Shadowhunters Iron Sisters Recap/Review
We’re back, all you denizens of Downworld, for our Shadowhunters Iron Sisters Recap and Review. It’s been a rough ride so far this season, in more ways than one, and there are plenty more twists to come.
Episode Synopsis
To help get answers to what Valentine may be planning, Isabelle and Clary are sent on a mission to visit the Iron Sisters. Once there, more truths may be revealed than Izzy and Clary planned. On a mission of their own, Simon and Maia are determined to find Luke who is still missing after the demon attack at the Institute.
Meanwhile, Magnus and Alec finally go on their first date.
We get to meet the Iron Sisters straight away and let me tell you, these chicks are badass. I’m talking full on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon flying around and running up walls type stuff. They are testing a newly forged batch of seraph blades when they are interrupted by another sister who tells them of Valentine’s attack on the City of Bones.
Clary and Jace are discussing her rune vision, Jace has searched the Grey Book and found no trace of the rune Clary drew. She wants to ask Alec and Izzy if they have any idea what it could be, but Jace warns her off. Just in time as Izzy arrives and asks if she is interrupting. Clary and Jace say no, but I don’t think even they believe that.
Raphael comes to Simon’s house and berates him for letting a Mundane see him feeding. Simon shoots back that it was Raphael’s fault for not bringing him blood when he asked.
Clary and Izzy talk, it seems like Clary has forgiven Alec for killing Jocelyn (since, y’know, he was possessed) but Alec hasn’t forgiven himself yet. The girls discuss the Iron Sisters and what they do and Clary decides she wants to join the mission to the Iron Sisters with Izzy. Izzy goes to see Aldertree again as she needs more Yin Fen. She tells him of Clary’s desire to join the mission and he asks her to spy on Clary in exchange for the drug. As Clary is Valentine’s daughter he thinks she may have been experimented on and wants to know if she does anything suspicious. Aldertree is the shiftiest guy alive. I cannot believe he’s doing this to Izzy. Scumbag.
Simon moves back to the boat basin after having Raphael wipe Elaine’s memory of seeing Simon eating that rat. Clary still hasn’t heard from Luke and Simon tells her he’s on the case, that he’ll check with the Pack and find him. However it seems like the Pack has given up on finding Luke. Or at least Alaric has. Thankfully it looks like not everyone in the Pack feels the same, as Maia overhears them talking and she seems to be on Simon’s side. Somewhere out in the wilderness, Luke Changes and hunts a deer.
Alec arrives at Magnus’s place after receiving a fire message. But there isn’t actually an emergency so he turns to leave. Magnus says the emergency is Alec, he’s worried about him. Says he needs to make time for himself or he will lose himself completely.
Maia approaches Simon in the boat house and they talk. Well, Simon babbles. She asks if he can think of anywhere Luke might go, since they have history, where Luke could be alone to deal with his grief/Change. Simon remembers a place they used to go camping when he and Clary were kids. He and Maia head out together – as long as he doesn’t talk too much.
Clary and Izzy portal to the Adamant Citadel and are met by the Sisters.
They don’t want to let them in as Clary is Valentine’s daughter, but she pleads her case. Sister Cleophas reveals her relationship to Luke, that she’s one of his sisters, as they walk towards the Citadel. Before they can enter though, they must undergo a purity trial. They must enter heavenly waters which will detect any demonic impurities – like Yin Fen – and Izzy looks understandably concerned.
Aldertree summons Jace, he wants to know what they were doing looking at the Grey Book. This perv has a camera in Clary’s room?! Ugh. Jace says he was just training Clary, that last he checked that wasn’t illegal. Aldertree keeps up his grudge against Jace by busting him down to Ichor duty…whatever that is.
Magnus and Alec go on their first date, at last, to The Hunter’s Moon. There are drinks, pool.
Alec is bragging and making shots until he notices Magnus looks a little put out. He blows the next shot to let Magnus has a go, who promptly schools the naive young Shadowhunter. Magnus is hustling Alec and suddenly the game is on.
On the way to the campground Maia and Simon bond over their hatred for Jace and embarrassing stories – like her waking up at school after a Change butt naked and having to hide in an empty classroom. He tells her about his mom catching him with the rat. She says it could be worse – he could have been eating the rat naked. Okay, loving the chemistry between these two, can’t wait to see how this plays out.
Magnus and Alec talk about exes. Or should I say Magnus does, since Alec only has Lydia and that was only for a hot second. Alec confesses that until Magnus came along he felt like there was something wrong with him, that he could never have what he wanted because of what he was (a gay Shadowhunter). Magnus tells him that there is nothing wrong with who he is.
At the Adamant Citadel Clary is first to take the purity trial and passes with flying colours (hah! Take that Aldertree!). Izzy on the other hand starts to drown and Clary has to save her. The Sisters tell her she can’t enter the Citadel, Clary doesn’t want to leave her behind, since this was her dream after all, but Izzy tells her to go on and get the answers they came for. Outside one of the other Sisters tells her the true nature of Yin Fen – that it comes from vampire venom – and the way is suffuses the body with demonic energy. Poor Izzy looks utterly betrayed. God I want Izzy to kick Aldertree’s ass up and down the Institute for this.
