Written by Abbey White
It’s hard to believe that Shadowhunters is finally back, considering the seemingly never-ending wait for its return. But on Monday, Freeform’s hit series aired the premiere of its highly anticipated second season, giving fans even more of this stunning, sexy and surprising magical underworld.
Picking up where season one’s cliffhanger-filled finale left off, viewers watched as the New York Institute got taken over (again) by another Clave appointee — this time, Victor Aldertree — before going on lock down. Following Valentine’s acquisition of the Mortal Cup and Jace’s deflection to his father’s side, the entire Shadow World went on high alert. The assumption that Jace has become a traitor has not only made him a wanted man but all those who care about him suspects. And while those who care about him want to help bring him back, The Clave has instituted a “capture dead or alive,” forcing everyone from Luke, Magnus and Simon to Alec, Clary, and Izzy to put their heads together.
Although The Clave may not care whether Jace returns in a body bag (be it at the hands of his fellow shadowhunters or his own incredibly violent and abusive father), most of his friends and family only want to bring the shadowhunter home. Which means they’ll all stop at nothing — and for no one — to do it.
In all, Shadowhunters darker and more action-packed season two premiere delivered nothing but an intensely fun ride. It also provided plenty of uncertainties about the direction these next nine episodes will take, so here are six of our biggest questions coming out of last night’s Shadowhunters season two premiere, “That Guilty Blood.”
Where will Luke fall in the battle for the world?
Victor Aldertree has decided to keep Clary under a cloud of mistrust she faced last season. However, there’s someone else very close to the Shadowhunters hero who is raising some eyebrows. That someone is Luke Garroway, a man whose former and present relationships, loyalties and identities all make him as much a powerful and necessary player as a potential liability and threat in the war against Valentine.
A respected NYC cop, Clary’s beloved surrogate father, and Jocelyn’s dedicated (eventual) husband, Luke is also Valentine’s former parabatai turned downworlder become leader of the New York City wolf pack. There is perhaps no one outside of Jocelyn who knows Valentine as well, but such a close connection could easily cast doubt among both shadowhunters and downworlders about Luke’s ability or willingness to stop the war. Luke once fought with Valentine and is now the very thing many shadowhunters look down upon. Can a fallen angel (in love with the enemy’s obsession) be on their side? Conversely, can a people who were once scorned and destroyed by Luke trust him to be loyal to them and their cause? And more importantly, to help lead it?
Whether we realize it or not, Luke Garroway is one of the most pivotal characters of season two, which is why we’re eager to see where his upcoming storyline — relationships, allegiances, duties and heroism — take him.
What will Jocelyn do now that she’s awake?
Perhaps one of the biggest twists of Shadowhunters first season was its choice to wake Jocelyn long before her book storyline did. That choice will no doubt have a significant impact on at the very least her daughter’s storyline. Clary isn’t the same person Jocelyn had known before the older shadowhunter forced herself into a magical slumber. Jocelyn may have to deal with the fact that her daughter isn’t just growing up, but becoming the warrior Jocelyn never wanted her to be. But more so, Jocelyn isn’t just Clary’s mom. She’s a powerful and skilled shadowhunter who, like Luke, knows Valentine’s mind and motivations like no one else. We saw in the premiere that Jocelyn would not be a passive participant in this war against Valentine — and now her son. In what ways will Jocelyn be able to help her fellow shadowhunters prepare to battle the world’s greatest enemy? How will she work through her potential guilt, not only about her role in Valentine’s first rise but also his second? And what will the bond, however shaky, she’s forged with her daughter (and the relationship she hasn’t formed with her supposed son, Jace) strengthen or weaken her blood and beautiful family?
Who’s in control of the institute (and for how long)?
After Maryse and Robert Lightwood, the heads of the New York Institute were dethroned last season and replaced by Lydia, we all thought that one of our favorite warrior families was done for. But thanks to Alec’s careful maneuvering, a potentially hostile relationship turned into an unlikely alliance. One that convinced Lydia to openly reject The Clave’s witch hunt determined to see Izzy exiled from shadowhunter culture. That open condemnation of rigid shadowhunter rule, however, put her on Maryse and The Clave’s bad sides, bringing us to Victor Aldertree. This newest head of the New York Institute Institute spent his first screen moments openly disrespecting downworlders, threatening Izzy and investigating all the shadowhunters who had gone on missions with Jace. But for how long will Aldertree be in power?
As “That Guilty Blood” illustrated, Aldertree can’t be trusted to help the gang in their clandestine efforts to clear Jace’s name. And no doubt he’ll present a whole new and more challenging set of hurdles for our characters as both an embodiment and extension of The Clave’s mighty hand. But in a world where Hodge was a traitor and Lydia stood up against one of the highest divine counsels, we’re not sure Victor’s relationship to the governing body is as clear cut as it seems. If last season taught us anything, hitting the right nerve can turn a foe into a friend or a friend into an enemy. A friend who may be willing to help hand the Institute back over to the Lightwoods, or a foe who could wittingly help deliver the world’s downfall to Valentine unless someone else gets control of the Institute.
