Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 2 Review: The Powers That Be
Justin Carreiro
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Things going haywire was just the tip of the iceberg for the Warlocks on Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 2.
In actuality, everything was becoming sheer chaos.
It didn't start this way. The magical group had a lot to celebrate, especially with a new High Warlock in town. However, their magic was being affected by a mysterious individual. And, what's worse was that our favorite Warlock could've been banished from the city for a crime he didn't commit.
Magnus is going to have a hard time doing anything with the new High Warlock around. Lorenzo Rey made it known that he hates, or at the very least despises, Magnus. That is a conflict he won't soon give up.
Before Lorenzo came to town, Magnus could travel and make the decisions all by himself; he had the free rein to do so. However, now he's bound to follow the rules like the rest of the characters. And if he steps out of line, Lorenzo won't object to getting rid of him. He made that clear with his idle threat.
Magnus had nothing to do with the Warlocks' magic being corrupted at the party. In fact, anyone who knew Magnus would know that he wouldn't do something like that. It's not in his character or motivation.
Lorenzo went after him out of spite because he was searching for any reason to get rid him. Anyone could've been at fault, but come on; he wanted to blame Magnus. He used that tidbit about Magnus's demon father merely as leverage to craft the future case against our favorite Warlock.
Right now, I wouldn't classify Lorenzo as a love-to-hate villain. He seemed more like a character who would be a thorn in the group's side.
What did you think of the new High Warlock of Brooklyn?
Let's take a step back and analyze the Warlock party for a moment.
Lorenzo's mansion party was gorgeous! He may be a self-obsessed, over-dramatic leader, but he designed a nice home. And he threw a good party before things went haywire with the layline.
The costuming was beautifully done, and it was a nice touch to see familiar characters again, like Catarina and Madzie. Plus, the use of special effects added to the conflict when the magic started becoming out of control.
Seeing each Warlock react differently to Lilith's corruption made the experience more unique than seeing a generic contamination. Each reaction showed off the style and personality of the Warlocks to get a better sense of their powers.
From the number of times Magnus's father was mentioned it almost seemed like Shadowhunters was teasing his eventual appearance. You don't give someone a name unless you want it to register in our minds. We might need to prepare ourselves for the demon to arrive at some point in the future.
Lorenzo may not have been involved in solving the problem or causing it, but he inadvertently helped steer Magnus in the right direction.
If Lorenzo hadn't threatened Magnus, Magnus never would've broken into his home to check out the layline. He also never would've seen the red vines or got knocked back by magic. At least Lorenzo's frustrating appearance was good for something.
We better get used to him now. Who knows, this character may grow on us and he could turn out to be a reluctant anti-hero, like Aldertree.
The plan to cure the laylines was a dangerous one. Raj, as frustrating as he was, had a valid point in the matter: If the lines got corrupted again, the Institute could've been affected and destroyed.
Alec and the group didn't ignore the reasoning, but they outweighed the value of curing the laylines than losing the Institute. The lines reached the entire city, and if the Warlocks got out of control (like what happened with Catarina's powers), more people could be hurt. They had a valid risk to take.
Both were right in their arguments.
However, Raj and his friends shouldn't have stepped in to lock Alec out. He made a thoughtless and reckless move by cutting off Alec, especially when he already knew a powerful Warlock was pumping magic into the core. Did he not think about what would happen to the extra energy?
Related: Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 1 Review: On Infernal Ground
Magnus could've accidentally destroyed the place with the magic he was adding. The rest of the Institute should be grateful that Alec manually reversed Raj's lock and sent the Shadowhunter away. He saved a lot of lives.
From a character/plot standpoint, it's a shame that we're losing an adversary that we could dislike. Raj was more of a menace than a full-blown villain; he lumps into the same character as Reggie from Riverdale. He causes some mouthy trouble, but he's insignificant to the overall direction.
And it was nice to have a minor recurring character at the Institute we could recognize.
We learned a little bit more of Lilith's plan and what she can do in New York City. Beyond trying to bring Sebastian/Jonathan back from the dead, her intentions are still a mystery. Though, we do know now that she's spreading her corruption through the blood and the altar.
The altar seems to be her primary source of power or her required ritual device.
She needed the blood from her victims added to the altar AND she felt calm that the altar was safe after Magnus's power blast; those two pieces can't be ignored. Whatever her big plans are for the Shadowhunters and New York City, it will involve more possessions to build up her stock of blood.
The good news was that Izzy and Jace found video footage of the demon corrupting the victim. Bad news, however, was that they couldn't identify the demon. We can't wait to see how their investigation goes from here; they finally have a new lead in their case.
Luke: You know, for a while, I felt guilty about my role in the Circle. I thought that joining the NYPD would make up for it.
Isabelle: Did it?
Luke: For the most part, but I stopped spending so much time with Jocelyn. And that’s time I can’t get back.
Isabelle: I get it, but I don’t have a Jocelyn.
Luke: Maybe that’s because you’re not looking? If you don’t make time for yourself, you’re not going to find him.
