Shadowhunters season 3 mid-season finale recap and review

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Part 2

The second hour opens on yet another family reunion, only this one is many years ago. A young Jonathan finds himself in Edom, meeting Lilith for the first time. Instead of her normal, regal fashion, she’s wearing an innocent white dress. Some solid irony coming out of the wardrobe department on that one.

After explaining to Jonathan exactly how he came to be, we cut back to present day Jonathan, still very much dead. But not for long. The Owl is on his way back to Lilith with Valentine’s rib and Clary in tow.

She doesn’t try to run — a fact that disappoints the Owl — she just wants to talk to the real Jace. Unsurprisingly, he refuses, simply taunting her with the fact that the odds of getting her Jace back are slim to none.

Even so, Magnus and Alec are going to try to make it happen. Having resigned himself to asking Asmodeus for help, Magnus is drawing up the pentagram to reach him. There’s one thing that doesn’t add up for Alec though: why would Asmodeus be willing to help?

According to Magnus, Asmodeus owes him this after the childhood he put Magnus through. It’s sad, but nice to get more of Magnus’ backstory. Now we know where he got his power from, but also why he’s as kind as he is.

There’s just one minor detail Magnus left out. This pentagram isn’t for summoning Asmodeus, it’s for going to him. Alec is less than pleased and much more reluctant now, but Magnus reminds him that this is for Jace.

SHADOWHUNTERS – ÒErchomaiÓ – In the climactic mid-season finale, the team scrambles to find a way to put a stop to LilithÕs plan coming to fruition. But going up against their biggest opponent yet, their odds are not looking good. Meanwhile, Simon makes a heartbreaking choice with IsabelleÕs help and Magnus reconnects with a powerful person from his past. This episode of ÒShadowhuntersÓ airs Tuesday, May 15 (9:00 – 10:01 p.m. EDT) on Freeform. (Freeform/John Medland)

HARRY SHUM JR., MATTHEW DADDARIO

Magnus’ loyalty and dedication have been his defining traits this season and it’s no better displayed than in this moment. He vowed to do everything he could to make it right, even if it killed him, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

With a quick, alarmingly worried kiss goodbye, Magnus is in Edom. He quickly finds his father’s house — sorry, lair (Asmodeus is very particular) — and makes his entrance. Surprisingly, Asmodeus is happy to see his son.

A quick aside: it’s very clear where Magnus gets his keen fashion sense from. The two are wearing very similar outfits.

But he’s got the wrong idea. Asmodeus thinks Magnus is there to apologize, not dare to ask for a favor. And it’s not exactly a favor he wants to grant; sure, Magnus’ situation is unfortunate, but Lilith is not the most beloved Queen of Edom. Asmodeus doesn’t want her there any more than the human realm wants her around.

He’s not totally unwilling to help though. He’ll help Magnus now, provided he returns to rule by Asmodeus’ side.

As enticing as “Prince Magnus” sounds to us as the audience, it’s not anything Magnus himself is interested in. There must be a something else Asmodeus wants. And there is, but more on that in a bit.

While Magnus works on finding the means to save Jace, Luke is hellbent on saving Clary. He’s gotten even less information that Alec, Izzy, and Simon have, so he’s got a plan — actually, a few plans.

His first one got shot down in the first hour of the episode. Initially, Luke wanted to take his pack and just charge into Idris, with the help of the wolves in the Brocelind Forest. But Russell (just… ugh) shot that down immediately.

He calls Luke out once again for putting his own needs above the pack and gives him an ultimatum. Russell warns Luke that if “you walk out that door, you lose this pack for good.” Now, in terms of werewolf hierarchy, this is a little dicey.

If Luke is the alpha, they have to follow his orders, unless someone challenges him for the spot. Russell did just that last season — and lost. So why he’s still speaking on behalf of the pack and getting in Luke’s face is beyond me.

Regardless, the choice is easy for Luke. He’s going to save his daughter. Unfortunately, his plan hits yet another snag when some fellow detectives intercept him on the way to Magnus’ and bring him into the station.

From the mundane point of view, Ollie killed her mother and Luke is either covering for her or framing her for it. He’s potentially facing obstruction of justice charges and he doesn’t even care. I’m still very here for Dad Luke.

I am still very not here for Luke and Maryse being anything more than platonic. It is nice to see them team up to find Clary — thanks to Maryse, Luke knows she’s back in the city and being taken to Lilith — but beyond this arc, I’m skeptical.

Thanks to Clary’s quick thinking once again, Luke and Maryse finally have something to go on. While the Owl led her back to Lilith’s penthouse, Clary left a blood trail using a shard of glass. They follow it all the way back to Lilith’s less than subtle hideout.

Seriously, she’s got a penthouse in New York. What kind of place is she living in in Edom?

Luke and Maryse are smart enough not to go in alone; they call in the troops. The timing is less than ideal for Simon though. He’s been at the hospital with Izzy, just hoping that his sister pulls through.

She does, and she’s far cooler about the whole thing than any person would be. Becky reassures Simon that she loves him, and will always support him. She is a bit nervous about turning into a vampire though. Based on her knowledge of YA novels, it’s a tough adjustment.

That’s true, but it’s not anything she’ll have to deal with. Simon explains how it really goes, only gaining more sympathy from his sister. She’s more than forgiving; she’s sympathetic. But Becky knows that their mother isn’t handling this well.

