'Shadowhunters' | ‘Parabatai Lost’ S02E03 Review
‘Parabatai Lost’ is an epic ride of emotion and plot development, with the added bonus of new characters to fall in love with.
It is the small details that both make and break certain aspects of this week’s instalment, but overall, fans will see an improvement from last week’s episode.
SPOILER ALERT!
Episode 3 centres around the fallout of Alec’s failed attempt to track Jace using an Adamus stone. Now that he’s in a coma, it is up to Magnus to keep him alive, Izzy and Clary to find Jace - Alec’s only hope, and Jace to avoid being captured long enough to actually save Alec’s life; this is made extra difficult for Jace as once abandoning Valentine’s ship in the last episode, he finds himself washed up on a beach with a dead body, without a stele or rune to hide behind.
Quickly, Jace is being hunted by the New York Police Department, the New York werewolf pack and the New York Institute of Shadowhunters.
At the same time, Simon’s story arc is ongoing as he continues to be harassed by Raphael (David Castro) to hunt down Camille, whilst also desperately searching for his missing mother.
Episode 3 was paced much faster than the last, with audiences really feeling the race against time. It was certainly entertaining to watch Jace get physically side-tracked, achieving all but saving his parabatai for the majority of the episode.
The action scenes were more intense this week, with certain moments actually quite cringe-worthy to watch - in the good way. We witnessed a vast improvement in terms of the special effects regarding the werewolf transformation, which was a gruesome watch.
Viewers were treated to interesting new characterisations in ‘Parabatai Lost’. Maia (Alisha Wainwright) was introduced to viewers - a werewolf in Luke’s pack who is beautifully if not differently portrayed in the show.
Viewers were also given insight to characters’ vulnerable sides, including Magnus, Isabelle and of course Jace, all of whom compromise themselves to save Alec.
Magnus spends the duration of the episode desperate and angry, leading to a scene where he attacks one of the Shadowhunters in the Institute.
Izzy compromises her strength of character by begging Aldertree (Nick Sagar) for help and agreeing to hand over Jace in order to ensure Alec’s rescue; this of course was expertly manipulated by Aldertree himself.
The penultimate moment of the episode was the final scene, which had everything a viewer could ask for: crying, dramatic monologues, hugging, interruptions… In this scene, Jace makes it to Magnus’ loft and tries to bring Alec back by recreating the parabatai ceremony they underwent in their youth; this is overlayed by flashbacks from this time presumably on Alec’s behalf while he is in his coma state.
Dom Sherwood excellently portrays an intimate scene and emphasises just how vital the parabatai bond is. Jace’s emotions are trying to break out, but he restrains them until he begins to lose hope and we slowly see him break down.
In the background we see Clary, Magnus and Izzy silently shedding a few tears when they think Alec is gone. But in the moment when Alec wakes up, the most touching moment is when Izzy presses both her hands to her face whilst Clary and Magnus clasp each other’s hands without looking away from Jace and Alec.
The scene is made all the more poignant because between Jace’s dialogue it is absolutely silent, interspersed with quiet piano chords for the entire four-minute scene. Powerfully, it is brutally interrupted by Aldertree and his guards who quickly arrest Jace before anyone can truly revel in Alec’s revival.
This was an excellent episode with very few issues. Those that did exist were rather small details and questions raised by viewers, such as what will happen to Jace’s blood in the mundane hospital? However, it is the small details that could potentially snowball and have viewers questioning the consistency of the show, so this may be something for the writers to consider.
That said, it is also the small details that made ‘Parabatai Lost’ the wonderfully compelling episode it turned out to be.
With the plot now moving forward, Episode 4 appears one not to be missed!
'Shadowhunters' airs new episodes weekly on Netflix.
