Shadowhunters Dust and Shadows Recap/Review
Here we go folks. After the events of last week I think it’s safe to assume that no-one is truly safe any more. Not even characters who lived to see a happy ending in the books. So with that in mind, buckle up for a rollercoaster. This is our Shadowhunters Dust and Shadows Recap! There are some plot points in this episode that require discussion of the Shadowhunters books, but I’ve tried to limit/mark book spoilers where appropriate.
Alec Lightwood. After his possession by the demon and its disastrous consquences last week he is pretty messed up. In an effort to mask his emotional pain he has taken to standing atop the Institute, glamoured from Mundane sight, firing arrows into the sky until his fingers bleed. Jace finds him and tries to talk his parabatai down (and the echoes of their first meeting, which we saw in Parabatai Lost, are beautiful) but Alec is too torn up. After all, Jocelyn was his parabatai’s mother too. He leaps off the roof and runs off through the park below.
Clary and Simon mourn Jocelyn together and Clary is worried about Luke. He seems to be AWOL and Clary knows how she felt when Simon died – she was distraught – so she’s worried how Luke is handling Jocelyn’s death. Talking about Simon becoming a vampire gives Clary a sudden idea. If Simon died and came back, maybe Jocelyn can too. Simon does not look thrilled with the idea and Magnus certainly isn’t.
Clary goes to him to ask if it’s possible and he says it is, but it’s dark magic. She asks if he wouldn’t do it if it was his mother and he says absolutely not. He tells them that his mother killed herself when he was 9, when she found out he was a demon, with that dagger he found at Camille’s place in India! Knowing that Clary can never get back her own memories he gives her one of his own. The day he first met her and her mother, when Jocelyn brought Clary to have her memories wiped. He tells her that losing her isn’t something that will get easy, but it will get easier… it’s something you head straight into and cry your eyes out. Simon wants to accompany Clary back to the Institute but she sends him home to his own mother.
At the Institute Aldertree gathers the Conclave and tells them that Jace is innocent of any wrong doing. Jace is fine, happy to be back, but everyone else still eyes him with suspicion and a degree of loathing. He and Izzy talk and she apologises for handing him over to Aldertree. Jace tells her that what she did saved him and Alec. He notices that she is favouring her shoulder but she brushes it off and tells Jace he should look after Clary.
Clary stands with Jocelyn’s body. Jace arrives and they talk, he confesses that emotions might not be such a bad thing after all. Tells her he wishes he’d had a chance for Jocelyn to get to know him as something more than “an experiment gone wrong”. You can practically see the cogs turn in Clary’s head and she slopes off to track down a warlock who might be willing to do the spell for her.
Iris Rouse is one creepily helpful warlock. She demonstrates her power by bringing a convenient dead crow back to life while a young girl watches from inside the house. After the demo Iris takes Clary inside and shows her around a little, Iris is not just a warlock, she’s also a doctor for Mundanes. Clary meets Madzie, the girl who was watching through the window. The young girl is apparently Iris’ god-daughter. She’s observant but doesn’t talk much. Iris gives Clary her terms – she’ll do the spell in exchange for Clary owing her a favour. Clary agrees and BY THE ANGEL CLARY ARE YOU MAD? This is the WORST idea in the world. Owing a shady ass warlock an undisclosed favour – you realise you’re not doing that “Valentine’s Daughter” image ANY harm right now yeah? *shakes head*
Simon is heading home but he calls Luke. He leaves a voicemail as he gets no response – a worried message that both he and Clary need Luke right now. After all he has been a father to both of them for years. He arrives home and Elaine greets him. Simon apologises for missing dinner the day before and says he wants to move home. He gives her a list of things she can’t freak out about if he does (staying out all night, sleeping all day…you know…vamp stuff) and she agrees. She also wants to invite Clary and Jocelyn over for dinner. Poor Simon. He’s there to spend time with his mom since Clary lost hers, but he can’t even tell her why it’s so important to him.
Aldertree sits down for a chat with Jace. He says that Jace was unprepared and let Valentine escape with the Mortal Sword. Jace argues that he saved Aldertree’s life but Aldertree says he should have let him die. He benches Jace from field work after telling him that a mission is being planned to the Adamant Citadel to see the Iron Sisters and see if they can help them with the Sword situation.
Magnus finds Alec on his fire escape and they talk about Camille and Alec’s pain. Magnus notices his bloody hands and knows he is using physical pain to mask the emotional. He knows Alec will find a way to make it right, he saw what happened at the wedding after all. I swear Magnus gets Alec better than anyone else. And certainly better than Alec knows himself sometimes!
Clary takes a lock of hair from Jocelyn and gets caught by Jace. She admits the plan and he tells her it’s a terrible idea. He says she could summon a demon in Jocelyn’s form – but she only hears could. Jace tries his best to warn her off but funnily enough, little Miss I’m Doing It Anyway does not listen.
Simon gets a visit from his sister Becky. She opens his curtains in the middle of the day, trapping him in the corner of his room, and then finds a flask of blood on his desk. She knows it’s the real thing and despite Simon’s pleading she runs off to flush it. Leaving Simon with no food supply and stuck in a house with two humans. UH OH!
In the Institute Izzy and Jace train and talk about Alec. Jace bests her and she struggles getting up. The wound caused when Clary stabbed her to expel the demon is infected and troubling her. Jace tells her she might wanna get it checked ASAP since Aldertree is sending a mission to the Iron Sisters. Jace knows his sister wanted to be an Iron Sister as a child. At least until she realised she would have to swear off boys. She literally lights up at the mention of the Sisters.
