Shadowhunters: Character Highs & Lows of Season 2B

WHAT. A. FINALE. We think it’s fair to say that Shadowhunters season 2B truly outdid itself and took the series in a new and exciting direction. This season was full of great character moments, exciting storylines, as well as stunning visuals and fight sequences—some of which we have never seen before on the series. Not to mention standout performances by supporting actors who completely embodied their characters—here’s looking at you Will Tudor! While the acting and writing was at an all-time high, our favorite characters experienced some serious lows throughout the season. Below we discuss both the highs and lows for each of the main characters throughout their journey in Shadowhunters season 2B.

Clary Fray

Highs:

Clary finally accepted her place in the world as a Shadowhunter and was able to harness and utilize her angel blood to make her a more efficient warrior. This gave her the ability to overpower Valentine and finally put an end to his reign of terror, all while saving Jace’s life in the process. It was refreshing to see Clary come into her own and become a more skilled fighter, long gone is the Art School hopeful weary of a supernatural world and in her place is a confident, cunning, and capable woman, who is prepared to take on any threat that may come her way. She also finally confronted her feelings for Jace and it seems for the moment that they are both willing to explore their connection further.

Lows:

Clary and Simon went through a bit of a rough patch after their romantic relationship came to an abrupt end once her true feelings for Jace were exposed. They were able to make amends after Clary gave Simon some space and he was able to find comfort in Maia. Speaking of Jace, Clary had to watch as the man she loved died in her arms—albeit temporarily. Still, it was a devastating blow and brought out a much darker side of Clary, which empowered her to end Valentine in a fairly brutal manner. Not to mention she had already lost her mother and believes to have lost Dot as well, thus making Luke and Simon the only remaining members of her former, pre-Shadowhunter life.

Jace Herondale

Highs:

It’s suffice to say Jace doesn’t experience many highs throughout the course of the series—usually enduring endless amounts of pain and/or torture. Although Shadowhunters season 2B did allow him a bit of a reprieve from all the doom and gloom thanks in no small part to Maia. The two shared a steamy hookup and it even inspired Jace to play the piano once again, something he often associates with unpleasant memories. It was nice to see Jace smile and let loose for a change—he smiled a whopping five times throughout “Those of Demon Blood” alone all because of Maia (yes, we counted). It was thoroughly enjoyable to see an more relaxed side of both Jace and Maia, especially considering things would soon get complicated for Jace when it comes to his relationship with Clary. Even though there was a lot of back and forth between the two, they did end on a somewhat high note with Clary acknowledging and acting on her feelings for Jace. He was also temporarily appointed head of the New York Institute—which he quickly handed over to Alec who is more suited for the position—and learned that he is Herondale thus making him Shadowhunter royalty.

Lows:

As mentioned above, Jace without a doubt experiences more lows than highs and this season was no exception. Jace spent the better part of the season yearning for Clary and watching the woman he loves shower Simon with her affections. After nearly losing his brother and parabatai Alec in the first half of season 2, he came very close to losing Max also due to a vengeful Jonathan. Speaking of Jonathan, the two of them engaged in a brutal battle where Jonathan almost got the upper hand on Jace had Izzy not come to his defense. Sadly, that wouldn’t be his only brush with death. After being both mentally and physically tortured by Valentine, Jace was ultimately stabbed to death by the man who raised him through his early years of childhood. Even though he was eventually revived, his momentary death left some lasting and painful side effects that we are sure will only further complicate Jace’s life. Poor guy can’t seem to catch a break!

Alec Lightwood

Highs:

Thanks to Jace, Alec took his rightful place as head of the New York Institute and made some much needed changes. Despite the fact that Downworld cabinet meeting didn’t exactly go as planned, Alec proved himself a worthy leader and showed that his main focus would be uniting everyone, both Shadowhunter and Downworlder alike. Even though his relationship with Magnus wasn’t smooth sailing and they hit some bumps along the way, our favorite couple ended the season stronger than ever before. Not to mention he is on better terms with Clary and they even teamed up from time to time to take down new threats.

Lows:

As previously mentioned, his relationship with Magnus hit a bit of a speed bump and they were forced to choose between each other and their leadership positions. Ultimately having to put their duties before their love for one another, this created some major tension between the pair. They eventually found their way back to each other, but not without some serious self-reflection in the process. Alec also dealt with his father’s lies in relation to his relationship with Maryse and confronted him about the secrets he was keeping. Not to mention Alec thought he lost his Jace, as he painfully experienced Jace’s (temporary) death through their parabatai bond. As stated above, his brother Max was almost taken out by demon blooded Jonathan and Alec was understandably distraught. Additionally, Alec is still adjusting to his role as the head of the Institute and it’s a bit of a work in progress – although we’re sure Alec will soon discover the leader he was always meant to be.

Izzy Lightwood

Highs:

After spending the better part of Shadowhunters season 2A fighting her Yin Fen addiction, Izzy was able to overcome it and get back to being the badass warrior we’ve all come to know and love. She even started teaching her little brother Max all the necessary skills to be an efficient Shadowhunter and we can think of no better teacher. Izzy also repaired her relationship with her mother by having an open heart to heart about Izzy’s addiction and Robert Lightwood’s infidelity. Even her and Raphael came to an understanding and were able to forgive one another for the part they played in each other’s addiction.

Lows:

Izzy was the one to discover a severely wounded Max in the aftermath of Jonathan’s attack, not to mention she was the reason Jonathan was in the Institute in the first place. Unfortunately, Jonathan used Izzy’s weakened state and tricked her into trusting him by disguising himself as Sebastian Verlac and aiding her in her recovery. She also rustled with her feelings for Raphael, believing that their connection was something more than addiction. Additionally, much like Clary and Alec, she too worried that she may have permanently lost Jace.

