak out. And Jace's curiosity at least seemed piqued when he saw it. 

 

Anyway, I think I liked this episode the best, in no small part to Magnus. He was a hoot. 

 

Simon is such a twerp though. I realize that a large part of his behavior towards Clary had to do with his feeling discombobulated from the vampire stuff - and he did apologize - but it also obviously had to do with his resentment towards what he sees as a budding relationship between Clary and Jace. And hell, it's not like I'm a huge fan of Clary and Jace - I couldn't stand them in the books - but I hate it when guys pout and sulk because the girl they like is into someone else, especially when they've never even bothered to tell her. Yes, it seems obvious to us, but women aren't mind readers. 

[paulvdb]

And it's not like this is new for Simon. He was already like this before the vampires kidnapped him: "Clary, we are being chased by supernatural creatures that we know nothing about, so we should go home where you'll probably be easily found and killed instead of staying with these people who saved our lives and know more about this threat to you. They can help us fight this threat, but I don't want you to get together with Jace so we should leave and get ourselves probably killed."

[Chicken Wing]

I bet that the memory itself had something to do with Alec's specifically romantic feelings for Jace though, and that made him freak out. And Jace's curiosity at least seemed piqued when he saw it.

 

I know, I'm just saying there shouldn't have been any reason for a casual observer, a person who doesn't have the slightest idea that Alec actually has feelings for Jace, to infer that from it. Alec freaked out because he knows what it means, but Jace looked curious because ... plot. He figured it out because the story needed him, and everyone else, to figure it out. Logically there was no reason to read more into it, though, for the reasons I described before.

[galax-arena]

Yeah, but Jace and Isabelle are hardly casual observers, and they were probably the only people in that room that Alec was worried about. (Jace more so than Isabelle, I guess.) And I'm convinced that Isabelle at least already knew,

which could admittedly be confirmation bias since it turns out that she knew in the books, but I don't think so,

considering how she was smirking* when Magnus was flirting up a storm. And I won't be surprised if Jace already knew as well. Maybe not that Alec was into him specifically, but I don't think it's necessarily unreasonable plot contrivance that he could put two and two together based on whatever memory Alec gave to the demon. "Jace is Alec's parabatai, so that makes sense," is the sort of reasoning I would expect from an outsider like Clary. 

 

* Of course, this might not mean anything; Isabelle's actress is so bad that smirking seems to be her default expression. 

 

And it's not like this is new for Simon. He was already like this before the vampires kidnapped him: "Clary, we are being chased by supernatural creatures that we know nothing about, so we should go home where you'll probably be easily found and killed instead of staying with these people who saved our lives and know more about this threat to you. They can help us fight this threat, but I don't want you to get together with Jace so we should leave and get ourselves probably killed."

Right? Simon's jealousy is seriously not a good look. Why doesn't he just pee on her to mark his territory? And I get being wary because OMG DEMONS and OMG WHO ARE THESE WEIRD PEOPLE WITH TATTOOS WHO CAN DISAPPEAR AT WILL, so I understand not wanting to put all your trust in them regardless if they've saved your life or not, but what other choice does Clary have? 

[Chicken Wing]

And I'm convinced that Isabelle at least already knew ... but I don't think so, considering how she was smirking* when Magnus was flirting up a storm.

 

I think the episodes so far made it clear that Isabelle knew what Alec's angst was all about. I think it was just a matter of us, the audience, figuring out what they were "not" saying, but to someone in the know (i.e. read the books), some of their conversations as well as certain remarks by Izzy were obviously alluding to it. As far as Magnus, Izzy pretty much smirks at anything, but they established that Magnus has played for both teams so she could have been casually flirting back at him.

 

 

And I won't be surprised if Jace already knew as well. Maybe not that Alec was into him specifically, but I don't think it's necessarily unreasonable plot contrivance that he could put two and two together based on whatever memory Alec gave to the demon.

 

From what we could see, MemoryJace wasn't actually doing anything to give much of a hint for what Alec held so "beloved" about it. Maybe Jace knew, deep down, maybe he didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. Sometimes people can be pretty obtuse about things that, in hindsight, should have seemed obvious. I just don't think there is anything particularly damning about Jace, Alec's parabatai and lifelong best friend, being Alec's most beloved memory that should have immediately tipped Jace off to what Alec knows it to really mean, although Alec obviously freaked out that it would/did, so it did seem to me a bit plot convenience-y that Jace seemed to figure it out there, at least when there were no previous indications that he ever suspected anything like that about Alec. (My, that's a long run-on sentence.) Nonetheless, I am glad that those not in the know (Jace and Clary) have finally caught on, so we can move the hell along with this plot.

Edited February 4, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[justcris]

I agree that Alec's memory being of Jace could be for parabatai reasons. Izzy's own memory was of her brother, and parabatais are like brothers, no? I think maybe Jace was surprised to see that Alec was putting him 'above' Izzy though.

 

Simon confuses me. I get that he loves Clary and obviously doesn't like her growing connection to Jace but it's a life or death situation here, and he just wants to go home and 'figure it out'? Suuuuure Simon, good luck with that!

I did think they would keep him human like Xander on BtVS, but apparently he's already on his way to being a vampire.

I liked Clary telling him that she feels like the Shadowhunters are her people, that was nice.

[Chicken Wing]

How old is he supposed to look? I mean they can't actually hire someone who's 800 years old.

 

Heh. In the books, I think it's said that Magnus looks like a 19-year-old, while Harry Shum Jr. is actually 33, so technically he's too old for the part. :) I think he carries the character well. Magnus is supposed to be this sort of whimsical character, at times a serious figure who bears the weight of having been through it all but still maintains a sort of silly innocence about him. His lines and their delivery felt right on point.

[mrsnolatron]

Simon's voice sounds exactly like Scott Wolf's to me. It's distracting.  Also, how did Clary not get any of his (apparently multiple) voicemails and/or not call him back sooner?  She's had time to recover from the demon encounter, return to the Institute, probably take a shower and eat something, and chat with Jace.  Only then does she casually pick up her phone and call him.  No urgency.  I know it's to drive the plot, but don't make Clary look like an even bigger flake, show.

 

Despite that, I loved the episode. Magnus is perfect, and Alec is finally showing some personality. Yay!