Shadowhunters The Final Hunt recap: “Original Sin”

Freeform’s Shadowhunters was all new Monday night and we have all the details on what went down, from the hotly anticipated Malec training scene to the rise of Sizzy. Read on for our thoughts on the latest episode.

Warning! Spoilers for the latest episodes of Shadowhunters and the Mortal Instruments book series follow. You’ve been warned.

After last week’s Shadowhunters ended with Clary (Katherine McNamara) stabbing Jonathan (Luke Baines), and thanks to their demonic bond herself, the Morgenstern siblings definitely have a lot to work through. Jonathan seems much more impressed with Clary’s violence than angry and even transports them to Paris for some bonding time.

Needing some time to reformulate her plan, Clary decides the best way to escape Jonathan is to play along. Luckily for Clary, Luke (Isaiah Mustafa) has convinced Jace (Dominic Sherwood) that she is still alive, and they team up to find where Lilith took her.

Back in New York, Alec (Matthew Daddario) and Magnus (Harry Shum Jr.) are getting ready to start their day. As seen in GLAAD’s official clip, it’s Alec’s day off and Magnus wants “to make the most of it.” While Alec seems to be completely on board with this plan, it’s clear that Magnus is trying to fly through the moments as fast as possible. This “go go go” attitude of Magnus’ leads them to the Institute for the training that Alec offered last week.

Despite Alec’s best intentions to keep them on task, it doesn’t quite work out the way he plans when the training gets steamier than expected. Needless to say, the scene lived up to its expectation after being teased to fans about a year ago. It was great to see their flirty banter after experiencing so much angst in the first half of the season, and before they face even more angst in the upcoming episodes.

While Magnus and Alec enjoy some alone time, Isabelle (Emeraude Toubia) and Simon (Alberto Rosende) spend some alone time together as well, though not quite as romantically as Malec. Taking Raphael’s advice from last week they go looking in the sewers for the ancient vampire he was talking about. As it happens Simon manages to find him pretty quickly, and in a bit of a twist the vampire turns out to be Cain, as in the reason for the Mark in the first place.

While it’s definitely interesting to get the backstory and lore regarding Adam and Lilith—and thus taking her vengeance out on Cain, it’s all a bit too convenient. In order to remove the Mark Simon must take the stone Cain used to kill Abel to the Seelie realm because it can only be removed with the help of the Seelie Queen. Cain gives Simon the stone and warns him that he risks death by attempting the ritual, but it falls a bit flat.

Back in Paris, Clary and Jonathan are touring the city with a tentative alliance. Jonathan puts on a good show, trying to act as though all he wants is to be good and to have a healthy relationship with Clary, but it falters quite a bit with some of the more leery looks he gives her, as though he wishes they were something more.

In spite of the strain in their relationship, Jonathan offers to give Clary a family heirloom, the Morgenstern sword, in an attempt to solidify their familial bond. On their way to an antique shop supposedly holding the sword, Clary manages to snag a stele from a French shadowhunter passing by, upping her chances of escape.

When the demon owner of the shop says that the sword has already been sold, though we don’t know “to whom,” Jonathan doesn’t take the news too well. This raises the question of which Morgenstern sword is Jonathan trying to find and why? There are two in the books, one, Phaesphoros, which is owned by Valentine and then Jonathan, and there is Heosphoros, which is Clary’s given to her by Diana Wrayburn, a major character in the Dark Artifices series.

The most important thing about Heosphoros is that it’s what Clary and Jace use to contain the heavenly fire within Jace after his bond with Jonathan is severed. It’s what ultimately Clary uses to kill Jonathan in the books, so its potential appearance in the show, even if unnamed, is a big hint to the trajectory of the finale.

Back in the Seelie Realm Simon and Izzy have an audience with the Seelie Queen who explains the ritual to remove the Mark of Cain. Part of the reason this storyline feels out of step is that Simon hasn’t actually had the Mark for very long. In the books, the Mark of Cain is what allows Team Good (made up of Simon, Izzy, Alec, and Magnus) to raise Raziel once more without immediately dying. Obviously, the show has departed from the books, often for the best, but there is the question of what will happen next with Simon’s story with such a major element removed.

Also in the Seelie realm do we see the first seeds of Simon and Isabelle’s romantic relationship. After Simon successfully removes the Mark of Cain, he’s been severely drained of energy and blood. This leaves Izzy with two options: let him drink from her or let Simon die. It’s a tough position for her to be in because of her yin fen addiction. She ends up letting Simon drink from her, of course, and while it’s framed as a romantic sacrifice there’s just something that doesn’t sit quite right about it. The yin fen storyline is one of the more controversial plots on the show, and putting Izzy back into a compromising position as a recovering addict is frustrating.

There is also the fact that development-wise they’ve had the least of all the couples on the show for a moment for a moment holding so much weight. Although there isn’t exactly time for them to have the slow burn that happens in the books—they have to get to endgame in 10 episodes where the other couples have had two seasons to build up—it’s especially striking when there are Alec and Magnus to contrast them in this episode, talking about the importance of slowing down and enjoying the moments.

Malec has arguably the most development as a couple on the show so far, so the big romantic gestures feel earned. Even Clary and Jace, who reunite in Paris at the end of the episode, have more emotional build-up to their big “ship” moments. Hopefully, as the season goes on, there will be more development of Simon and Izzy as better friends before they are solidified romantically.

Next week’s episode seems to be delving more into the Clave’s torture of Downworlders and the consequences to Clary and Jace’s relationship thanks to her bond with Jonathan. It also looks like sparks of chemistry between Luke and Maryse in the first half of season three may come to a head, and Maia returns to take the Alpha title. Let us know your thoughts down below.

All three seasons of Shadowhunters are currently streaming on Hulu, with new episodes being added on Tuesdays. For more on Shadowhunters, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.