Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 12 Review: You Are Not Your Own
Justin Carreiro
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Does anyone remember the Lindsay Lohan movie "Freaky Friday"?
Storylines about body switching tend to bring up those memories. Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 12 was no exception. Except, of course, that this was the darker and more heartbreaking version of that trope.
Everything involving Magnus being unable to convince Alec, Clary overcoming her grief, and Magnus reliving his pain tugged at the heartstrings. Shadowhunters did a great job bringing out the emotion. I felt for these characters.
The problem, however, is that I had already expected this storyline to only last a short while.
I called it out in my review for Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 11. I didn't believe Magnus was going to be in Valentine's body for long. He was bound to get his body back; this was simply proving that.
And Azazel's defeat with one arrow felt rushed. He is a powerful demon who caused lots of trouble and death, after all. Alec managed to get it done pretty quickly.
Did anyone else's heart break for Magnus? Mine did.
Even though it was through Valentine's body, you could feel the emotion. Magnus was suffering hard and dealing with the pain from the rune. There's no way this doesn't affect him later on in his relationship and friendships.
Alec: Magnus, I'm so sorry. For everything you've had to go through.
Magnus: That agony rune...made me relive memories I've spent centuries trying to forget.
Alec: Magnus, tell me how to fix this. Tell me what to do, please.
Simon and Clary's relationship has progressed pretty quickly. I didn't realize how fast and close they became as a couple. Their BFF history cut through a lot of awkward dating hurdles.
Shadowhunters had lightly glossed over key moments in their relationship before. We've seen them cuddling and waking up together, but I didn't expect they had hooked up already. I was waiting for the "big" episode where they would jump that hurdle.
I'm glad it wasn't a big deal. It's important for Simon and Clary's relationship, but it shouldn't have affected the overall story.
Simon: Why didn't you tell me? I found out Jace isn't your brother. I was thinking maybe that the reason you didn't tell me is because there's still a thing. So that he's not your big brother...
Clary: No, no, Simon. Okay, look, the reason I didn't tell you is I didn't want you to worry and spin, and instead all I made you do is worry and spin. I'm so sorry.
[They get close]
Simon: So we're good?
Clary: I'm not that easy to get rid of.
[They laugh]
Though, if we have to talk about big deals, we need to bring up the sparks. Jace and Clary had major sparks during their fight scene.
There's heat brewing between these two. It took a confrontation for Clary to tell her boyfriend Jace wasn't her brother. There could be trouble in paradise.
Why was Alec so dead set against trusting Sebastian? He didn't know the guy.
Sure, Sebastian is a stranger and just appeared as all this drama happened. And it's obvious to us since Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 11 that something shady is going on. However, he's done nothing to the main group to influence otherwise.
Alec is just grumpy for the sake of being grumpy. I would say it's his gut feeling, but I don't think so.
Clary: My mother just died. I feel the pain of that every day. I couldn't shut that out even if I could try.
Sebastian: I'm sorry to hear that. And I heard Jace just find out he isn't Valentine's son.
Clary: What does that have to do with anything?
Sebastian: Think about it. Your father has never really been your father, you've just lost your mother, and the brother you thought you had isn't your brother.
Clary: Jace...right before my runes stopped working that's when he told me.
Sebastian: That's what broke it all. The pain of losing the one last person you thought was family. You need to let that in, Clary.
Clary: Believe me I have.
Sebastian: Really?
Speaking of Sebastian, I like his chemistry with Clary. They worked well together after only knowing each other a short bit.
I'm choosing to ignore him asking her out. That storyline does not need to happen, as it doesn't feel right. There is already another, more complicated love story in the works.
Their chemistry was strongest during the barrier scene. I liked that Sebastian was able to figure out the cause of her power block and how to solve it. Having the solution be more emotional/mental than magic grounded the situation.
Hopefully, we get more scenes of Katherine McNamara and Will Tudor developing their friendship.
Why haven't we had more scenes of Isabelle and Simon together?
I like their friendship/connection. They're supportive while teasing each other during serious moments. Similar to Clary's friendship with Isabelle, I think it would be great to see this one develop.
When he related his experiences with his mother to Isabelle's addiction, that scene broke my heart. I sometimes forget that he's gone through some serious situations as a kid, even before becoming a vampire.
Isabelle: I became addicted to vampire venom.
Simon: I had no idea. Are you...?
Isabelle: I'm okay. Actually, I'm great.
Simon: Okay, good. Because, you know, with my mom, there's a lot of ups and downs. And I'm guessing there's not really a 12 step program at the Institute for Shadowhunters. I know a lot of really great groups.
Isabelle: Simon, I'm not a Mundane. I don't do groups. But I do fix Downworlder problems. Come on.
Simon: No, I'm good. I know that staying clean means staying away from Raphael.
Isabelle: Who said anything about going to get Raphael?
Is anyone else worried about Simon now that people know he's a Daylighter?
Those other vampires looked at him longingly, and I'm pretty sure it's not because they like him. They'll want to know his secret, and without Raphael's protection, Simon could be in trouble.
We finally got the truth regarding Jace's family history. He's definitely not related to Valentine. He's a Herondale. It's confirmed/settled/done.
It's great to see him find peace with knowing something about the past. He has history now and family who could tell him more about his parents.
But why the rush? The truth came out too soon as bait to get his body back from the Inquisitor. Every lie and hidden truth we've received previously led to this moment. I needed more than a few minutes.
Imogen: You had a lot taken away from you, Jace. You come from a line of great and powerful Shadowhunters. From a family revered for generations, and feared by those who oppose all that is good and just. This ring signifies that. This is your birthright.
[Puts necklace on Jace]
Imogen: Now, my boy, you are about to find out what it means to be a Herondale.
They captured Valentine again, and his last words were troublesome. There's got to be more to the story that we don't know yet.
He's the big bad, and now he's behind glass once again. Someone evil must be coming soon, or someone we thought was good will be evil. You cannot ignore lines like those; Valentine said them for a reason.
What did you think of "You Are Not Your Own"? Will the vampires go after Simon to learn his secret? Will another demon come looking for the Mortal Cup?
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.
