Synopsis of 2×07: Clary and Luke find themselves at odds over Cleo, who claims innocence about the recent attack; Simon gets dating advice from a surprising source as Isabelle takes a dangerous path.
Guys, what is happening? Am I actually like, at a point of watching this show where I feel like I need to recommend it to people? Has it finally left the “guilty pleasures” zone of television?
(Probably not, but still.)
What a great episode! There was some strong character building in this episode along with some action scenes that just looked beautiful. “How Are Thou Fallen” was broken down into a few storylines, with the main one being about Cleophas and Valentine.
After killing Magdalena, Cleo goes to see Valentine and informs him of Clary’s ability to draw new runes. She seems to be pretty loyal to Valentine, a fact that is reiterated later by Luke who says that she would follow Valentine around when the Circle was still around. Valentine sends Cleophas to get Clary, and we then see him go to someone who is in chains and threaten him to stop trying to talk to Clary.
It isn’t until later that we find out that this is an angel named Ithuriel. Throughout the episode, Clary hears Ithuriel’s screams of anguish but doesn’t know where it is coming from and no one else seems to be able to hear it. She immediately suspects Valentine.
Going to the Jade Wolf, Clary seeks out both Simon and Luke for help. She walks in on Simon as he’s getting dressed and makes it pretty obvious to us that she’s starting to see her best friend in a different light. Maybe it’s the button-up shirt, maybe it’s the washboard abs. Regardless, Simon is about to go on a date with Maia and Clary isn’t about to ruin his night. Turning to Luke, the two discuss Cleophas right as she stumbles into the Jade Wolf. She cut herself to make it seem like she was attacked.
Turning to Luke, the two discuss Cleophas right as she stumbles into the Jade Wolf. She cut herself to make it seem like she was attacked. Luke doesn’t buy it and neither does Clary when she hears Cleo call her Clarissa, something that only Valentine calls her. Hoping to use Cleo to get to Valentine, Clary goes against Luke, who is ready to turn Cleo into the Clave, and tases him before running off with Cleo. I feel like she could have gotten Cleo a different way, but maybe she thought tasing him wouldn’t be as bad since he’s a werewolf?
Anyways, the two of them are running back to Valentine when Clary hears Ithuriel again. Activating Cleo’s rune, Cleo identifies it as a voice of an angel. Surprised that Clary is blessed enough to hear an angel’s cry and betrayed by Valentine’s ability to keep an angel imprisoned, it seems to be everything that Cleo needs to finally turn against Valentine.
The two of them get intercepted by Luke and Jace (who was just having a casual night off making out with a bunch of seelies). The four of them team up and decide to face Valentine and stop him from activating the Soul Sword since there is a literal storm approaching. Cleo and Luke face off against Valentine, who is definitely not pleased to see them there. He holds a blade to Cleo’s throat and starts listing all of Luke’s betrayals vitriolically. I did really enjoy this scene between them, Luke is pissed that Valentine inadvertently killed Jocelyn and Valentine is still pissed that Luke betrayed him as his parabatai and stole off with his family. Ultimately, Luke isn’t able to kill Valentine without hurting Cleo and they get away.
While this is happening, Clary and Jace are already up on the roof fighting off Valentine’s croonies to get to Ithuriel. The old man is chained on the roof and guarded. After defeating the guards in a great show of choreography where Clary and Jace are kicking ass together, they go to free Ithuriel. The chains holding him are enchanted by some magic and they aren’t able to just unlock them until Ithuriel speaks to Clary and she draws a rune that cuts through the locks.
Freed, he spreads out his wings and shows both Jace and Clary a vision of the Soul Sword in a field where a hooded figure touches it and it lights up before both the figure and the sword disappear. They’re both unsure of what it means but Ithuriel doesn’t give them anymore before ascending up to heaven.
In the other half of the episode, we see the gang gathering at Hunter’s Moon. Jace has been crashing at Magnus’ and hooking up with seelies left and right, and when he goes to the bar he finds Simon there, two hours early for his date with Maia. Jace has some of his best scenes of the episode here with Simon. After coming in on Simon awkwardly spilling a drink and getting it all over himself, Jace offers him some advice. They roleplay how Simon picks up girls, Jace gives him some of the worst advice you could ever give someone, and in the process becomes his dating Obi-Wan.
They even abuse the disguise/shapeshifting rune where Jace shifts to look like Simon and picks up a girl using his methods. Yes, very impressive Jace. You used your smolder. He basically achieved ultimate f*ckboi status this episode, and it was pretty great to watch him be something other than broody.
Listening to Jace’s horrible advice, when Maia finally is off from her shift for the date, Simon acts distracted, uninterested, and distant. None of these things appeal to Maia, who ditches him and leaves the bar before Simon can apologize and they can go watch Blade Runner together (all three editions).
To Simon’s credit, he comes to apologize to Maia. She heard his conversation with Jace and figured out that he was in love with Clary. She tells him to go for it and that if he doesn’t, he’ll spend eternity regretting it. That’s some solid advice.
While all this is happening, Alec and Magnus are somehow topping their date episode in being even more adorable together. They’re going on trips to Tokyo and Prague and making out all the time (despite Jace being a ho in the other room), and Alec even buys a gift for Magnus during on of their trips. Magnus comments later to Maia that it’s the first time he’s received a gift in a long time.
Both Alec and Magnus have scenes with Izzy this episode, who seems off her game. The yin fen addiction is ruling her life. She gets into a fight with Clary when she reveals that she knows about Clary’s rune drawing ability and then she gets into Aldertree’s office searching for the drug but not finding it. She hits up Hunter’s Moon while Magnus is there in search of a drug dealer who can get it for her. I love that Magnus intervenes and immediately seems to suspect Izzy. Of course, Izzy plays it off like a mission from Aldertree, but Magnus informs her that yin fen can be found from the vampires.
Somehow I feel like that’s telling someone who snorts cocaine that if they want more they should just suck on the leaves. Regardless, she first turns to Simon for the venom. She suggests that he take some of her blood to get rid of his nerves but when it seems to surprise and shock Simon she plays it off as a joke. After this, she is forced to go to a vampire den where she is confronted by a group of them, but they seem to know exactly what her intentions are.
Drug addiction aside, she does have a great scene with Alec, who comes to her for relationship advice on whether or not he’s ready to have sex with Magnus. The scene between them was adorable and hilarious, especially when Izzy basically screams out, “Oh my god, are you talking about having sex?” She gives him some pretty solid advice, to do what makes him happy, and he takes it to heart.
All in all, great episode! The little character scenes, like the tension between Alec and Jace, the disagreement between Izzy and Clary, Alec and Clary both worrying about Jace, Clary and Simon chatting about Simon making new friends, those were some of the gems of this episode. They added something extra to the show that it just didn’t have before.
Memorable Moments:
Alec: “Well, seriously, why do they call it fatty tuna? It’s a little degrading.” Magnus: “Well, I don’t think obese tuna sounds any better.”
Simon’s James Bond impression, finger guns and all. “Lewis, Simon Lewis.”
Jace’s multiple great one liners. “Looks like you’re low on fiber.” “Perfect… If you’re a serial killer.” “Dazzle me.”
Alec: “No, I don’t overthink things. Do I?”
Maia reading Jane Eyre.
Izzy: “It all makes sense now! That’s why you didn’t want me to meet Jessica Hawkblue.” Alec: [Silence] Izzy: “Wait, was there ever a Jessica Hawkblue?”
English