SHADOWHUNTERS “A Dark Reflection” Review

By Andrea Dixon

If the episode last week was about family, this week’s episode narrows in on siblings specifically, along with some relationship drama thrown into the mix.

The deadly duo of Valentine and his son Jonathan have indeed teamed up and are on the loose with the Soul Sword. This has both the Shadowhunters and Downworlders scrambling and me experiencing flashbacks to the mid-season finale, but on a much larger scale. The mid-season finale was one of the best I have ever seen on television, but judging from the trailer released this week at SDCC ’17, the season 2 finale looks on par with a big budget movie, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Valentine and Jonathan are working to find the third Mortal Instrument – the Mortal Mirror – and if they do manage to get their hands on it, that means Valentine will complete the collection, which is a really scary thought! Valentine knows exactly where to look for it and together they accost a Warlock friend of Jocelyn’s named Elliott who is privy to the Mirror’s location, but he magically commits suicide before they can get it out of him. All the while, Jonathan is quite literally keeping up appearances as Sebastian and hiding in plain sight while Clary and Jace look for Jonathan.

Their search for Jonathan quickly turns into one for the Mortal Mirror when they learn that is what Jonathan is after. Dot becomes helpful after Elliott’s death causes a mysterious mark (which acts as a map pinpointing the location of the Mirror), to transfer from his wrist to hers. Dot is able to procure the item for Jace and Clary and send them back to the Institute via portal, leaving herself to fend off Jonathan alone.

Out of this wild goose chase comes some interesting developments in the Morgenstern family dynamic. Clary comes face-to-face with Jonathan in the actual flesh, and in typical Clary fashion, she is ready to welcome him in with open arms. However, Valentine, in his own typical fashion, tries to manipulate Jonathan into believing that he is the only one who cares for him. Jace also throws his opinion into the ring stating his belief that Jonathan is past the point of redemption. The scenes between these characters demonstrate how much their differing upbringings have radically shaped their personalities.

Alec learns that being a leader requires one to make difficult decisions and that it is impossible to please everyone while doing so. He butts heads first with Izzy when he decides it is time for their brother Max to get out into the field. An otherwise lovely evening with Magnus turns sour when Magnus discovers Alec hid the truth from him about the Soul Sword. This news makes Magnus doubt Alec’s loyalty to him and in turn, reconsider where his own loyalties lie.

Luke becomes the voice of reason when Magnus is spiraling in anger. At least we get some insight into the Magnus and Luke relationship which we have not seen since Magnus saved Luke’s life back in season 1. They have been friends for a long time and it is evident that they can be there for each other if either one needs it. It is also interesting to consider Luke’s past as a Shadowhunter once loyal to the Clave who now has to consider the Downworld since he has become one of them; as well as how this situation grants him the neutrality to think rationally in times like these.

Last but not least, we have some moments of levity brought to us by Simon (it is his specialty after all). When his attempts to date Maia get shut down, Simon throws himself into helping Izzy with training Max (obviously a much better choice for co-trainer than Sebastian ever was). In these moments, we see just how easily Izzy and Simon gel with each other, but Izzy takes it upon herself to help Simon win over Maia by acting as his wingwoman. This appears to work as by the end of the episode, it looks like Simon and Maia are well on their way to becoming an item. I know Simon is a catch and he and Maia do make a cute couple, but it just seems a bit too soon for him to be moving on already, don’t you think?

The episode leaves us with the unanswered question of what happened to Dot as we just see Sebastian back at the Institute. In fact, he is in the process of ransacking Alec’s office in search of the Mirror when Max proves himself to indeed be superior to the other Shadowhunters by identifying Sebastian as Jonathan when no one else has been able to figure it out yet; and here we have our cliffhanger.

Additional notes:

• It looks like Max has lost his battle with Sebastian in the promo for the next episode since Izzy has found him bloody and unconscious on the floor. Will he be able to tell everyone the information he has uncovered?
• The stills for the next episode show Magnus and Luke at the Seelie Court with the Seelie Queen pinning a flower to Magnus’ jacket. Is the flower a sign of loyalty? Will Magnus opt to side with the Seelie Court against the Shadowhunters? There is no way I can believe that Magnus would be so angry at Alec that he would fight against him in battle.
• Clary determined that she was having visions. How are we meant to interpret these visions of swords coming at her from both sides? Do they represent her loyalties to both the Shadow World and the Downworld?