TV Shows: "Shadowhunters" Post #2: Midseason Review

Disclaimer: My thoughts are everywhere in this post, I transition between ideas so fast I didn't even know what my point was sometimes. Also, I know that the show couldn't have been exactly like books, but honestly, I think it was within the creators' budget to have made it better than it is...just sayin'.

I'm in conflict with myself over this show.

I don't like it, but I keep watching, wanting more. I guess it's because there are some elements I king of enjoy like Clary, Simon and Malec, and others that I loathe, like Jace, Isabelle, and Chernobyl. I'm going to closely critique each episode and mention the things I like and the ones I didn't enjoy so much.

Episode 1- The Mortal Cup

This was the episode that sort of set the stage for how the rest of the season is going to be like. The opening scene was pretty good (maybe it was the song that appealed to me, regardless), I was deceived. One of the things that bothered me the most was the cheesiness of it all. If I were in a large room, and the cheesiness was substituted for real cheddar cheese, I would've drowned in the cheddar. That's how suffocatingly cheesy it was. I remember there was this scene in Pandemonium (a place I'll criticize later) when a few "Circle" members recognized Clary as Jocelyn (what the hell are Circle members doing in Pandemonium anyway?), they were so incredibly weird and awkward, it killed me. They (as does most of the cast) recite their lines like they're rehearsed. I felt like they didn't really get into character as much as they just spoke in monotone. It was super frust
rating. Now back to Pandemonium: why does Magnus own Pandemonium? It's interesting that they added that seemingly small detail. The demon fighting scene in Pandemonium was weird to me. In the book, Izzy wore a long white dress to cover her runes, she was supposed to lead the blue-haired demon boy into an room and then Jace and Alec would spring into action. In the show, it didn't really happen like that. It all went down like this: Jace, Izzy, and Alec followed a demon- that continuously changed its appearance, why I don't know- into the club, Izzy danced on a table (to attract the demons, apparently), and then Jace and Alec pounced on them. Clary somehow got involved and killed her first demon. It all seemed a little rushed.

Episode 2- The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy

In this episode, the gang is convinced that Clary's memories have been wiped- at least temporarily. So- as in the book- Jace tries to convince Clary that she needs to go with him to the City of Bones so that the Silent Brothers could help her find the source of her memory troubles, while Simon urges her to stay away from the Shadowhunters, specifically Jace. Critique: the City of Bones was not what I expected. It looked like a place straight out of the hunter-gatherer age. I was expecting a more modern City if Bones, complete with marble floors. Kind of like the City of Bones in the movie. Also, what was up with the sword thing, why didn't the Silent Brothers just look into head? Anyway, Clary gets her answer: Magnus Bane, and Simon gets kidnapped by vampires who want the mortal cup (???)

Episodes 3 & 4- Dead Man's Party and Raising Hell

I was so mad when I found out that Magnus goes to a party and doesn't host one in celebration and for Chairman Meow's birthday in either of these episodes. I was so disappointed because that was such a crucial part. It spoke legions of Magnus's personality. But I love that he calls Clary "buscuit" in the show too. Clary makes Jace, Izzy, and a reluctant Alec go on a Simon search and rescue mission. Turned out he was being kept by Camille, CAMILLE, who isn't introduced until City of Fallen Angels. After the Mortal War, after Valentine's demise, after Simon turns into a vampire. What's going on?!? And what up with Raphael? Why did he let Simon go? Besides, isn't he supposed to be in charge of the vampires in Camille's stead? He's supposed to be an imposing, and intimidating character, what happened to that?

Episodes 5 & 6- Moo Shu to Go and Of Men and Angels

I had to search the description of this episode because I totally forgot what happened. What the title has to the episode I will never know. Wait...maybe because Simon and Clary are taken by some werewolves to the Jade Wolf (a somewhat isolated Chinese food place run by- you guessed it- werewolves. For some reason, everybody wants the mortal cup in the show. The vampires kindnapped Simon as incentive to get Clary to tell them where it is, Valentine took Jocelyn (as he should), and now the werewolves want the mortal cup too and threaten to kill Simon if Clary doesn't deliver (poor Simon). The reason they got kidnapped in the first place was irresponsibility on Alec's part, who was charged with keeping them safe while Jace and Isabelle were sent to question Meliorn, the faerie knight about the fair folk's plans by Maryse (whom I surprisingly like in the show). Luke wasn't already a leader of a pack, he had to kill the leader in the fifth episode and gets injured. The sixth episode played the part of the show version of the City of Bones' "The Werewolf's Tale" chapter. Except the book's version was sooooo much better. Again, this episode was cheesy, the "flashbacks" were weird, young Valentine looked nothing like now Valentine, Luke was supposed to have loved Jocelyn all his life, not just when Valentine goes mad. Jocelyn wasn't supposed to reciprocate that love until much later. In the book, she still thought of him as a friend before, during, and after the Uprising. One good thing came if this episode: the development of Malec.

Okay, that's enough of my ranting for now. There were so many things i just didn't like, if i mentioned them all we'd be here for ages. I don't mean to be a Debbie downer, but this is just ridiculous. Episode seven premieres on Tuesday. I'm hoping to God that it's better the previous ones.

  Mid-seasonRating: 2- 2 and a half stars (I just can't rate it any higher, sorry. In fact, I think I'm being a little generous here) 

What do you guys think of the show so far? Do you love it, hate it, somewhere in between? Let me know in the comments!