Shadowhunters Review: Heavenly Fire (Season 3 Episode 17)
Aldertree makes a surprising return, Izzy and Simon pair up to try and take the clave down from the inside, and Clary has a sudden realization about her connection to Jonathan on Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 17, “Heavenly Fire.”
Jonathan’s actions paint a bigger picture of him, rather than what he likes to say about himself, but I do think there’s a part of him that never wanted to see Clary get hurt. His fascination for Clary is creepy, but after hearing his backstory in Edom, it’s not as alarming.
Clary is the only one who was able to help Jonathan escape Edom the entire time, but he wasn’t even aware of having a sister until many years in Edom with Lilith. After having to live a nightmare for years with no way to escape it’d be normal to obsess over a lost sister who could save your life.
I don’t agree with anything that Jonathan has done, but all he’s known his whole life is the torture of living with Lilith and having no way to escape. He has resorted to violence because it’s all that he knows, but Clary was never the one intended to be on the receiving end.
Clary is the only one who can wield the Morning Star sword and free Jonathan from Edom for good, which is why he wants her to have it in her possession so desperately. Although Clary is the only one who could save Jonathan from Edom, she shouldn’t be blaming herself for what has happened in his life.
Valentine is the reason that Jonathan’s life has been a whirlwind of garbage and Clary had no way to understand that her dreams of Jonathan as a kid were real. She has been through so much in the past few years and doesn’t need to add on any guilt for something she had no control over.
Jonathan may have been a completely different person had he not been locked away with Lilith, but that’s not something that Clary can change. After she and Izzy figure out a way to use the remains of Glorious to separate Clary and Jonathan, I hope that they figure out how to get rid of him for good.
Izzy and Simon are a power couple, without the relationship. Anytime that the both of them team up together things take a drastic turn, but it always works out in the end because they’re both smart and able to hold their own. If things did progress between them, I think their relationship would be the next best thing because they’ve already proven to have some sort of spark.
I never thought that Aldertree would show his face again, let alone be the one behind the torturing of downworlders. I know it’s technically not torture, but curing someone against their own will is torture in my book.
The Clave should reward Izzy and Simon for figuring out Aldertree’s plans and stopping him before he could successfully cure the whole downworld in NYC. I feel like it’s a longshot for them to get gratification from Penhallow, especially Simon, but something good should happen for them.
Things between Magnus and Alec are hard at the moment, even though Alec wants to propose because Magnus is going through a rough time without his magic. I think it’s ridiculous that the people around Magnus aren’t more aware of his changing attitude as his fight with magic continues. He hasn’t hidden his opinions on not having magic anymore and merely telling someone that they’ll be okay is not enough.
Magic is all that Magnus knows; his life has revolved around it for so long that he doesn’t know how to be a regular mundane accurately. Alec has noticed a small change in Magnus, but not as drastic as it’s honestly been.
I don’t see Magnus being in the mindset of wanting to get engaged for a hot moment, and I hope that Alec can understand that and doesn’t try to force it upon him while he’s in this state. Alec, for the most part, is understanding and catches on to things quickly, but he’s been in a blind state of mind when it comes to Magnus lately.
What did you think of this episode of Shadowhunters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Shadowhunters airs Mondays at 8/7c on Freeform.
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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.