Clary has to make a very difficult choice for her best friend when something happens to Simon in this episode of Shadowhunters, “Bad Blood.” And at the Institute, Alec and Izzy deal with a Clave envoy that could bring some serious changes to the Shadowhunter organization.
Shadowhunters Recap: Is Simon Turning into a Vampire? >>>
What Happened to Simon?
After a bit of arguing about what they should do with it, Clary and Alec hide the Mortal Cup at the Institute, even though Alec is unsure because technically Valentine, as a Shadowhunter, could get in if they aren’t careful. But Alec makes it clear that he’s not totally on Clary’s side and didn’t ultimately side with her out of friendship — she has completely turned their world upside down, after all.
Not long after Clary finally calls Simon back, there’s a disturbance outside the Institute perimeter — and it’s not a welcome visitor. In fact, it’s Raphael, and when a group makes their way outside to confront the threat, they find him carrying a dead Simon. This is, of course, totally devastating to Clary, and the others learn from Raphael, after he and Simon’s body are secretly brought inside, that this wasn’t an act on the part of the vampires as a whole — Camille killed him and broke the Accords all on her own.
Clary sobs and blames Raphael for getting Simon involved with Camille in the first place, but honestly, Simon tried to tell her what was going on, so she’s not totally off the hook with me. Then Raphael gives Clary a little bit of hope in the form of news about Simon’s fate. As it turns out, since he drank Camille’s blood, he’s in a transition state and could either be killed or turned into a vampire.
After finally listening to Simon’s voicemail, Clary recognizes her fault in the situation and understands that she has an impossible choice before her — does she let her best friend die or does she help him turn into a vampire?
Lydia Branwell
What with everything going on in their world, in this episode of Shadowhunters, we learn that the Clave has decided to send an envoy to investigate what’s going on at the Institute and how to move forward with them. The Lightwood parents tell their children this, scolding them slightly for getting involved in Downworlder affairs and drawing attention from the Clave.
And when she arrives, in the form of Valentine to test the defenses at the Institute, Ms. Lydia Branwell is not impressed. She asks after Clary’s whereabouts, and since she’s currently with her dead mundane friend, Alec isn’t about to let her mention where she is. Instead, he and Lydia go to investigate an attack at the Jade Wolf restaurant that Luke was involved in, so Clary’s latest antics have escaped the Clave’s notice, for now.
On the way there, Lydia mentions that she’s heard Alec is looking to settle down but figures out quickly that that’s his parents’ choice, not his. She tells him her parents tried to set up an arranged marriage for her too, but she chose the love of her life, John Monteverde, instead — only for him to die before they could accomplish their dreams together. She warns him that his only love should be his work, which is really quite bleak of her.
At the Jade Wolf, they find that the creature that attacked Luke has Forsaken characteristics but is somehow different from one at the same time. Lydia, under the Clave’s authority, says they will take it back to the Institute to examine it and questions what the attacker was after. Luke mentions that Valentine may have just sent it after him, but he could also be targeting any past Circle members. Lydia mentions that that means they’ll have to beef up security at the Institute, but not just for Hodge — the Lightwood parents, as she reveals, were part of the Circle once as well.
Magnus — Who Needs No Introduction
Lydia calls Magnus to the Institute to help with the investigation, and he and Izzy examine the body together. He asks after Alec and questions whether Izzy’s brother is even interested in him, and Izzy just says he’s going through a lot — including dealing with their parents trying to find Alec a wife. Buzzkill for Magnus.
Later, Alec is working out when Magnus comes to him with the results of the autopsy. He is shirtless, which Magnus very much appreciates. Alec is clearly upset about the revelations about his parents, as he feels like everything he’s believed about them and his life has been a lie. Magnus advises him to stop following everything he’s expected to and to live his life for himself for once, and Alec seems to take his words to heart.
