Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 11 Review: Mea Maxima Culpa
Justin Carreiro
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The truth will always come out. Be it now, next week or at the end of Shadowhunters Season 2.
There's no point in hiding
On Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 11, things were looking up for a calm aftermath. Valentine was captured, the Soul Sword was safe, and the Clave was getting closer to finding the Mortal Cup. We only had a few loose ends left in the Valentine storyline.
Instead of rushing too far in the future, "Mea Maxima Culpa" picked up a short time right after the events of Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 10. I liked this choice by the writers; it helped with the progression of the story and it didn't stop the momentum.
The big theme of the night seemed to be about "moving on". A lot of the characters looked at Valentine's arrest as their chance to begin the next phase. And in a way, it did.
Valentine played a big part in causing all the evil since Shadowhunters Season 1 Episode 1. He was THE big bad creating the drama.
But who are we kidding? The drama doesn't keep quiet for long, even without him.
Azazel seemed like an interesting choice by the writers. He's terrifying and all-powerful. He also isn't a random demon; his character is a well-known figure mentioned many times in different books and TV shows.
Though, in execution, he reminded me of a less witty version of Lucifer from Lucifer. Instead of a potential big baddie, he felt more like a "monster of the week".
Let's cross our fingers that his pursuit of the Mortal Cup ties back to the main Shadowhunters Season 2 plot. There has to be a reason he was introduced this early on.
Kudos to the Shadowhunters special effects team and editing team. The work that was put in during the fights and spells looked flawless. I loved the direction and editing of Alec and Jace's fighting scene.
When it came to magic, Azazel's spell whenever he suffocated someone was a subtle choice. It wasn't too dramatic or painful. It had the right amount of damage and color to make it a terrifying punishment.
Maia: How did you get in here?
Simon: I drove.
Maia: Outside? In the sun?! How...what did Valentine do to you?
Simon: Okay, so he slashed my throat open, like completely. And then he used this nuclearized sword and swiped it. The next thing I know...
[He stands by sunny window]
Simon: The sun doesn't frighten me anymore.
Maia: That's it, just like that?
Simon: Yea! Crazy, right?
Maia: Simon, that's amazing. Don't you realize you have something every Downworlder wants?
Simon: A winning personality. You noticed.
Maia: The chance at living a normal life. Simon, you hit the jackpot.
Simon: I never hit the jackpot.
Is anyone else happy things are working out for Simon?
He's suffered so much before. Things were not working out for him after he turned into a vampire. It was looking quite depressing and worrisome.
This new 'Daylighter' storyline will obviously cause some drama for him; Raphael and the other vampires are going to want to know the secret. But in the meantime, he can enjoy the sun and human activities.
This is his chance to feel normal again. Yay for Simon!
One thing that bothered me all episode was Jace withholding information from Clary. I still don't understand why he didn't tell Clary the truth.
I don't mean his secret feelings for her, but the fact that they're not related. It wouldn't have changed anything between them. I don't get it.
Alec: So are you gonna tell Clary?
Jace: Tell her what?
Alec: She's not your sister.
[They spar]
Jace: You're the only person I've told. She's already lost so much. She's got a good thing going with Simon. You wouldn't want to ruin that?
[Alec pins Jace]
Alec: You can be so irresistible. She's gonna dump him the minute she finds out you're not related.
[They fight and Jace pins Alec]
Jace: And you should worry a little less about my love life, and a little more about your fighting skills.
[Alec taps out]
None of his reasons made sense. She's already in a committed relationship with Simon. Did he expect her to drop Simon immediately when she found out? If so, that's pretty egotistical.
Valentine being the one to admit the truth to Clary was perfection. Even when he's lost and being tortured, he's still a love-to-hate villain. He's pure evil!
Speaking of Valentine, does anyone else believe he's hiding a lot more?
Valentine is a bottomless pit of secrets. I don't buy that he doesn't know about the Mortal Cup's and Mortal Mirror's locations, or details about the demons. This is right up his alley.
He's playing coy to keep himself alive. Though, I doubt the Clave interrogator will break him. He's not giving anything up until he's getting something out of it.
Valentine: You're my daughter.
Clary: Why would that stop you? Jace is your son. You've hurt him plenty.
[Valentine evil smiles]
Valentine: You didn't tell her.
Clary: Tell me what?
Valentine: You must still have feelings for her, huh? Now isn't that a pickle.
Jace: Not another word.
Clary: What is he talking about?
Valentine: You want to do the honors or shall I?
Jace: Shut up!
[Jace punches Valentine]
Valentine: It's rude to keep a girl waiting, Jace.
Clary: Jace, what is going on?!
Jace: Valentine is not my father...I'm not your brother, Clary.
Luke's inability to protect his pack is troubling. He's already lost 2/3 of his pack to the Soul Sword. He doesn't have many people left.
There's no doubt Maia will stay by his side through all this. She's a loyal friend. I love their friendship together; they have great chemistry.
Though, I have a feeling this debate about turning humans into werewolves will come up again. Luke needs numbers to stay Alpha and there aren't many werewolves in the city to recruit. I would hate it if Luke gets desperate and does something like this.
Isabelle's reaction to yin fen withdrawal surprised me a bit at first. I expected her to have stronger drive. Though, after seeing her on Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 10, I guess I shouldn't have been.
It's disappointing that she went back to Raphael to get her fix. As an Isabelle fan, I want her to get clean and back on the right path. Their romance is bumpy, but at least he stopped her.
Hopefully this new cleanse with Sebastian will fix everything.
Isabelle: So, why aren't you in London with your Institute?
Sebastian: I had to kick my yin fen addiction and let's just say London wasn't the best place to do that. So I took matters into my own hands and I found my way to New York.
Isabelle: You went AWOL?
[He laughs]
Sebastian: I like to think of it more like a walkabout. The good news was that I was successful, you can be too.
First impression time: Do you like Sebastian? I'm on the fence.
I guess there's not much information about him yet to give an overall opinion. We only got a few scenes with Isabelle to introduce the new character. Book fans are familiar with Sebastian, but I'm curious to see where the writers go with him.
Don't get me wrong, it seems obvious that he'll turn out to be evil and become a huge threat. There's already something shady about him, and I don't just mean the burning palm. (But even more not surprising, I'm already captivated by Will Tudor and his British accent.)
"Mea Maxima Culpa" ended with Valentine hiding away in Magnus's body due to Azazel's spell. I enjoyed this cliffhanger. I didn't expect the demon to mess things up this bad for our favorite warlock.
Magnus/Valentine will no doubt cause some drama in the "Malec" relationship. Love doesn't seem like something Valentine will pretend to do. Though, this storyline seems like it'll last for one-two more episodes.
We can't risk Malec being broken up because of a spell. I refuse!
What did you think of "Mea Maxima Culpa"? Will Sebastian try to hurt Isabelle? How much longer before Simon's cure secret is revealed? Does Luke have a chance at fixing his pack?
If you missed the latest episode of Shadowhunters, you can watch Shadowhunters online via TV Fanatic. Come back here and let us know what you think.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