This is such a beautiful sibling moment. It feels like the first time we have really SEEN Jace and Izzy as brother and sister. Sure they have referred to each other as brother and sister but seeing Jace worried for her health, referencing things from their shared childhood is just perfect. Also – the training fight I have watched four or five times now and it’s not getting any less sexy. PHEW!
Izzy goes to Aldertree to request to go on the mission to the Adamant Citadel. He enquires about her wound and examines her (he used to be a field medic apparently – but I’m so not buying that). He tells her that there is something that can help her, since healing runes aren’t working, and she says she’ll take it. It’s a substance called Yin Fen and when he applies it to her spine she seems to become euphoric, a tear slips from her eye. He gives her the tin and tells her to use it sparingly.
Okay – if you’ve read The Infernal Devices/don’t care about book canon you can skip this next paragraph.
Yin Fen is a HIGHLY addictive demonic drug that is also lethal. You crave more until it kills you. Or if you try not to take it the withdrawal will kill you anyway. It’s what Jem Carstairs was addicted to, what brought him to the point of death. Isabelle, as a Lightwood, really should have known better. In fact the second those words left Aldertree’s mouth she should have punched him in it and reported him to the Clave!
Alec comes to Clary to try and apologise but she doesn’t want to hear it. He says he’d do anything to take back those thirty seconds – and Clary says there may be a way. In his desperate remorse over his actions Alec goes along with her to the Warlock (who asks if he is Clary’s boyfriend leading to the most scornful ‘No’ you have ever heard).
At Iris’ house Alec is a little dubious, he asks to see her Warlock Mark as proof of her credentials but Iris shuts him down. She tells him to wait downstairs while she and Clary go upstairs. Oh Alec you smart cookie. You know something is wrong don’t you. Alec meets Madzie while upstairs Clary and Iris begin the ritual. And there has never been anything quite as beautiful as Alec Lightwood smiling at this young girl.
Simon calls Raphael, he is desperate for blood. Elaine comes into his room and notices the uneaten roast on the side. Becky told her about the blood and after some more half-assed excuses Simon finally comes out of the coffin. He tells her he is a vampire and at first she thinks it’s a prank but he keeps talking. Elaine might not believe he’s a vampire but she’s definitely concerned.
Back at the warlock’s house the ritual is interrupted when the zombie crow from earlier busts through the window and goes bananas. It flaps around until Iris grabs it and snaps its neck. Clary is freaked and grabs the lock of hair back to stop the ritual. Downstairs Alec and Madzie bond over her “cool gills” and she leads him upstairs where he meets Lee and another warlock baby.
Clary tries to leave but Iris calls in her favour. She wants Clary to “host” a demon baby. After which she will have her memory wiped. Clary says it’s impossible – Shadowhunters can’t get pregnant by demons – but Iris has found a way round that. She dosed Clary’s tea.
Jace finds Izzy and see’s she’s feeling better. He asks where Clary is and Izzy tells her that she left with Alec. Jace puts two and two together and gets “my sister is a moron who should listen to my advice”. He and Izzy go after Clary and Alec. Lee fights the gaps in her memory and tells Alec about Iris and her demon baby factory. Clary wakes up alone in a creepy basement and we all know nothing that starts with those words can possibly go well. A door opens and a majorly disgusting demon crawls in.
Jace and Izzy arrive at the house and split up. Alec confronts Iris who knocks him down and is using magic on him until little Madzie intervenes. Pretty sure when Magnus finds out another Warlock had their hands on his man he is going to be PISSED! Izzy turns up to protect her unconscious brother and Iris portals out with Madzie.
In the basement Clary uses a chain hanging from the ceiling to fight a little but the demon disarms her, leaving her with only her stele. She gets a sudden vision, seeing a glowing rune. She draws it on her palm and turns it on the demon. A bolt of sunlight pours out and the demon disintegrates as Jace rounds the corner. He says that they should keep this new found ability a secret.
Elaine calls to try and get a doctor’s appointment for Simon, and I’m not sure she thinks he needs a physician. More like a shrink. She walks into his room and finds him gnawing on a big old rat and I think that might just have convinced her Simon isn’t crazy.
Izzy uses more of the Yin Fen…that can’t be a good sign.
The funeral for those lost in the demon attack/Valentine’s attack on the Silent City is held. Jace takes Clary’s hand and helps her through it, speaking Jocelyn’s name for her when she breaks down and can’t continue. The bodies turn to sparkly dust and float up and out of the Institute, over a naked, blood covered Luke who turns into a wolf and howls at the sky.
Summary/Speculation
Okay, so on the one hand we have some glorious moments in this episode. There’s Jace trying to help his parabatai, Magnus giving Clary his memory, Jace and Izzy working together, that Malec scene. But we also have the Yin Fen thing. Which I can’t seem to get past. Aldertree has basically just turned Izzy into an addict – addicted to something that will kill her. The only way I can see her getting out of this is to become an Iron Sister. And that’s just not Izzy. I know they said Izzy would go down a dark path this season but there is no coming back from this, not if they stay true to the nature of Yin Fen from the books.
My highlight of this episode is not Jace in a sleeveless shirt training with Izzy honest. It is finally getting a glimpse of Clary’s true power – her rune creation. This is such a huge part of who she is, I cannot wait to see how they develop this. I do hope they follow the path of the books on this one, although with Valentine already having (literally) abandoned ship they will have to find somewhere else to play it out for maximum effect.
All images used in this post are credit to Freeform/John Medland.
