Welcome to the seventh installment of Shadowhunters Buzz Sessions — the last week for season one of the show! It’s over! We did it! For anyone unfamiliar with this series, our social media editor, Samantha, and contributor, Shanicka, haved watched two episodes every week of Freeform’s Shadowhunters. The series is based on Cassandra Clare’s young adult urban fantasy series The Mortal Instruments.
Each Shadowhunters Buzz Session begins in a chatroom while Shanicka and Samantha watch the episodes; then, those chats are transcribed here on Rogues Portal for your reading pleasure (with some points expanded and other, unrelated shenanigans deleted).
This week, they watched Shadowhunters S01E13, “Morning Star”, and reviewed the season overall.
WARNING: There will be spoilers for the series (duh) and the books! Proceed with caution! There will also be some swearing, because that happens.
S01E13, “Morning Star”
Shanicka: Simon looks so good wow wow
Samantha: STILL NOT OVER MALEC. Bless Alec for calling his mom out on her shit.
Shanicka: I’m not homophobic, Alec!!! Just racist!!! GOD
Samantha: As if that’s somehow better
Shanicka: Lolol
Samantha: That seems to be a theme in fantasy and sci-fi. Sexuality isn’t a thing but race always always always always is.
Shanicka: Gro-ssss.
Samantha: Which says a lot about creators, imo.
Samantha: In the books it took Malec FOREVER to actually start seeing each other even after they kissed, which I’m trying to prepare myself for on the show haha. Lydia though. ? Stupid Hodge.
Shanicka: Omg really? I’m pretty sure they go on the date this episode? Or next episode? And then they are basically in it for the looooong haul
Samantha: Oh thank god. Alec was HESITANT AS HELL from what I remember.
Samantha: Not to be whatever but this is so… Harry Potter.
Shanicka: Omg seriously. V v Goblet of Fire.
Samantha: I mean, his followers even have a special mark. C’mon Cassie [Clare].
Samantha: Notice that Clary is only interested in ~the greater good~ when Jace is the one making selfish choices that she doesn’t like.
Shanicka: Omg too real.
Shanicka: Looool Hodge. Bitch u thought.
Samantha: Hodge you dumbass. EVIL MEN ARE NEVER AS GOOD AS THEIR WORD.
Shanicka: I’m saaaaayin.
Samantha: And it’s not just the clave that’s hunting him! It’s also Jace and Luke and the werewolves!
Shanicka: Sorry Hodge, sux to suck.
Samantha: His weapons are cool though.
Shanicka: They rly are, I’ll give him that.
Samantha: I do have to admit, like – Jace has reason to be upset and confused. His life got very complicated very fast. And the nature vs nurture question is VERY VALID for him.
Shanicka: I knowww. Poor beb. And he’s like three diff sets of parents. Who are all equally fucked up.
Samantha: Yeah! And the dad he thought he knew was actually Valentine wearing a glamour, like. That’s fucked up.
Samantha: Simon is so smug about his new role with Raphael… #boyfriends
Shanicka: Hahahah omg I love Simon and Raphael. Also Camille is the Worst.
Samantha: I find her compelling as a villain though because she’s just so selfish. She’s a very interesting foil to Clary tbh.
Shanicka: Yeahhhh. That’s true. But after the whole thing with Magnus, she was like dead to me fer sureee.
Samantha: The whole thing with Magnus?
Shanicka: You’ll see!
Samantha: I rmr them in the books and being FURIOUS with her.
Samantha: I LOVE IZZY.
Shanicka: Suuuch a badass. I adore her. Camille’s eye makeup is…hella weird. I feel like it wasn’t like this before??
Samantha: It was weird before too. Like a very poorly done Cleopatra look. It’s just smudgy now.
Shanicka: Yiiiikes.
Samantha: I hate that once she sinks her teeth into people she never lets them go.
Shanicka: “We’ll never be done with each other.” She’s so gross and smug. I fucking hate it. Mad possessive and abusive. I hate her.
Samantha: Maaaaagnus. God, he’s falling so hard for Alec. OH NO. NOPE. CAMILLE, STOP.
Shanicka: Fuuuuuuck off Camille. UGH. THEY JUST GOT TOGETHER LIKE.
Samantha: BLESS YOU IZZY FOR STANDING UP FOR YOUR BROTHER. uGH, Magnus. God.
Shanicka: I want that claw ring Magnus has SO MUCH. And Izzzzy #1 Malec fan.
Samantha: Does Hot Topic not sell it? That surprises me.
