'SHADOWHUNTERS' | 'The Powers That Be' S03E01
It’s date night in this week’s instalment of 'Shadowhunters', and spoiler alert - the Shadowhunters are terrible at it.
‘The Powers That Be’ started with a bang. Well... a demonic earthquake during a Warlock party to be precise. We are introduced to the new High Warlock of Brooklyn - Lorenzo Rei (Javier Munoz), who we quickly realise will be a massive pain in the backside, along with Alec.
But while attacks on the Warlocks' powers send shockwaves through the city, our favourite team of young Shadowhunters decide now is the perfect time to go on a date. Jace offers to take Clary out to dinner and spends half the episode seeking a decent recommendation for a restaurant and settles on one of Simon’s, only for it to turn into a double date with Simon and Maia. Then commences the most awkward worst date ever, when it is revealed that not only do Clary and Simon have a dating history, but Jace and Maia do as well.
Alec and Magnus end up on a date of their own, sneaking into Lorenzo Rei's palace so as to figure out where the power disturbances are coming from; this involves Alec flirting with Lorenzo while Magnus sneaks through the back door. It also involves a lot of talk about ceramics. Alec pulls faces as he tries to be suave, which is absolutely hilarious. 100%, this was the highlight of the episode.
Finally, Izzy is on a solo 'date' - sitting alone all night, studying footage of the demon possession from last episode, trying to figure out what's going on; but just to make sure we understood that this episode was about romantic potential, Luke steps in to give some advice to Izzy about valuing her life and her time.
But this is a show about magic and mystery! So while the episode began with a bang, so too did it end. We see the mark that was bestowed upon Simon’s forehead last episode finally activated, and fans of the book series are feeling vindicated indeed as the mark blasts away the werewolf attack Simon casually walks his awkward way into. It’s always fun, games and romance with these guys.
There is a light-hearted and sweet nature 'The Powers That Be' that will make even the most cynical of viewers smile. Those moments focussed heavily on our three main couples, and it was lovely to have each relationship given equal amount of screen time. Simon and Maia are literal #relationshipgoals as they snark, joke, act ridiculously cute, but also kick butt (mostly on Maia’s part). The moral at the end of their terrible date is that it doesn’t matter who or how many people they’ve been with beforehand, only that they are on the same page together now. A very welcome message.
Clary and Jace enjoy their own sweet moment, when Jace acknowledge that he is taking their relationship seriously - something he’s never done before. It is a good reminder that everyone is different when it comes to relationship rules and expectations. Seeing the two connect and communicate is one of the nicest scenes featuring these two characters so far. It isn't tension and strutting, training sessions and physicality, but a sincere and intimate scene. Truly romantic, one must acknowledge.
Alec and Magnus are also tooth-rottenly sweet to watch, but they bring the laughs. It seems they are the main pursuers of uncovering the truth about the demonic energy, and taking on most of the action in this episode, as much as they are the comedic relief. But although it was nice to see the two of them spend more time together, a weird distance exists between them that just highlights the lack of physical intimacy they share. The uncomfortable cut-in scene of the two holding hands at the beginning of the episode soon switches to Magnus and Alec walking into a room not holding hands, which unfortunately emphasised this even more. An editing error, perhaps? One hopes that by the end of the season (though preferably as soon as next episode) we get to see the same level of affection and intimacy on screen between Alec and Magnus that we do with Maia and Simon, or Jace and Clary.
Overall, this episode was light, sweet and funny, leaving viewers with a smile on their face, a spring in their step, and a desperate urge to call their dentist to check for cavities.
New episodes of 'Shadowhunters' are available weekly on Netflix.
