'Shadowhunters' | 'Bound By Blood' S02E09 Review
With the ‘Shadowhunters’ winter finale just around the corner, this week’s instalment really ramps up the drama. Make sure you sit tight for this episode: you will not be able to look away!
Episode 9 ‘Bound By Blood’ is intense with emotion. It begins with the realisation that Clary is the key to Valentine’s plans to destroy the underworld.
After some intimate moments shared with Simon (interrupted by Jace, who at this point in the season is well established as mood-killer), Clary comes under threat to a curse placed upon her by Iris - the warlock she’s sworn a blood oath to. If she resists the task of finding Iris’ child ward, she will die.
In the meantime, Luke is stuck in the unenviable position of protecting his surrogate daughter from half of the underworld, who have decided that wiping Clary out of the picture strengthens their chances for survival. Even Maia attacks Clary in a confused attempt at self-preservation.
The Lightwoods aren’t in any better a position, what with Isabelle clearly still addicted to yin fen and Alec’s discovery of what is going on with her, jeopardising his ties with Izzy and his relationship with Magnus. The only good outcome is that Aldertree is put in his place by Alec who now has leverage over him and thus has become the unofficial Institute leader. The role really seems to suit Alec well.
As is always the case in the series, development of relationships is a must. In ‘Bound By Blood’, viewers witness such moments between Clary and Simon, and rather unexpectedly although well hinted throughout, Isabelle and Raphael. Simon and Jace enjoy good, non-antagonistic screen time as well, which is arguably the most rewarding relationship development for audiences thus far.
Clary and Simon’s relationship, although sweet and amusing, still maintains the awkwardness of last episode where viewers are left wondering ‘where did this come from?’
Isabelle and Raphael’s shared moments were similar in that they seemed very rushed; but the sweetness and tension between the two is captivating to watch. However, it also unfortunately highlights what is missing from Clary and Simon’s romance: passion and desire. Magnus points out that Izzy and Raphael’s high-running emotions could be explained by their addictions: Izzy to vampire toxins (yin fen) and Raphael to Shadowhunter blood. What is exciting about this ‘romance’ are the questions about where they will go from here.
It was good to see some repercussions from last episode, especially for Alec. His discussion with Magnus regarding the fears that lead him to jump off a balcony is a necessary and carefully managed one. The fact that Aldertree also uses this against Alec is an interesting insight into Shadowhunter culture in regards to mental health care.
The best part of the episode is Alec’s embracing of his inner leader. His big brother instincts lead him to punch the (un)living daylight’s out of Raphael with the only way to restrain him being Magnus’ magic. His confrontation with Izzy is heartbreaking and his backing down makes viewers wonder if he just doesn’t want to argue with his sister, or if he has another plan in mind.
And then there is the moment that Alec stands his ground and takes back the Institute from Aldertree; this wasn’t a matter of brute force but logic and level-headedness. Alec was shown to be diplomatic, smart, strong and confident. Hopefully a leadership role is in Alec’s future, because he’s proven to be a natural.
Unfortunately though, the careful building up of Valentine as a villain is undermined by his cliché choice of lair: an abandoned carousel/fun house location. It is tacky and serves no real purpose to Valentine. His plan also seems to be a little hazy, considering every time the viewers see him he is posturing, regardless if his enemies are there or not.
Overall ‘Bound By Blood’ is a dramatic episode that did an excellent job of building suspense for next week’s winter season finale.
‘Shadowhunters’ airs weekly on Netflix.
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