Will we finally see more fighting (and more powers)?
For as fantastical as the Shadow World can be, it’s sure full of weaponry and conflict. Season one’s premiere offered us a solid glimpse at the tactical side of shadowhunter culture, but with the cup now securely in Valentine’s hands and a new army at his ready, season two’s violent opener proved things are getting a little less hypothetical and a bit more literal when it comes to battling the impending threat. In addition to all the fighting we saw Jace do in “That Guilty Blood,” sneak peeks of the upcoming season have shown us that he’ll run into quite a few more squabbles. Meanwhile, it seems that Clary is ready and willing to continue her training with Izzy, as Simon improves on those “compulsion” skills. Then there’s Luke, who we expect to use the full power of his pack and Magnus who will turn to his centuries of experience with battle magic (accompanied by his refusal to take crap from anyone — we’re looking at you, Alec).
But what about everyone else? Shadowhunters are a society of warriors after all, and we can’t expect that Valentine will give up Jace or his plans without a little bit of a fight. Not to mention, Camille is still out in the Downworld ready to cause chaos — and her decisions could impact more than just her fellow vampires. Will we get to see Magnus in full action? Could Alec and Clary perform an unexpected team-up? Is Jocelyn ready to kill her son? And what could come of that meeting of the downworlders showrunner Todd Slavkin mentioned during New York Comic Con? Is a much bigger battle on the season two horizon?
How will they save Jace?
It’s been made pretty clear that much of 2A’s drama will surround Jace’s absence and the effort to rectify that. What is significantly less clear is how that fight to get (or win) him back will unfold and who will lead the charge. As we saw, Jace’s supposed birth mother Jocelyn has reservations about his dangerous nature. Meanwhile, his adopted mother Maryse all but sees him as a traitor. But as the season one finale essentially confirmed, Clary and Alec both refuse to believe Jace is as hopeless as even he believes he is. Can the heightened tension both characters be experiencing (and their rather frigid history of working together) be tempered long enough to achieve their mutual goal?
On the flip side, after what we saw Jace do and emotionally struggle with during the premiere, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that the Jace we know hasn’t totally given up on himself. Jace isn’t just quick on his toes or good at whipping up a scheme. He’s also someone willing to give up his safety and happiness for those he loves and what he believes is right as a warrior. While Valentine may be able to manipulate that now, we don’t think he’ll be able to do it forever. How far will Valentine’s poisonous schemes go — or who will they touch — before we see Jace potentially deflect? Will it take the entire season or will something happen earlier on that helps Jace find his way back? And with all the hype around trying to bring the shadowhunter back from the “dark side,” could the hero we know and love end up being the one to save himself?
Which relationships will create the most tension?
While there hasn’t been much straight talk about the show’s many relationship triangles in the upcoming season, the sheer number of them within the show’s larger plot makes it near impossible to ignore their potential dramatic impact.
Facing the reality of almost losing Jocelyn, Luke will want to solidify their love and bond, but we don’t imagine that will be easy considering one’s a shadowhunter and the other a downworlder. Not to mention, Valentine still expects his former love to join him. Then there’s the rather toxic bond between Valentine, Jace, and Clary. Valentine’s manipulations of a young man desperate to understand himself and belong make Jace’s choice between who Clary knows him to be and who Valentine wants him to be a challenging and pivotal one for all three. And what about the triangle between Jace, Clary, and Simon? With Jace and Clary now confirmed siblings (and the latter physically gone), we expect Simon to continue to make his feelings for Clary clearer, but will Clary reciprocate?
Speaking of Simon, we’re curious to know if Season 2A’s highly anticipated introduction of Maia Roberts will, beyond illustrating the origins of the fierce young werewolf, lay the groundwork for an eventual love shape with the awkward Simon and always impressive Izzy. If anything Sizzy-related doesn’t happen, at the very least Izzy will have plenty to keep her busy what with trying not to get torn limb from limb by the natural conflict between her brother and Clary during the search for Jace. A search that we already saw causes some serious tension (but also some affection) between Alec and Magnus as the warlock tries to help the shadowhunter emotionally mangled over his missing parabatai. That affection part will probably be a nice reprieve for Magnus who we expect will face not only challenges in his romantic relationship but also with some of his friendships. We’ve heard rumblings that the High Warlock of Brooklyn takes Simon under his wing, but will Raphael’s tensions with the new-ish vampire (over a former lover of Magnus, no less) reach a boiling point at some time during the season?
Abbey White is a freelance entertainment and identities journalist who has written for USA TODAY Network, The Mary Sue, Black Girl Nerds, ScreenSpy and Paste Magazine, among other outlets. She currently lives in New York City where she works as an editorial intern covering the arts, culture, and LGBT issues for The Nation magazine.
