Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 3 Review: What Lies Beneath
Justin Carreiro
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The owl demon has struck again! This time, a stylish girl with a social life was the target on Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 3.
Lilith's plan has started to take hold. More people got infected in New York City, and her collection of blood at the alter grew, since the last time we saw her. The Shadowhunters are failing to protect the people from this unknown threat.
Since the last time we saw the owl demon infect someone on Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 1, the creature has built his collection of acolytes for Lilith. The team mentioned that at least 7 Mundanes were killed because of him. We don't why it's targeting certain people, but it's getting the job done for its master.
And luckily Morgan was able to save herself the first time around with the pepper spray.
She made a quick and cunning decision that saved her life. However, why did she go out to the club so soon afterwards?
If something that terrifying had happened to me, I would be watching my back for a while. Morgan was too calm and collected about the whole situation to be celebrating at night. She was playing with fate.
Now that she's infected by the owl demon and captured at the Institute, Lilith may try anything to get her back. She's a prisoner for now, but we've seen what happens when one of the corrupted gets too out of control. The Shadowhunters should be worried over their new captive.
Jace made the smart move by confiding in Clary his dreams about Jonathan. He needed to tell someone and work it out.
Sure, he didn't tell her the whole story, but at least the bits he did mention were enough that could help the group. If his constant nightmares were about Jonathan, chances are the dreams were sending him a sign. But, I do agree with Izzy and Clary that he needed to get some sleep; he was acting a tad erratic.
Clary: Izzy, have you...have you noticed anything different about Jace?
Izzy: No. You do see him more than I do. What’s wrong?
Clary: He thinks the Owl is Jonathan.
Izzy: What? Why?
Clary: He keeps having these dreams about him. He thinks they’re prophetic.
Izzy: What do you think?
Clary: I don’t know. He hasn’t been sleeping; he’s been using his stamina rune to stay on mission.
Izzy: When you don’t sleep, your mind can play tricks on you.
Clary's reaction to the dreams worked well with the situation. She was skeptical about Jace's accusations that Jonathan was back, but she didn't completely dismiss him. Part of that may have been love, and the other half was her natural Shadowhunter nature.
Even Izzy spotted the sign that something was amiss. We haven't had a good ol' fashion team stakeout in a while; this mission was a welcome change!
Should Izzy give Dr. Charlie a shot?
She gave him her number out of desperation to focus on her mission, but he seemed like a good guy. Dr. Charlie was into her and wouldn't take no for an answer. Plus, he 's pretty cute, and a doctor!
From all of the descriptions, he checks a lot of boxes. He could be a good catch for Izzy.
Jonathan: Awfully confident, aren’t you? Coming after me all alone.
[The two fight swords]
Jace: Why Morgan? What are you doing with these Mundanes?
Jonathan: You never could beat me in a fair fight, could you?
Jace: Looks like we’re about to find out.
Jonathan: Ahhh, there it is, the famous Morgenstern swagger. Is it Wayland? Herondale? Lightwood? It’s hard to keep track of exactly who you are, isn’t it?
[Jonathan hits Jace]
Jonathan: We are much more alike than you think, you and I.
Jace: I’m nothing like you.
Jonathan: You are exactly like me. Except, of course, I’m stronger. Spend enough time in Edom, it has a way of...toughening you up.
Jace: I look forward to sending you back.
Jace turning out to be the owl demon was a jaw-dropping revelation.
My mind was blown when the mask was revealed to be our brooding blonde Shadowhunter; he was never one of the suspects. Dr. Charlie seemed like a good possible option since he was at the club. And he fit the role of "good guy red-herring" perfectly.
Even Jonathan was high on the list, but that was probably me having hope for more Will Tudor screentime. (#SorryNotSorry!)
Though, in hindsight, Jace being the owl demon made a lot of sense. His actions and visions/dreams of Jonathan were a troubling sign; he kept seeing him everywhere and broke out into sword fights when there was no one there.
And we can't forget about Jace's troubling dreams about Clary. His recurring nightmares of killing the woman he loved proved that something was definitely off about him. He was more evil than angel at that point.
Related: Shadowhunters Promo: Lilith Rises!
All this time Jace was corrupting the people of New York City and getting their blood to help bring Jonathan back. Does he even know what he's doing?
We need more to this story.
Raphael: Heidi, you need your rest. You’re still adjusting.
Heidi: Trust me, I’m adjusted. Thank you for bringing me back from the grave, but now it’s time to meet my sire.
