Pop-Culturalist.com

While there are plenty of reasons to tune into Shadowhunters every week, one of the main reasons is a feisty, badass werewolf named Maia Roberts. Thanks to Alisha Wainwright’s wonderful portrayal, Maia is quickly becoming one of our favorite characters.

When we first met Maia, she was a generous bartender who offered a soaking wet Jace a free drink and use of her bar’s phone. We soon learned she was a werewolf with a tumultuous past, who is fiercely loyal to her pack, not to mention can throw a mean punch! She is not afraid to speak up for what and those she believes in, and challenges those around her to see the error in their ways. She is intelligent, charming, and incredibly strong, both physically and emotionally. Not to mention she is breathtakingly beautiful, and has caught the attention of both Jace and Simon—not that we blame them one bit!

Wainwright brings out every aspect of Maia so marvelously, including her complexity as an abuse survivor. Even though we don’t yet know all the details of her complicated past, we do know she has a fear of confined spaces and a scar on her neck in the shape of claw marks. Wainwright has said in upcoming episodes we learn more about Maia’s past and how it shaped her to become the woman we already love. More Maia is EXACTLY what Shadowhunters needs!

We are also thoroughly enjoying Maia’s father/daughter relationship with Luke. Every time these two share the screen together they make our hearts melt and give us the warm fuzzies. It’s clear this duo would do almost anything to protect one another and respect each other to the absolute fullest. Not to mention are a formidable pair when in a fight! As we said last week, the more Luke the better and adding Maia to the mix makes those scenes even more delightful.

In this week’s episode “Day of Atonement”, we get to dive deeper into Maia and Simon’s relationship—and possible budding romance—as Maia helps Simon prepare for a Yom Kippur family dinner. The ever loyal friend, Maia, is there for those she cares about when they need her most. Even those who try her patience—just ask Jace! It will be nice to see these two take some much needed time away from all the drama and enjoy each other’s company. Not to mention Maia makes for one beautiful dinner date!

Wainwright brings a much-needed spark and breath of fresh air to the series as Maia and we will be over here patiently waiting for Shadowhunters to make her a main. *hint hint* *nudge nudge*

Photo Credit: Freeform/John Medland