'SHADOWHUNTERS' | 'A Window Into An Empty Room' S03E06
Episode 6 of 'Shadowhunters' was an anxious ride as viewers waited for many truths to finally be revealed. Unfortunately, this waiting turned out to be a double-edged sword...
In ‘A Window Into An Empty Room’ Jace (who is now supposedly out-of-love with Clary) is on a mission to find Lilith her 33rd and final virtuous disciple to sacrifice to Jonathan/Sebastian. Clary notices something is off with Jace and teams up with Magnus to find out what is going on. Simon, in the meantime, is being stalked by Heidi - the obsessed vampire he accidentally killed who Raphael brought back and tortured; she wants to not only be with Simon, but start a new vampire clan with him as well.
SPOILER ALERT!
Maryse Lightwood is back too - without her runes, and is definitely struggling to adjust. Alec, Izzy and Jace all go to a dinner with their mother to prove their here to support her but despite now practically being a mundane, Maryse remains the most adjusted out of them all. Jace, as we know, is possessed; Alec is having a serious fight with Magnus; and Izzy is dating a mundane and telling him all the Lightwoods work together in the family business… of jewellery-making.
In this episode, we meet a new character, albeit not one who is unknown to fans of the book series - Brother Zachariah. It is great to see the writers of the show staying loyal to Brother Zachariah’s character, who looks exactly as he is described in the novels, right down to the white streak in his hair. It's also lovely to see Brother Zahariah’s Chinese decent prominent as there is a prominent history in television and movies to whitewash Asian characters. The most exciting thing about Brother Zachariah though is the new plot lines this will open up in the show.
Speaking of interesting plotlines, Maryse Lightwood being de-runed was a shock; this is a large change from the book series and takes some getting used to. However, the creators of the show have been clever in executing this, and it opens up so many themes for Maryse and 'Shadowhunters' as a whole. Although the excuse for Maryse’s excommunication from the Clave is thin and hard to believe, it is exciting to know we will be exploring a whole new side of Maryse’s character. The fact this could include more flirting with Luke is rather fun to think about as well.
Our villain in this episode is Heidi - the obsessed and brutal vampire. In a sense, it is a shame to see the complex morality of this character be swept under her obsession for Simon once again, but it is fantastic to see how Simon handles her. Simon wants to take responsibility for the way Heidi is, and he is supported by Maia who, although never meeting her, is convinced she still has humanity left.
Heidi is the right amount of creepy - anxiety-inducing and sympathetic. Viewers can see why she justifies her actions and her belief that she has a right to Simon. Her sense of betrayal at the end when Simon eventually hands her over to the Praetor Lupus is so well done, because rather than comforting, we can tell this is not the end, and this decision is going to come back to hurt Simon. Kudos to the writers though for coming up with a smart and logical way to derail Heidi for some time while other matters are handled.
Despite the many positives, overall, viewers may be left feeling a little underwhelmed; this is because there's a lot of waiting involved in this episode: everything interesting happens towards the end. The audience's imagination runs wild throughout this episode in anticipation: every moment is heightened because the worst can happen at any time; Jace could kill Izzy’s boyfriend (whose name still has not been verbalised); Alec could jeopardise his relationship with Magnus because of their fight and the lovely (and out) head of security at the Institute; Clary could realise what is actually going on with Jace!
But it also means that when situations are finally revealed, we are already burnt out. There isn't an emotional payout of any kind, feeling like an episode where not much happens besides waiting for bad things to come.
Jace’s reveal as the Owl should have been such an epic moment for the show, but the tension attempting to be created was off right from the start, because it is completely ruined by the absolutely unnecessary kissing between Lilith and Jace. It does, however, show viewers just how much of a predator Lilith is; and that carries throughout the entire episode: Lilith isn't present, no-one realises there is danger, and in the end, the reveal is anticlimactic.
In the end, 'A Window Into An Empty Room' is an episode that should have been thrilling and gasp-inducing, but was instead lost to filler, which was ironically meant to build suspense.
'Shadowhunters' Season 3 airs new episodes weekly on Netflix.