Raphael: We talked about this. You can meet him when it’s time.
Heidi: It is time! Ugh!
Raphael: I’ve been going to bleeder den since I was 16. I know more than you think. And keeping me here...and burning me...that’s not normal. Either you can let me go...or I can make you.
Heidi being turned into a vampire created A LOT of questions. Like, why was she turned into a vampire in the first place? Why did Raphael keep her hidden in the basement? Why did he burn her with UV lights?
Though, one thing was for sure: Heidi acted incredibly strange as a vampire.
We saw what happened when someone turns into a vampire, like with Simon's transformation, but he didn't act anywhere near as chaotic as Heidi. She was practically bathed in blood; her craziness and thirst for it felt very True Blood. (I miss that show SO MUCH!)
And her desire to meet her sire again will no doubt cause a lot of trouble. Raphael should've just told her that David was staked during Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 15 after he killed her.
Now that's she escaped, she could be letting loose and taking lives. Heidi could be out of control.
My heart broke for Raphael during "What Lies Beneath." You could tell that he really loved his sister and her death was hurting him to his core. She was a kind and gentle minor character in the Shadowhunters world. (RIP Rosa!)
Izzy comforting him could've been a slippery slope. These two characters, while having the passion, do not belong together. Raphael's thirst for her blood, and the way he was eying her veins, proved that their problems were never going away.
On the other hand, seeing them both come to terms about this while still being supportive exes/friends was a pleasant development. Raphael can always reach out to Izzy if he needs to talk.
Maia: There are worse things than being locked out of the Seely realm...and being drenched. We’re going to figure this out.
Simon: You’ve already done so much.
Maia: Simon! I care about you, so until you tell me to back off, I’m going to be right here wringing out your jacket. Got it?
Simon: Okay.
Maia: Let’s get you some dry clothes, warm blood, and a shower.
Simon: What about the mark?
[She touches his shoulder]
Maia: Just try not to piss anyone off and we’ll deal with it in the morning.
Simon's mark is going to be an ongoing curse for him.
Without Raphael or the Seely Queen willing to help, he's essentially on his own with no clue about the mark's true purpose. None of his friends were able to find out its origin or what the rune could cause. The powers are just going to trigger and he'll have to react accordingly.
Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 3 kept with an overall theme of people abandoning Simon. The Seely Queen, Raphael, the wolves and Luke have placed him at arm's distance due to the rune. It's grateful to see that at least Maia and Clary are sticking by him to figure out what's going on with him.
Simon needs friends at a moment like this.
My heart broke when Luke told him that he needed to leave the boatyard. Simon has nowhere else to go as a vampire, especially since he's not welcome at the hotel. And you know Raphael won't let him in unless Simon tells him how to become a Daylighter or get the mark.
What other powers do you think the rune will cause?
Whenever Maryse Lightwood comes for a visit, her arrival is never just for pleasantries or because she misses her children. Her visits were usually about Clave duties or an urgent matter from Idris. She is a very professional and business-minded person at the forefront.
So, when Alec and Izzy mentioned she was dropping by for a visit, there was a sense that something bigger was going on. And, when she was strangely showing Magnus a lot of love and appreciation, her actions reaffirmed that suspicion.
Related: Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 2 Review: The Powers That Be
Maryse may have accepted her son's relationship with Magnus, but she wasn't as open-minded and loving as before. The Maryse we saw on Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 3 dropped all the formalities and just had fun.
Magnus must've been cringing on the inside at first when Isabelle decided that Magnus should join their family dinner. He didn't want to be anywhere near their dinner or the Institute when she was in town. Though, he was a good sport about it all.
Maryse being banished by the Clave was a devastating development for the character. She changed a lot since her beginnings during Shadowhunters Season 1, and she became a character who was more open and loving to her children. It's sad to see that her past came back to haunt her.
We learned a lot about her time with Valentine. The news explained a lot for why she was so persistent in wanting him captured. She must be living with the guilt knowing that she recruited many people to the cause and caused deaths.
Hopefully "What Lies Beneath" won't be the last we see of Maryse.
She's grown on us, and it's not fair that her husband Robert got a lesser punishment. But, if it is the case, it was heartwarming to see her give approval/acceptance to Alec's relationship with Magnus.
Her goodbye dinner ended her story on a tender moment.
What did you think of "What Lies Beneath"? What trouble will Heidi get up to now that she's escaped? Will Lilith try to free Morgan? Will Clary find out about Jace's secret identity?
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 of the episode.
Justin Carreiro was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
