Shadowhunters review: American Shadowhunters in Paris

Shadowhunters has officially gone international and it was magnifique. But it was also gory.

It looks like we’re going to need a world map for Shadowhunters this season. Last week’s episode took us to Siberia; this week, it was the city of lights. Bienvenue à Paris!

In the first location jump since the finale explosion, Jonathan transports Clary and himself to her dream destination. It seems this will be a regular occurrence, so as to stay on the move from the Clave, and it might be the best production decision so far this season.

The Shadow World is wide, and up to this point, we’ve only seen the New York and Idris elements of it.  But with “Original Sin,” Freeform is finally taking advantage of the world created for them.

Paris is the perfect backdrop for the episode as Clary and Jonathan continue their journey. It’s big enough that they can blend in and hide, but its natural air of intimacy allows development and layering of their complicated relationship.

A relationship that, as it turns out, Katherine McNamara and Luke Baines are proving to have the perfect chemistry for. Their verbal sparring was a particular highlight of the episode, continually reminding each other “I don’t think we’re there yet.” Clary and Jonathan might not be there, but Katherine and Luke certainly are.

As a result, we have our first real look at just how lethal Jonathan really is. He snaps that French Shadowhunter’s neck like he was cracking a walnut, with no remorse. In fact, he delights in it, thinking how much it would please Clary. Then again, that’s the difficult thing about hating Jonathan.

He does bad so well, and that makes him a good villain. What makes him a great villain is his real story. His upbringing was tough. In his mind, he really is changing himself and doing good with that kill. It’s not his fault that his brain has been twisted.

Of course, Jonathan is twisted in more ways than one. We all saw that look you gave Clary while she was changing, man. Granted, he’s already shown this side of his personality once before – remember that time he kissed Clary as Sebastian? Are we ever going to talk about that?

There’s quite a bit of unfinished business between the Morgensterns aside from that, so odds are pretty good that Clary’s rescue is only temporary. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy the Clace reunion, however tame it is.

Perhaps it’s meant to show more disbelief than anything, but with a power couple reunion that long in the making, I’d have expected a bit more urgency. Kind of like what Magnus and Alec and had during their training scene (have you cooled off from that yet?).

Sadly, not everyone gets to go to Paris. While everyone else tracks down Clary, Simon and Isabelle are tracking down Raphael’s mystery source. For being the oldest, most elusive vampire in history, he sure is easy to find.

But boy, was he important. He wasn’t just any vampire – he was Cain. The Cain. The Shadowhunters writers are really having fun with the lore this season, and it’s paying off. Thanks to Cain, Simon not only got his Mark removed, but the embers of Sizzy have been stoked.

So yes, let’s take a moment to let it sink in: Sizzy, Malec, and Clace are all looking optimistic right now. It may be short-lived, so we should probably enjoy it.

Regardless, if these are the first two episodes of the final bunch, it seems we’re in for the best ride in the coming months.

Shadowhunters airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.