'Shadowhunters' | 'Day of Wrath' S02E04 Review
The plot thickens ‘Shadowhunters’ Episode 4 ‘Day of Wrath’, which could very well be the best episode of season yet.
Every character faces development this time around - including the villains, and with one hell of a plot twist that fans of the show and the didn’t see coming, it’s an episode not to be missed.
‘Day of Wrath’ sees Jace awaiting trial in the dungeons of the City of Bones, whilst Clary and the Lightwood siblings take on a murder mystery in the city - until the hunt is brought to them within the Institute. Meanwhile, Clary is trying to decide whether she should go with her newly returned mother to Idris or stay behind with Jace and her newfound friends.
Alongside this, the search for Camille takes a more desperate turn when Raphael is tortured (or ‘motivated’, if using creepy new Clave terms) and threatened as a means to guarantee the handing over of the New York vampire clan head; this inevitably leads to Magnus, Simon and Raphael teaming up.
Despite its slow pace during the first half of the episode, the audience is left pleased with the necessary character-bonding taking place on screen. Standing out is Alec and Clary, who pair up to locate the demon punching holes through the chests of its victims; this leads to much entertaining sass and really builds the complicated and tense relationship for later events in the episode.
Another sweet moment viewers will sink their teeth into is one between Luke and Jocelyn, capturing their individual personalities as well as the nature of the relationship. Jocelyn tries to show independence so as not to drag Luke into her problems, while Luke remains undyingly loyal.
Other honourable mentions goes to Magnus and Raphael, Magnus and Camille, and Aldertree and Jace. But you’ll have to tune in to the episode to see why.
As the series continues, there are certain patterns emerging that create cause for concern. Firstly, is the standstill in the ‘Malec’ relationship. In the past few episodes, Magnus has opened up to a lot of people - including Simon, but not to Alec. One wonders how long the relationship can hover in stasis without a scene lasting more than a couple of minutes each episode.
Now, this is not a matter of fan service but rather believability. The cute attraction between Magnus and Alec can only last so long, and even with growing fanbase, ‘Malec’ needs to move forward for viewers to remain invested, or the show’s writers run the risk of being accused of baiting their audience.
Another bothersome fact is that the strong and independent Lydia Branwell (Stephanie Bennett) of whom we met in Season One has only appeared so far in Season Two as a powerless, trodden upon character. Lydia has had her authority undermined not only by Aldertree, but also Alec.
In Episode 4, Lydia receives little respect from Shadowhunter Raj, and is seriously injured by a demon-possessed Raj only to then be rescued by Alec. Such treatment of her character is disheartening and frustrating, due to the fact that she is such a lovely and complex character who is not being given due attention by the writers. Considering the series is not even a quarter of the way through, one only hopes that such moments lead to an epic scene where viewers see Lydia fighting back.
That said, the episode ends both memorably and intensely. The plot twist was unexpected to say the least, making the cut to credits at the end seem very sudden. The final scene remains the highlight of the episode, again reverting to diegetic silence with an overlay of appropriate mood music to match Clary’s internal agony, and the shock of all characters involved in the scene.
McNamara’s acting is spot on, clearly portraying Clary’s shellshock - her stillness, blank expression, and lack of reaction to Simon all highly evident. The cinematography is also carefully and effectively considered with long shots of the entire room interspersed between close-ups to emphasise how small and vulnerable really Clary is.
All that can be said is that Episode 4 is highly anticipated by the ‘Shadowhunters’ audience after that final cutting scene.
Catch up with ‘Shadowhunters’ Season 2, airing weekly on Netflix.