Jace and Clary's romantic date was a long time coming. The sexual tension between these two characters was felt right from the beginning of Shadowhunters Season 1 Episode 1. They wanted to be with each other, but a string of bad luck separated them. Like, for instance, they thought they were siblings!
Now that the truth got revealed, Jace could finally show his affection and take Clary out on a real date. And he absolutely needed to, especially after all of the relationship drama they've gone through. His character also needed some redemption in the romantic department.
The way he asked her out was so genuine and sweet. However, did he not plan it beforehand? He acted like a fish out of water who didn't know what to do. If he had thought about it and planned, he could've avoided the awkward double date at the restaurant with Maia and Simon.
Also, side-note, he was rude to hang up the phone after Simon gave him recommendations. Jace may be all brooding and bad boy, but it was impolite to do that. The spontaneous double date was all bad karma because of him.
Clary: Okay, I have kinda a personal question for you.
Maia: Go for it.
Clary: What happens to your clothes when you, you know...
[She does wolf claws with her hands]
Maia: Wolf out?
Clary: Yeah.
Maia: Nothing good. I’ve shredded some of my cutest outfits that way. It’s kinda wolf protocol to stash pairs of pants all over town.
Clary: Smart. Have you ever tried spandex?
Maia: Have you ever seen a wolf in spandex? It’s horrifying!
Clary: Well, my deepest condolences to your wardrobe.
First off, the restaurant for the date looked gorgeous!
The set design team did an amazing job to set the romantic mood; they also made it look young and trendy. The restaurant was a place Clary would love to visit.
Secondly, the surprise of Maia, Simon, Clary, and Jace being trapped together at a communal table during a date double was the perfect awkward plot twist. These characters were trapped in a complicated love foursome that needed to be addressed. We were gifted with finally watching the reactions as each truthbomb exploded.
Simon knowing too much about Clary was expected; they dated, and they're best friends so that he would have that knowledge about her. Jace letting it slip that he and Maia hooked up, on the other hand, was priceless. You could almost hear the glass shattering sound effect once the night got ruined.
It's a shame it ended too soon because the group was doing pretty well at getting along.
Maia and Clary were finding some commonalities, even though Maia tried to kill her before. And Simon was slowly getting adjusted to eating human food again. (Oh well, there's always next time.)
Jace: But what about you?
Clary: Well, I could use a better model. Don’t worry, you don’t have to take your clothes off...unless you want to.
Jace: What do you say to dinner? Tonight. Someplace Mundane, just the two of us.
Clary: Like a date?
Jace: Yes, Clary, yeah. If you want to call it that, a date.
Clary: Where?
Jace: Uhhhh...it’s a surprise.
Clary: Alright. But, don’t think that gets you out of modeling.
Regardless of what I said about Jace during Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 2, he redeemed himself with his speech to Clary.
The character of Jace did a great job being direct and honest with Clary. He was genuine in his words, and you could feel the love he had for her. He considered Clary to be special, and he didn't want to ruin any relationship they had or might have in the future.
Dominic Sherwood, who portrays Jace, pulled off the emotion needed to make these words feel true and humanize the character. We need to see more of this element because it adds a new layer to his character building and development; he's not the tough and brooding skilled fighter.
Though, we do need to be worried about Jace's dreams. He had another nightmare of killing Clary; those thoughts have to be tied to a specific cause. He needs to talk with someone before he unknowingly acts on the thoughts.
Maia and Simon gave off all the emotions we need to see in their relationship. They clearly like each other a lot, and they're not going to let anyone get in the way. Not the Seely Queen, not the wolves, and definitely not a mysterious mark.
After Simon was able to defend himself against the surprise attack, now we're left to wonder if they'll try again?
Probably not since they underestimated his power; they now know he can defend himself. Plus, Luke won't be too thrilled hearing that the wolves tried to get rid of Simon. They should be afraid of retribution from their pack leader.
Maia: Well, there wouldn’t have been a whole ceremony about it if it didn’t do something.
Simon: What if the ceremony was just for her to get my blood? And now she’s making some mutant Daylighter fern?
Maia: [Sighs] Yeah, you might be onto something there.
Simon: Look, the point is, even if you could find out what the Seely Queen did to me, then what? Kiss my boo boo and make it feel better?
Maia: Maybe...
[She kisses him]
Simon: It’s actually to the left.
[She kisses his top left forehead]
Simon: Here.
[He points to his left cheek and she kisses it]
Simon: Here.
[He points to his lips]
Maia: Now you’re just stealing moves from Indiana Jones.
Simon: I did learn from the best.
[They kiss and make-out]
The truth to the Seely Queen's ritual was unveiled, and it was electric.
When she placed the mark on his forehead, there were a lot of questions about what it could cause. For a while, one of my theories was that it could allow her to track him or see through his eyes. This revelation about it being extra powers is so much better!
Barrier shields can't be the only power Simon has up his sleeve. There has to be more he can do thanks to the Daylighter mark. What else do you think he'll be able to do?
What did you think of "The Powers That Be"? Will the wolves try to remove Simon again? What is causing Jace's nightmares? Was Lorenzo kinda into Alec?
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.
