Shadowhunters Review: You Are Not Your Own (Season 2 Episode 12)

Tension runs high on Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 12, “You Are Not Your Own,” as Magnus works to get someone to believe that he truly isn’t Valentine and that Azazel did, in fact, switch their bodies.

“You Are Not Your Own” is officially on my list of the top five episodes of the series. Alan Van Sprang (Valentine) brought out emotions in me, and I’m sure the rest of the audience, as he proves that not only can he be the cold, hardened villain but he can also be the warm, soft character that makes you want to reach out and save them. This is something we haven’t seen from him on screen, until now.

When I say Magnus, I’m talking about Valentine’s body, and when I say Valentine, I’m talking about Magnus’s body. With that being said, having to go throughout the entire episode watching Magnus be tortured, called a liar by the one he loves the most, and almost murdered is the hardest thing I’ve had to sit through in the entire series.

My only thought process is: “why is this so hard to believe?” After everything Alec has seen and dealt with how could he not of believed Magnus sooner? He actively saw how weird Valentine had been acting in Magnus’s body; being upset that Alec killed Azazel, refusing to help him, not returning the affection. That plus Magnus is verbally telling him they switched bodies should’ve been enough.

Heck, even Dot could tell that there wasn’t something right with Magnus (really Valentine) when he asked her to show him how to make a portal. She could also hear Valentine in his voice and the way he acted. It shocks me that it got so far that Magnus could’ve been executed.

As much as we all hate Valentine, he sure does have a way with words and Intel. I knew that sooner or later it would come out that Jace is a Herondale, but the way it happens is so shocking and last minute.

I’m excited to see what this means for Jace. Imogen had some grudge towards Jace, and suddenly it all disappeared the second she finds out that he’s her grandson. Now, she’s talking about how he’s royalty, and she’s going to show him what it truly means to be a Herondale. Again, I’m excited for Jace.

Jace has been to hell and back when it comes to family. The person he thought was his father (Valentine) physically and emotionally abused him nonstop, and tried to make him into the thing he fears the most. He finally had a sense of safety knowing that Clary was a part of his family, he had someone who could understand what was going on with him and that was ripped away.

I can only imagine how Jace truly feels about all of this. You know that there has to be some hesitation to dive in fully and embrace it because of how many lies he’s had to put up with. To him, this could be just another trick or another lie because it’s all he’s used to. He’s not used to a normal, healthy family dynamic.
Speaking of Clary, as much as I don’t like her character I do think that it’s ridiculous she has to continue to prove her worth and loyalty to the Clave. After everything, she’s done to help stop Valentine, everything she’s lost because of him, and all the times she’s risked her life to help it should be clear who’s side she’s on.

It’s amazing how in just one episode Shadowhunters can make me feel sorry for Clary, and still think she’s the worst. Clary has had so many opportunities to tell Simon about Jace not being her brother, but instead, Simon has to find it out from Izzy.

That’s relationship 101; you don’t keep a bombshell of a secret like that because eventually, it will come out. At this point, I wish that Simon would be the one to break up with Clary and to let her figure out what she wants. Simon doesn’t deserve to have to always think about Clary leaving him for Jace or still liking Jace.

Like Raphael’s sister said, Simon is a catch, and anyone would be lucky to have him. So, Clary needs to get her act together.

I saved the best for last; Izzy and Simon. Izzy has told nobody about her trouble with Yen Fin because it’s not something she wants public, she hasn’t told Clary or even Jace. But, she confides in Simon about her struggle, and I think that it shows how far along their friendship has come.

Izzy is going out of her way to help Simon send a message to Raphael, which almost ends up getting him killed but it’s the thought that counts. On top of that, she’s willingly talking to Simon about how hard it is and letting him give her advice on some support groups. My only hopes from this is their friendship isn’t thrown to the side, yet again.

Other Thoughts:

• Azazel was killed pretty quickly, too easily. There’s no doubt that he’ll be back within an episode or two.
• After the vampires with Raphael see that Simon is a daylighter, they stop listening to Raphael. Simon has to be the one to tell them to go and now that he’s been outed he’s going to have a target on his back.
• It’s super creepy that Sebastian asked Clary out on a date knowing that’s his sister.

What did you think of this episode of Shadowhunters? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Shadowhunters airs Monday’s at 8/7c on Freeform.

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