'Shadowhunters' | 'A Door Into The Dark' S02E02 Review
This week’s episode of ‘Shadowhunters’, 'A Door Into The Dark’ (Season 2, Episode 2), left fans wanting more with both a cliff-hanger ending and certain scenes leaving a lot to be desired.
SPOILER ALERT!
Fans of villain Valentine Morgenstern (Alan Van Sprang) or Clary’s nerd-turned-vampire best friend Simon Lewis (Alberto Rosende) will be satisfied with the episode, while others will be eagerly hoping for a change in direction next week.
‘A Door Into The Dark’ sees the fallout of Jocelyn - Clary’s mother (Maxim Roy) as she attempts to kill Jace (Dominic Sherwood) with a crossbow. Clary is suitably furious, finally leading to the mother/daughter argument that was missing in last week’s episode.
It is here viewers learn that Jocelyn is trying to kill Jace because Valentine experimented on him with demon blood while in the womb. The scene we are given to portray the evil baby is rather flat, as Clary is shown that the baby could wilt a beautiful flower with an all black-eyed stare. The lacklustre example and Clary’s reaction is unconvincing, as is Roy’s conflicted character acting. In the book series, Jocelyn is physically ill and shaking upon discovering that her baby boy is alive; this tough mother portrayal just doesn’t compare well in the television adaptation.
The second episode also contained a lot of unnecessary - possibly fan service - scenes. In particular, the sequence with Alec (Matthew Daddario) and Isabelle (Emeraude Toubia) in an underground boxing gym where Izzy ends up beating up a beefed-up, sexist man. Although nice to see Izzy putting him in his place with Alec looking on approvingly in the background, it feels out of place with the rest of the episode and serves no real purpose.
The same could also be said of the entire plot whereby Simon and Magnus ransack one of Camille’s houses (in an obviously green-screened India). The sequence is non-creative, lacking in its ability to introduce comedic entertainment. Although nice to see a friendship forming between the two side characters, it is hard to understand why it was happening now. There appears to be some foreshadowing though, which if leading to plot and character development may very well redeem this scene.
Though it has its flaws, the episode was not overwhelmingly negative. Further fleshing out of Valentine’s character is executed brilliantly. Although manipulative, Valentine manages to evoke respect from the audience: viewers can see his plan and acknowledge that it may work, which is both frustrating and highly entertaining.
Emphasis on the importance of art is Clary’s life in this episode is refreshing, and also given a decent amount of screen time, which allows it to play out very well.
Interesting relationships between characters are beginning to appear now, as viewers see the bond between Izzy and Clary strengthen in a sweet moment with slightly romantic undertones.
More than this though, is the tension between Alec and Clary as Clary tries to apologise to Alec ; however, this is only met with blame for everything that has gone wrong so far. While this sounds like a jerk move, viewers get the sense that Alec is completely justified in his feelings as it seems complications only began to occur once Clary came into the picture. So convincing is Alec that Clary experiences an identity crisis, and begins to question her new life. The emotive inclusion of real-world interactions gave the episode an authentic feel.
Although perhaps not as compelling as the season return, ‘A Door Into The Dark’ is entertaining and holds some surprises for viewers. The ending of the episode will leave viewers feeling that the plot is progressing, and definitely encourages us to tune into Episode 3 to see what happens next.
New episodes of ‘Shadowhunters’ are updated weekly on Netflix. Jennifer Roe
