I am a big fan of the Mortal instruments books and, after the epic failure of the movie, was uncertain if this franchise could ever pick itself up again.Sure, the show isn't the best yet and the effects are much to be desired but... it has potential! The great thing about TV shows is that they always improve; the effects tighten up, the actors spend more time on their characters and there's so much time and room for realistic improvements.
While the show has strayed a bit from the book.... we were all expecting it to and I'm genuinely really excited to continue watching this.
It had a promising start and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow and improve.
It can't be worse than the move, at least.
SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
The actors definitely have the look but it may take a while to really get into the characters.
Kat is definitely the right look for Clary and she shows promising acting at the moment- I think she'll really do Clary justice.
For me, Simon, really shone in this episode. He had the best dialogue, he delivered them the best and Alberto just fits the character so well! It could be because Alberto's the only one of the cast who's read all the Mortal Instrument books but he just portrays Simon so well! Simon's a sweetheart. Simon was the first character that I really latched onto in the show despite Simon being one of my least favourite characters in the books (controversial opinion- please don't shoot me).
I was surprised to see Maureen!! That was nothing like how I imagined her to be and I'm... intrigued to see the angle they spin on her character.
We met Luke and while he's nothing like how I imagined him to be, I have confidence that he'll play the character well. The fact that he's a detective is a bit on the nose for me, though.
I'm not a massive fan of Jocelyn but we don't see her much in the first series I don't think, so... I'll make my peace with her later. (Honestly, I preferred movie-Jocelyn simply because... it was Lena Headley, okay? Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister will always be the best!).
We had a flashback of ten years ago which was a bit odd and forcefully shoved into the show... and the demon that came out of the water was beyond weird... the show does fall short on cheap effects, I must say.
I do appreciate a lot of the small details that was added into the episode that would make fans of the books really happy (including me). Like the fact that they've already changed Simon's band name once, the fact that they were singing 'Forever Young' which so obviously foreshadowed Simon's fate and the 'mundane' terminology drop before Clary even found out about the Shadowhunter world.... 'My life couldn't be more... mundane.' Though, some of these foreshadowing lines were so obvious, they were cheesy.
We switch back to out beloved Shadowhunters and I have to talk about Izzy. Because Izzy is hot... once she took off the platinum wig. Emeraude has the perfect look for Izzy but I would love a bit more sarcasm coming from her direction. I also want Izzy to be more stronger... in the fight scene, Izzy was essentially the distraction to the demons and she did a little strip dance... that's not Izzy!
I also have to praise my beautiful Alec and the stunning actor Matthew Daddario. I know he's not everyone's number one character but Alec is my all time favourite of the Mortal Instruments series. He's quiet, moody, sarcastic, cynical.... he's me! Alec is always super grumpy and sticking to the rules and Matthew plays him so freaking well!
I found Jace okay but... he wasn't as mean and douchy as Jace is in the book. Things seem to be happening super quick in the show and Jace was a bit more heartfelt and emotion driven then I ever imagined him to be.
We didn't see much of Magnus so I can't comment too much. We'll give Magnus a bit of time to get involved.
Moving onto plot...
I loved how tripped out Simon was when Clary was talking to Jace and he couldn't see him! The dialogue was so funny and the whole thing showed really well.
The Circle members show up to Pandemonium in fancy suits looking like the men in black and... it's all a bit cheap for me. They look so much like cliche villains and henchmen for their masters. Can't they pick their own clothes to help them blend in more?
We have a bit of a fight scene where we kill some demons and I loved it! The fighting was well done (Izzy slaying with her whip!) although Clary's first demon kill was kind of effortless and unrealistic. I did love how Jace and Alec were sharing swords and helping each other out like true Parabatai.
When Clary goes back to her house and Dot (Dorethea) sends her through a portal to Luke... I just laughed. The portal was so badly shown and it looked so fake and tacky! I know that the show doesn't have a massive budget but... come on!
We have Jocelyn engage in a little fight scene of her own (those Circle members are really awful at fighting) and she takes that little potion thing that puts her to sleep and sets of the shows chain of events.
We see Valentine and... I don't know. He's not amazing just yet but I'm hoping with more screen time and depth to his character, we can develop better lines for him to deliver.
Jace saves Clary from another demon attack and finally takes her to the Institute. Clary wakes up (nicely headbutting Izzy in the process), Alec is very shady about the whole thing and, bless his heart, Simon's freaking out because Clary's in an abandoned church!
I love how we end the episode with Clary having to literally decide between Jace and Simon- who to go with. How beautifully obvious!
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe
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