Simon Lewis

Highs:

After years of pining after and longing for Clary, Simon finally got to embark on a romantic relationship with her. Although short-lived and a tad messy, he no longer had to fanaticize about what a romance with Clary would be like and learned they are ultimately much better off as friends. Not only that, but it lead to a romance with Maia—who is much more suited for him romantically speaking. He was also able to strike a balance between his life as a Daylighter and his life as Simon Lewis. He mended things with his family and was able to visit home without worrying he would succumb to his Vampire urges. Not to mention his bond with Luke is stronger than ever and he is able to confide in him as a sort of father figure.

Lows:

Even though Simon and Clary’s romance was doomed to end, it was heartbreaking to watch Clary choose Jace over him when the Seelie Queen made her kiss who she desires most. Heartbroken and wounded over how his relationship with Clary panned out, Simon made the unfortunate decision of accompanying a sketchy Vampire to a underground club that allowed them to feed on mundanes—who were willing participants. Believing he had accidentally killed a mundane in his drunken phase, Simon started to slowly unravel. In the end he was not guilty of murdering a mundane and Clary finally gave Simon the space he needed to grieve and move on from their breakup. Although his visit with Jace and Clary wouldn’t be the last time he would step foot in the Seelie Realm. Using his affections for Maia to her advantage, she was able to persuade Simon to join her Seelie Court as she had a great interest in him and his abilities. We’re sure we will get to see exactly what the Seelie Queen has planned for Simon in season 3. Not to mention he was also momentarily locked up in the Institute for refusing to leave Clary’s side when there was a lockout order on all Downworlders.

Magnus Bane

Highs:

Despite their rocky patch, Magnus and Alec have never been closer. Magnus realized he didn’t need to choose between his responsibilities as the High Warlock of Brooklyn and his love for Alec. The couple will head into Shadowhunters season 3 with a deeper and more loving relationship. Magnus also successfully kept his fellow Warlocks safe and wasn’t easily influenced by the Seelie Queen, have been well aware of her arrangement with Valentine and ultimately aiding the Shadowhunters to victory. It’s clear without Magnus’ abilities none of our favorite characters would have made it out of this season alive, thus making Magnus the MVP of the season, and possibly the series.

Lows:

Magnus had the extreme displeasure of swapping bodies with Valentine, no thanks to a devious Demon by the name of Azazel. While trapped in Valentine’s body, Magnus was physically tortured as Valentine was a prisoner of the Clave and was forced to relive some very painful memories—most of those were from his early childhood. Even though the two eventually swapped back to their original forms, the memories he was once again confronted with left a lasting impression. Pair that with the tough times in his romance with Alec and Magnus spent a large portion of the season sorting through his emotions and finding his way back to happiness.

Luke Garroway

Highs:

Luke further proved himself leader of the pack by putting Russell in his place when he challenged him for the position. We already knew Luke was tough, but it was nice to see him flex his muscles and assert his leadership. He also spent the better part of the season playing peacekeeper and protecting and aiding everyone we care about. While this is only speculation at this point, it seems romance may be in his future once again when it comes to Maryse Lightwood. Luke is quite the catch and it would be wonderful to see him get a little TLC!

Lows:

As we saw teased at the end of the finale, Luke’s new partner Ollie is very much aware of Luke’s double life of cop by day and werewolf by night. The fact that she’s been spying on him and seems keen on getting some answers doesn’t bode well for our favorite pack leader. It remains to be seen how Luke will handle this delicate situation and if her knowledge of werewolves will pose a great threat in the upcoming season. He also had to deal with the Clave’s rash decisions all season long, especially when Imogen Herondale accused him of murdering Shadowhunters and he had to give a blood sample to clear his name. Additionally, Luke’s attempt to take out Valentine permanently were thwarted and even though Valentine still died a brutal death, we can only assume Luke wishes he was the one to give the final blow.

Maia Roberts

Highs:

As stated prior, Maia’s sexy hookup with Jace was therapeutic for the both of them and allowed them to indulge on the mutual sexual attraction they felt towards one another. With these two on better terms, Maia now has another ally and potential friend in her corner. Eventually Maia did enter into a healthy and exciting romantic relationship with Simon, thus opening herself up to the possibility of love once again. She also asserted her dominance and role within her pack and proved to be a very capable and powerful Beta to Luke, only strengthening the bond between these two. Even her and Clary came to a mutual understanding by seasons end. Basically we got to see a lot of happy Maia and we hope this trend continues into season 3!

Lows:

Thanks to Russell trying to prove he was a better pack leader than Luke, he began turning mundanes into werewolves and this did not sit well with Maia. One mundane in particular named Bat—who Maia helped through his first werewolf transformation—brought back some painful memories about Maia’s own transformation into a werewolf. She was forced to confront her past once again and opened up to Simon about her traumatic experience becoming a werewolf in a heartfelt and heartbreaking monologue. Although it was only briefly, Maia also had the unfortunate pleasure of being the only Downworlder who was chipped due to the Clave’s misguided attempt to stop the killing of Shadowhunters. Thankfully Jace came to his senses and removed the chip—in part due to Alec’s direct orders— but Maia was still wrongly accused of a murder she didn’t commit and locked up alongside Simon in the Institute. She was also kept prisoner by the Seelie Queen as a means to get Simon to join her court. Needless to say we hope Maia doesn’t have her freedom and choices taken away from her in season 3!

 

In a way we are glad for the hiatus as it is going to take us some time to process everything that happened in season 2 of Shadowhunters! At this time very little is known about Season 3—shooting just started today—but if it is anything like this past season we’re expecting nothing less than epic!