Shadowhunters Review

    I hope everyone is having a good week so far!  I'm making an attempt to post at least once this week just so I feel accomplished.  As you all know, I've been eagerly waiting for the arrival of "Shadowhunters" on Free Form, which used to be ABC Family.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to post about it last night because I ended up watching not just the first episode, but the SECOND one as well!  I downloaded the new Free Form app on my phone in order to access the second episode, which they unlocked for those people who had the app.  I will be reviewing both episodes here while also letting you know what I did or did not like about the show so far.  If you haven't seen either episode one or two, be prepared for spoilers below.

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    I'm going to start off with the negative because I feel like it's easier to pick out what I didn't like than what I did like.  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed watching this show and I will definitely keep watching, however there are some things that bugged me about this pilot.  The first thing I'm going to mention is that once things moved past initial introductions, everything seemed a bit rushed, even the dialogue.  It's as if they were trying to cram too much into the pilot episode.  The second episode was a bit better tempo-wise, but still crammed with a lot.  I think a lot of people have already commented on this, so I won't elaborate any more, but I think it may have something to do with attempting to combine the first two books into this first season.  We see elements of both City of Bones and City of Ashes here in these first two episodes, so those of us who read the books may deem this to be a bad move.  I think as a show, without re-reading the books for it, is a great show and Free Form's first attempt at a really good fantasy show.  We have to remember that Cassandra Clare was directly involved with this show, so there is hope for the show to become more relaxed.

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    The biggest thing I had a problem with, besides the obvious rushing of events, was the institute.  There were WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE in there!  The New York institute is supposed to be practically empty except for the Lightwoods and Hodge.  The ancient and empty institute is what made it interesting and mysterious.  Now it looks like they are raising an army in there with loads of modern technology.  The institute in the movie took my breath away with how beautiful and spot on it was visually.  This TV show one fell a little flat for me.
    I don't mind the difference in ages and I think it works better for the demographic they are trying to hit with this new launch of ABC Family as Free Form.  I don't mind Hodge as a younger guy because apparently he was younger than the rest of the Circle members in the books.  I also like how Valentine is older and looks more like a father of an 18 year old.  I also love the guy playing Valentine, (he was also in Reign as King Henry and he was AMAZING).  He had a decent amount of screen time too.
    The Silent Brother's scene from episode two bothered me a little also.  They look pretty much the same as before, although I think they could look even creepier, but that's just me.  The graveyard setting was key because they look after their dead, so the fact that this looks more like the entrance to the troll market from Hellboy is a little underwhelming.  I did enjoy the part where Jace said my favorite line from the book, "Shadowhunters: looking better in black than the widows of our enemies."

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   The characters were good.  I loved the Lightwoods!  They are spot on and Alec is SO DONE WITH EVERYONE'S SHIT already, it's so perfect.  I also really liked Simon because it really felt like the Simon from the book, (not sure if that's because Alberto has read the books and is actually a fan girl like the rest of us, but it could be).  I also like Luke, even though they've deviated from his original profession.  I even liked Raphael, for the short time he was in the second episode.  Dom looks great as Jace, but I honestly think that Jamie Campbell Bower was a better Jace at this point.  Jace is sarcastic, witty, narcissistic, and rude.  It was almost as if Dom was holding back a lot, so I'm hoping he gets more comfortable with himself as Jace as the show moves forward.  Some of the dialogue was straight from the books while some of it was really corny at times, so they have to find that happy medium.  Clary felt mostly true to her character for me, but there were times where I feel like she accepted everything that was going on too easily.  She really just went along with Jace without asking too many questions.  I understand that she's in it for her mom and that's all she cares about, but shouldn't all of this be a bit more overwhelming at first?  I can understand her coming to terms with her new status in the second or third episode, but she shouldn't just be able to jump right into being a Shadowhunter.  Can we mention Jocelyn for a minute?  She's a complete bad ass and I totally approve.  She's still unwilling to introduce Clary to the Shadow world, but she is willing to kill demons to protect her, instead of acting helpless.  Also, definitely not enough Magnus for me.

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    The second episode was better than the pilot.  They had a decent introduction to the vampires, but I'm wondering if they're going to turn Simon this early in the season or if they'll wait it out a few more episodes.  Obviously they're going to have to attempt a rescue mission in the third episode which may or may not involve Magnus's help, so we'll see how that goes.

    Overall, I think this show has potential.  There were some great lines in these first two episodes, (including the one above),  many nods to the books while also recognizing this as their "translation" of them, and a little bit of action.  I really hope they have the fight in the vampire den as a part of this series because I'd love to see more vampires vs. werewolves up in here.  This is how I see everyone's inner dialogue, based solely on the first two episodes:
  Clary: GUYS I LITERALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING unless it's about my mom.
  Jace: How's my hair?
  Isabelle: *looks at everyone like they have a secret to keep and she knows it*
  Alec: I CAN'T EVEN.
  Simon: What the actual fuck?
    I'm really excited about this series and I will not be deterred from watching because of only the first two episodes.  Yes, there are some things I didn't like or that didn't feel right to me, but that's because it's a pilot.  After watching both episodes I can say that the second one felt better than the first, so I'm hoping that trend continues throughout the series.  I may or may not be posting every week about this show, but I will keep you posted on definite likes and dislikes that need to be addressed as they come up.  What did you think?  Do we have similar opinions about the show so far?  What would you like to see in future episodes?  Is anyone else counting down until Malec?!??  Let's discuss in the comments below!  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.