It's official; Shadowhunters has been renewed for a second season on Freeform!
The series has been walking the line its first season with the television equivalent of TV click-bait. Supernatural thriller? Check. Gorgeous, diverse cast? Check. Built-in fanbase? Triple check.
But what I believe the creative minds behind the series fail to realize is that The Mortal Instruments series is so much more than that. It has a beautifully developed world, wonderful characters, and a compelling, twisting narrative. These all leave room for the expansion that adapting a book series to television may need and some of these points have been hit spot-on thus far. Others, well...
Here are a few things I believe the show can do to escape the first season blues:
1. Clary Freaking Frey
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Clary is the main protagonist of the series.
The. Main. Protagonist.
She is the one who introduces us to the Shadow World as she herself is thrust into it after her mother's disappearance. In the book, she is a smart, funny, artistic young girl with dreams and aspirations beyond whatever situation she has herself in. In the show, she has all of this and more for about two episodes. Then, she magically transforms into a character about as interesting as cardboard. It's as if the writers thought she only deserved to be a human being for about five seconds before she was transformed into a plot device. One who somehow thinks it's ~cool~ for 18-year-olds to say "mother" in regular conversation and fall head-over-heels in love with a guy when they have had no real conversations other than those about her "mother" or the Shadow World
Clary Fray is a strong character. Treat her like one.
2. Slow and steady wins the race (But for real.)
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First: Simon turning into a vampire.
More or less, they stuck to how it happened in the book but the timing was so rushed that his transformation and Clary's choice didn't hold as much meaning. I don't know whether the show did it because they still think vampires are super cool or because they wanted to make Simon more interesting. Either way, they were wrong. Simon is easily one of the best characters in the series with or without his vampy powers. But now that they've gone and dug him into this hole (literally), I'm curious to see where they take it next. And by curious I mean terrified. But hey, as long as they don't have him in some cheesy love triangle, it'll be all goo--oh wait.
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Second: I. Miss. Hodge.
I think they are seriously downplaying his roll. Their reasons? I have no freaking clue. If his lack of a presence continues, it is going to dampen the impact of later events. He's a complex character and the fact that they haven't made him more than That-One-Guy-With-The-Exact-Answer-You-Need-At-The-Exact-Moment-You-Need-It is kinda insulting. At least go more into his depression at being stuck in the institute for more than a decade. The guy deserves to be heard. |
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Third: The Circle...ish
Am I the only one who thought giving truth to Luke and Jocelyn's "affair" was the wrong choice? That it justified Valentine's insanity when it shouldn't have? Yes? Okay.But in all seriousness, what is up with those Circle flashbacks? I'm usually all for flashbacks in series, but for some reason the ones Shadowhunters chooses to feature fall flat. If they were shorter snippets instead of episodes-within-the-episodes, they would be easier to digest. Maybe if they were featured later in the show when the gang gets closer to finding Valentine, I could understand their purpose. As of now, they just feel like they're trying to shove another plot at us when there is plenty going on around it. Have faith in your plotlines, guys.
Fourth: Clace. Jary. Whatever.
I mentioned it before with Clary's character but I feel it deserves a second mention here. A problematic relationship to say the least, that doesn't mean it didn't deserve a proper build up. In the books, when Clary and Jace first kiss it is an expected moment but it happens at an unexpected time (arguably). In the show, the two make googly eyes at each other so often, it's a wonder they didn't jump each other's bones when they first met.I don't have to be the one to say that that isn't how relationships work, right?
Right?
It's easy to see that the actors have chemistry but that doesn't mean that the show has to exploit it the first chance they get. Clary and Jace are very different people who are meant to clash away and towards each other, creating a very powerful dynamic. It seems that the show wants to skip that development and just have them be one inseparable
^ Possible spoiler redacted. Highlight white space above to read.
tldr: CHARACTER/RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS IMPORTANT
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To give credit where credit is due. the show runners may have made all of these choices thinking that there wouldn't be more than one season, So, naturally, they tried to cram in as much as they could with the episodes they had. I acknowledge the possibility of that decision. Given that it was a stupid-ass decision that made it seem like they didn't have faith in their own show, I've elected to ignore it.
I hope that with the second season, the powers that be will find a good balance between character development, plot progression, and filler content. Finding the harmony between these three cadences can be challenging but once that melody plays... man, it's worth the struggle.
3. "A diary with no drawings of me in it? Where are the torrid fantasies? The romance covers?"
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Words cannot express how much I miss Jace Wayland's constant back-talk. Seriously. I'm dying a little inside. Instead of sticking to Jace's snarky dialogue, the show instead opted to make him a ~mysterious~ and ~*~broody~*~ love interest.
You know what. Scratch that.
He's not even that broody. He's just kind of... around. Him and Clary really must be meant for each other since both of their characters remind me more of two sticks in the mud. Come on, guys. A little personality never hurt anybody.
~*~
On top of this somewhat shabby foundation does lie some sturdy pillars. The show's diverse cast and wonderful depiction of an LGBTQ relationship is nothing to turn a blind eye to. Isabelle also as a character is depicted as a very strong, sexually aware young woman that goes through her own set of trials to accept who she is. Not to mention the little mentions of The Infernal Devices that are peppered in certain episodes (If that doesn't scream spinoff series, I don't know what does! *happy squeal*).
Now, Shadowhunters is definitely not the first show to fall prey to a shaky first season. Some of my personal favorite TV staples are also guilty - Parks and Recreation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Office to name a few. Finding a good rhythm in any story is a bumpy road. But man, once you hit the pavement... you're in for a great ride.
Godspeed, Shadowhunters. And good luck.