Maia and Simon are trekking through the woods in search of Luke and she tells him she’d rather be doing it in Far Cry 3. Simon is amazed that she’s a gamer, and that’s yet another thing for them to bond over. She explains to him that gaming helped her through when she first became a werewolf – that and Luke. We get a flashback to her first meeting with Luke. He came to her after she accidentally Changed and nearly killed someone. He reveals he’s a werewolf like her, and tells her she’s not alone any more. Back in the woods they stumble over the gutted deer and know they are on the right track.
Back at the bar, talk turns to Magnus’s exes and he drops a number. 17. For a moment Alec thinks that isn’t so bad, then it dawns on him. “Seventeen Hundred? Seventeen Thousand?” he asks, and you can almost see the poor kid deflate. He’s got centuries of history to deal with, not to mention all that experience to measure up to. And as far as I know he’s literally only ever had one kiss. Magnus.
Ichor duty translates to Jace cleaning weapons from other Shadowhunters returning from missions. And every single other Shadowhunter glares at him with utter disdain. He goes to Aldertree, pissed, because of the reactions he is getting. Aldertree shows him the footage of his trial by the Mortal Sword, the part where he wasn’t able to swear loyalty to the Clave. That’s why Aldertree is doing this. He wants Jace gone, and while he doesn’t have the authority to throw him out, he can make Jace’s life at the Institute intolerable. He threatens to reveal the trial footage to the entire Conclave.
Luke stumbles on a couple camping in the woods and regards them with the same hunger he had earlier. Oh deer (pun entirely intended).
Clary and Cleophas talk about Luke before Cleophas shows Clary the reason Valentine wants the Mortal Sword. When activated with Angelic energy it will burn away demonic blooded creatures. So Valentine intends to use it to destroy all Downworlders – but Clary realises that would include Simon, Magnus, Luke, Jace…
Simon stops Luke from attacking the campers by reminding him of stories of their past, when Luke used to bring him and Clary there as kids.
Clary asks if there is a way to stop the sword once it’s been activated and Cleophas says no. Clary determines there must be a way to stop Valentine before he activates it then. Cleophas warns her she can’t tell anyone about what the sword can do as it would cause panic, uprisings.
Clary asks Cleophas about the sunlight rune, and gives her a demonstration which Izzy witnesses. She asks if it could have been sent by Jocelyn as an Angel, but Cleophas tells her that in the Shadow World Angels are real, celestial beings, not just nice people who have died.
Luke talks to Simon and Maia, he is worried that in his grief he can’t control his Changes and he might hurt someone, like he almost killed the campers. Maia and Simon encourage him to come back with them, that they will help him fight.
Magnus and Alec arrive back at Magnus’s place after a long walk through the city. Things are horribly awkward between them. Their differences seem almost insurmountable. Alec turns to leave but he can’t. He turns back and tells Magnus he doesn’t care about his history. Magnus comes back that he doesn’t care about Alec’s lack of experience and they kiss. *waits for the choir of angels and chirping songbirds to quiet down* They are totally caught up in each other when the door opens and Jace walks in. With a bag. He apologises for ruining the moment but he needs somewhere to stay. Yo, Jace, I know the Parabatai oath had that bit about “whither thou goest I go” but do we not think this is taking things a little bit far?
Maia and Simon seems to be getting on great, at least until Clary arrives and he only has eyes for the redhead. Poor Maia, she seems to have genuinely warmed to Simon through the course of the episode. Hope his eternal and undying devotion to Clary doesn’t put too big a bump in the road for a potential relationship with Maia.
Izzy reports back to Aldertree that Clary is demon free but Izzy nearly died in the purity trial because of the Yin Fen. Izzy at least manages to keep the secret of Clary’s rune ability even with Aldertree threatening to withhold Yin Fen from her. There goes that hope of her punching him in the face for nearly getting her killed. I really hope that she starts to see how he is manipulating her soon, or she confides in SOMEONE about the Yin Fen and they help her get off it and take Aldertree down.
Cleophas leaves the Adamant Citadel but not before killing one of her fellow Sisters and revealing a Circle rune on her neck!
Summary
Holy Bananas Batman. That was a LOT to take in. Jace is once again out of the Institute. Aldertree is an absolute scumbag. Clary is getting herself into all manner of danger. Poor Izzy lost out on her life long dream. Cleophas seems to be evil. Oh yeah and Malec kissed again.
I did feel like this episode was a little scattered at times. For example the Malec date. For something that was the focus of so much attention beforehand, it seemed too bitty as it was broken up through the episode. Perhaps it was intended to increase the awkwardness between them but for me it just felt disjointed.
I was also surprised at Cleophas being a member of the Circle. I really can’t see the point of that twist at the moment. It’s hard to believe an Iron Sister would see Valentine’s way as the right way. Guess we will have to wait and see how this plays out.
Highlights this week for me were definitely the Simon/Maia scenes. Loved the interaction between these two, showing that vamps and wolves can get along, despite all the prejudices between their respective species. If there’s one thing you can count on from Shadowhunters, it’s breaking down barriers!
Okay, we’ll be back for the next episode but that’s it for our Shadowhunters Iron Sisters Recap/Review.
All images credit: Freeform.