Shadowhunters Recap: Does Clary Discover How to Find the Mortal Cup? >>>
The Proposal
But instead of doing anything too crazy and rebellious, Alec makes a difference choice when it comes to his future. After he overhears Lydia telling his parents that the Clave is taking over the Institute, and them pleading that the Institute not punish their children, Alec enters with the autopsy findings. And despite Lydia asking for them, he hands them to his parents instead. So, okay, a little rebellious.
However, he later goes back to speak with Lydia after his parents aren’t there, and that’s when things get crazy. He tells her he can’t bring John back, but he might have a solution that could help both of them. Since their families are already allies, he suggests that to restore prestige to the Institute (and give Lydia some control of it) and to honor the Lightwood name, they should get married. He proposes, which is really going to be a buzzkill for Magnus, huh?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Simon?
Meanwhile, Clary is dealing with the aftermath of the death of her best friend and deciding what to do with him, since she does have the choice to help him turn into a vampire. First, Clary and Jace go to visit his mother, though she cannot see Jace in the room while Clary can. Clary’s plan is to tell her that Simon was in an accident and isn’t coming back, but in the face of Simon’s mother’s worry, she chickens out.
Jace tells Clary a really depressing story about a boy being given a falcon to tame by his father, only for the father to kill the falcon in the end to teach the boy to tame, not love, his pet and to impart the wisdom that emotions cloud judgment. Okay, first of all, the boy was clearly Jace, and secondly, that is a really terrible story. And Clary rightfully tells him so.
But Clary takes something different from the story — she decides to follow her heart instead and to not let herself do things the Shadowhunter way. She tells Luke about the situation with Simon. And in a flashback, we see that when Luke was turning into a werwolf, Jocelyn never gave up on him, even when everyone else did, and the love he had for her and Clary helped him get through it. He tells her that, in the end, whatever choice she makes, she has to make it for Simon and not for herself.
At a graveyard, Raphael, Clary and Jace bring Simon’s body, only to be stopped in whatever they were going to proceed with by Camille. She wants her “property,” but Raphael, in front of the other vampires she summons, accuses her of breaking the Accords and says they shouldn’t listen to her. Camille tries to say that the “mundane,” aka Simon, won’t even matter if they get rid of the body, which Clary of course objects to. She punches Camille in the face, and the vampire woman is quickly surrounded by the posse she called in, so I guess they’re ultimately on Raphael’s side?
Rebirth
After crying over Simon for a while, and telling him that no matter what happens to him she will always see him as he is (a good man), Clary reluctantly starts to bury Simon. Jace takes over for her quickly, and we are soon left to wonder whether he will emerge from his grave or be left there, starving, for all eternity.
While they wait to see if he rises, Jace tells Clary that Simon is clearly a fighter, which is kind of him. The whole night, he had been telling her the “rules” of Shadowhunters, so Clary replies with one of her own about mundanes. The first, she says, is that love makes you stronger and makes you fight for what you want. She’s banking on her love for Simon being enough.
But when Simon does emerge from his grave, he is nearly unrecognizable to Clary, almost feral in his need to consume a lot of blood, and quickly. Raphael gives it to him, and soon enough, Simon is aware enough to recognize his best friend in front of him. But he also quickly realizes what he just drank and what he’s become, and he doesn’t react well.
Clary confirms for him that he is now totally a vampire, and Simon utterly freaks out. He thinks he’s a monster, and he’s not able to accept what’s happened to him. But before Clary can really talk to him, he flees. Raphael promises to keep an eye on him, which is all that can really be done for now. And Clary is left wondering whether she really made the right choice for her friend.
Another Revelation
Through her examination of blood from the creature that attacked Luke, Izzy discovers that, while it seems like a Forsaken, it has angel blood. We know that that’s because of Valentine’s experiments on the Forsaken, but she has no way of knowing that.
And when one of them attacks Hodge (and later Alec, who jumps in) in the Institute, they barely fight it off. It’s clear that this new kind of Forsaken is going to be a real challenge for the Shadowhunters to take on.
Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays at 9pm on Freeform.
(Image courtesy of Freeform)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