Simon knows what he has to do on that one, but it’s not easy. He ends up doing a serious “encanto” on his mother, telling her that her son actually died. The vampire memory is just how she’s been coping.

The entire hospital scenario is straight from the books, and even more heartwrenching to see on screen. Luckily Simon has Izzy by his side. Beneath the tears of the moment, you can vaguely hear the whispers of Sizzy rising.

So no, the call from Maryse isn’t exactly what Simon needs. But the idea of being able to help someone he cares about is something he definitely needs. With that, he and Izzy are off.

Back at the penthouse, Lilith gets the resurrection process started immediately. She knows she’s on the clock with Clary’s friends right on her tail. But Lilith needs to focus on her son, so she leaves everyone else to the Owl.

First up to face him is Alec. He knows that if Magnus doesn’t make it back in time to free Jace, he’ll have to kill Jace himself. In fact, that’s how he’d prefer it; if anyone is going to kill Alec’s parabatai it’s going to be him.

SHADOWHUNTERS – “Erchomai” – In the climactic mid-season finale, the team scrambles to find a way to put a stop to Lilith’s plan coming to fruition. But going up against their biggest opponent yet, their odds are not looking good. Meanwhile, Simon makes a heartbreaking choice with Isabelle’s help and Magnus reconnects with a powerful person from his past. This episode of “Shadowhunters” airs Tuesday, May 15 (9:00 – 10:01 p.m. EDT) on Freeform. (Freeform/John Medland)

MATTHEW DADDARIO

Alec puts up a good fight, stabbing the Owl with his arrows, multiple times. But Lilith gave her Owl extra energy for a reason, and he comes right back. He brutally snaps Alec’s wrist, before stabbing him in the chest with his own arrow.

As promised, the Owl starts to let the real Jace out to see what he’s done. Before he can, Magnus shows up — a dramatic entrance indeed — and blasts Jace with everything he’s got.

The good news is, the blast frees Jace from Lilith’s hold (by vomiting black sludge. Gross). The bad news is, Alec still has an arrow in his chest. The worst news is, Magnus can’t fix him; he has no magic. That was Asmodeus’ price.

In what better not be his final breath, Alec comforts Jace, reminding him that this was the Owl’s doing.

Alec is in seriously rough shape, but there is hope. If he were to die, Jace would feel his parabatai rune disappear. Based on the way he then trucked through Lilith’s henchmen, he didn’t. So I’ll be clinging to that until the show returns.

While Magnus stays with his love, Jace is off to find his. Apparently, that anti-love potion wore off because he is determined to save Clary. Of course, he could just be saving his friend. He’d be just as determined to save Izzy or Alec.

It’s Simon who reaches Clary first though. He’s ready for a grab-and-go situation, but after some adorable banter between best friends, Simon is up to speed on what’s really going on. Clary can’t just leave because her and Jonathan are connected now.

Thanks to a mark bestowed by Lilith, Jonathan will share Clary’s life force. Lilith explains, “As you live, so shall my son.”

It’s an interesting twist on the books; in the novels, it’s Jace and Jonathan who share a life. That particular plot point actually becomes very important in the books, and I’m excited to see how it plays out with the change.

For Clary, it’s an unexpected move. Lilith clears loves Jonathan enough to keep Clary alive despite hating her. Clary even calls Lilith out on it; demons aren’t supposed to be capable of love. At that, Lilith scoffs.

Demons live, they die, they feed, why wouldn’t they love? It’s a fair point and exactly the reason Lilith has been such a strong character this season. At its core, her plan was just about bringing her son back — a very human drive. When you can humanize someone like Lilith, it becomes much harder to hate her.

ANNA HOPKINS

Well, it becomes harder for fans. Clary has no problem hating Lilith and Jonathan. She calls him a monster right to Lilith’s face, earning a furious (yet somehow fabulous) backhand across her own. You can insult Lilith all you want, but don’t trash her son.

By this point, a full-on battle is happening downstairs. Luke and Izzy are taking on the bulk of Lilith’s disciples, while Jace races up to get Clary. Simon, however, slipped under the radar which is seriously bad news for Lilith.

While Clary distracts Lilith with the threat of killing herself, and by extension Jonathan, Simon moves in on Jonathan’s cradle. After everything that’s happened to him lately, he’s got a lot of anger pent up and he’s ready to Hulk smash Jonathan into oblivion.

He comes pretty close, but at the last second, Lilith steps in and launches Simon through the window. It’s her final act of motherly love as the Mark of Cain unleashes its fury and a bittersweet moment.

Lilith was so good at being bad, I’ll hate to see her go. But sure enough, even a Greater Demon can’t survive the Mark of Cain and she starts to disintegrate Voldemort style (or perhaps, Avengers-style) before completely exploding.

With that, her disciples are freed and Jace finally reaches the top floor. Everyone’s gone, except one hand climbing back up over the ledge. Luckily, it’s Simon, who managed to hold on through the blast.

He seems to be the only one who did. Simon’s convinced Clary was killed in the explosion, and Jace is devastated. But in true Shadowhunters fashion, there is a cliffhanger.

Just before the blast, we see Jonathan’s arm reach out of the cradle and grip Clary tightly. My gut tells me they both survive, and Jonathan will have plenty of revenge to take when the show returns.

You can catch up on Shadowhunters now, streaming on Freeform.com.

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