Jace and Clary might have gotten away from Valentine last week, but they aren’t out of the woods just yet. (Are they ever?) The Institute is after him for allegedly conspiring with Valentine, but he’ll also have to contend with werewolves who believe he’s a murderer in “Parabatai Lost.”
Jace and Clary get separated right off the bat
Even though Dot sent them both off the side of the boat when she dropped the wards so they could get away, the two of them didn’t wind up in the same place. Jace washed up on shore with the dead body of a werewolf, while Clary was able to make her way back to the Institute.
They probably would have had better luck if they’d managed to stick together, but without the separation, we wouldn’t have the conflict for much of the episode.
Alec is in a bad way
Part of that conflict I mentioned? That’s Alec stuck in a perpetual nightmare while he uses his Parabatai bond to search for Jace. On the plus side, this means we were treated to plenty of flashbacks. (Alec was just as sassy before he was an adult!) On the negative, this means Alec spends a good chunk of the episode in mortal danger.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Alec, Izzy, and Magnus are some of the strongest characters on the show. It’s a shame that so far this season, they can’t all be involved in the stories at once.
Harry Shum Jr. does a fantastic job at showing Magnus being put through the emotional wringer, and seeing Izzy stand up to Aldertree is a definite highlight as well.
Magnus drops a truth bomb on Jocelyn
Jocelyn tries to talk to Magnus when Clary returns, but he calls her on her manipulative nature. He’s tired of helping her solve problems that she creates in the first place -- just like getting entangled in the Shadowhunter world by spending 12 years wiping Clary’s memories on a regular basis.
I can’t be the only audience member who wanted to applaud Magnus. We don’t really know Jocelyn well since she spent so much of the first season in an enchanted sleep, but she really seems to cause even more trouble than her daughter.
Simon realizes he needs to see his mom
Simon is supposed to be on the hunt for Camille for Raphael.
Raphael think he’s in danger from the Clave, being blamed for the deaths caused by Camille. But with his mother drinking again and leaving worried messages on his phone, Simon decides to take a moment for family. Of course, because he’s Raphael, he beats Simon to it.
I love that Raphael is so worried about retribution from Shadowhunters but seems to be getting around the city without getting caught just fine. I love that he also doesn’t want to get in trouble for breaking the Accords, but he threatens the life of Simon’s mother to get Simon to search for Camille. No one ever said Raphael had to make sense, right?
I love Maia already
She’s smart, fearless, and tough, and she’s a match for Jace, which makes her plenty of fun.
We might meet her when she wants Jace dead, but, really, who on this show hasn’t wanted him dead at some point? I can’t really fault her for that.
The verdict
This episode was kind of a mixed bag for me. I loved getting to see Izzy stand up to Aldertree and work with Clary again, but it felt uneven and disconnected as a whole.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
What’s next
Jace will be held in the City of Bones in “Day of Wrath,” while Clary tries to figure out how she fits into the Shadowhunter world that she’s getting to know.