Shanicka: Nah I’ve literally been searching for a good one for yearsss. I think I should suck it up and try Etsy.
Samantha: This Jace plan is the STUPIDEST shit ever.
Shanicka: ISN’T IT? He’s just being mad reckless and shit.
Shanicka: I WISH I had a library like that. Jesus.
Samantha: If I was immortal I would read… so much…
Shanicka: LMAO. I meeean what else is there to do… besides torturing mortal obviously.
Samantha: Yeah I have a hard time with gore though.
Shanicka: Hahaha after like centuries of life you might get desensitized! Camille is the fucking WORST.
Samantha: Clary has moments where she is SO SMART. Aw, damn, not fast enough, kids.
Shanicka: Valentine, just in time to ruin the day!
Shanicka: I hated this so much. ?
Samantha: Okay, so – this plot stretched over THREE BOOKS. It was INFURIATING.
Shanicka: I HATE it. Like literally fucking Valentine making Jace doubt himself. It was awful.
Samantha: And then the other brother shows up. Sebastian?
Shanicka: That’s like the season 2B plot line.
Samantha: Simon totally turning his vampire story into a salvation story to make her feel better is… awful.
Shanicka: Yeah. It was gross and selfish byyye.
Samantha: THIS was why it took a while for Alec and Magnus to properly fall in love in the books — Alec’s fear of his mortality.
Shanicka: Yeah they have this conversation back and forth. But I like that show!Alec isn’t like…gross and biphobic about it? They don’t drag it out and I love it.
Samantha: I don’t remember him being biphobic in the books, just more — “I’m a fucking kid, why do you want me?”
Shanicka: He’s not! I just find it’s a common trope. Like “you’ve slept with all of these ppl so i’m jealous etc etc”
Samantha: Yeah, true.
Shanicka: Yayyyy. WE DID IT.
Samantha: SEASON 1 COMPLETE.
Thoughts on Shadowhunters Season 1: Samantha
Finally delving in and watching Shadowhunters has been really fun. The series is much more put together than I expected and the pacing issues I had with the book series were basically eradicated. Characters I loved in the books translated beautifully to the TV show (especially Alec, Izzy, Magnus, Simon, and Raphael). I enjoyed getting context for the gifsets and fan edits I’ve been seeing on Tumblr for what feels like forever, now! Putting the pieces together and realizing the show was even better than I had hoped was awesome.
I loved watching the first season with Shanicka! I have such a hard time going into things without being super critical of them, but from the get-go she made me feel like watching Shadowhunters could just be… fun. Relaxed. Not that we couldn’t talk about the issues in the series (and there are many), but that we shouldn’t get so bogged down in critical discussion that it makes the series unenjoyable to watch. It was really wonderful to have that balance as we worked through the first season.
I’ll be honest — I’ve gone back and watched several scenes over again, which I haven’t done with a TV show in a while (excluding The 100, which I rewatch all the time). It’s been fun getting back into a fun, urban fantasy series that I both loved and hated when I read its origin content some years ago. Cassandra Clare created characters in The Mortal Instruments that begged to be featured in a TV series, and I’m glad the creators on Shadowhunters are handling everything the way they are.
But… expect some critical pieces from me at some point. Probably. Like I said, it’s hard for me to not analyze things. Especially when I love them.
Thoughts on Shadowhunters Season 1: Shanicka
Okay, I’m gonna be real. I don’t think our epic Shadowhunters Buzz Sessions journey has made me love the show any more or any less. I mean I already loved it (minus Jace and Clary obviously) a whole lot…BUT this has definitely been blast anyway. I love sharing my latest pop culture and media obsessions with my friends!
I think the one thing that genuinely surprised me revisiting this season was how many important plot points I had completely forgot about. I only started watching Shadowhunters myself back in January, but so much has happened since then. It honestly feels like I’ve been watching the show for way longer.
I love doing rewatches of my favorite shows because it’s so so so satisfying to see the characters when they are all young and innocent. Especially if it’s the kind of show that gets super angsty and goes from zero to 100 reallll quick. And Shadowhunters definitely has those moments.
It’s just nice to start right at the beginning when the actors are still getting a feel for their characters and their characters’ motivations. So everything is just a little bit campy and cheesy and overacted. Which absolutely happens in the first few episodes of the season.
If anything, SBS has gotten me super duper stoked for Sam to finally witness that incredible season two glo up. Everyone’s hair and makeup and costumes are so much better. The acting and special effects are so much better. And of course, there’s so. Much. Malec!
