Shadowhunters season 2 episode 17 review: The Jonathan reveal
With that, can we talk for a moment about how creepy it is that Jonathan tried to kiss his own sister? Obviously, that is representative of the fact that he doesn’t know how to process what’s transpiring around him. He’s been so emotionally disconnected for most of his life, and clearly, nobody has ever shown him the right way to do things. That may be in part why he was so hesitant to murder Jace when Clary confronted him about it.
The only shoe that is still to drop here is that Clary hasn’t figured out yet that Sebastian and Jonathan are one in the same here. She continues to live with the assumption that Sebastian is just this guy from the London Institute who excels at Shadowhunting and/or trying to hit on her in the most awkward and inopportune ways imaginable. We know what he’s really capable of, and even if the Shadowhunters don’t know everything just yet, they’re preparing regardless. Take, for example, the fact that they now have a temporary solution to stopping Valentine … at least for the time being.
This episode did still find a mighty fine way to end in terms of a central twist, presenting a story that within the closing minutes, showcased Max of all people realizing the connection between Sebastian and Jonathan. He is just a kid, but Alec and Izzy determined after some deliberation that the time was right for him to be out in the world trying to help with the Shadowhunter cause. As of right now, it remains to be seen if they are going to feel that way if she survives what’s coming his way now. There isn’t anyone around, after all, to stop Sebastian from doing one of the worst things imaginable to the child.
This isn’t the only trouble in the episode…
The rest of the drama is mostly relationship-based. Alec decided to keep certain aspects of the mission a secret from Magnus, something that Magnus previously was confident that he would never do. Harry Shum Jr.’s character on this show recently struggled mightily with the idea of opening up and showing his true self, but he did still do so thinking that this was the primary way in which he could push the two further forward. He was vulnerable and took a risk, and is understandably upset that Alec didn’t feel the same need to go there with him. That vulnerability is now why he feels so sullen and heartbroken about it after the fact.
So where does this leave them? Probably in a place where they will struggle, but we don’t think that a breakup is necessarily imminent. The thing here is that Alec isn’t trying to hurt Magnus, but still, he needs to realize that his actions have that impact. He needs to better figure out how to process empathy and to try to see precisely where his partner is coming from.
Hopefully, this too shall pass.
As for the relationship between Maia and Simon, baby steps. Izzy helped to serve as a good cupid in the middle of the relationship, feeling as though with the right advice, she could get the two in a place where they could actually be happy with each other. That’s just going to take some time since it’s only now when she’s admitted to actually having some feelings for her to begin with. Go ahead and consider this the first step. The fact that she’s already spent time with his family is a bonus.
Overall Take
While there were some moments in this episode that felt a little bit extraneous (the constant reminders that Jonathan and Clary are related), this was a very entertaining and sometimes-freaky episode that set up the stakes and left a kid in jeopardy at the very end of the hour. In terms of getting you psyched for the home stretch, this Shadowhunters episode delivered. Grade: B+.
What do you think happens next with Max on Shadowhunters? Be sure to share in the comments below!
Meanwhile, head over here in the event you do want to gets some further insight when it comes to the show and what lies ahead. (Photo: Freeform.)