Shadowhunters the Final Hunt: Who’s ready for a Malec engagement?

On Monday’s episode of Shadowhunters, fans were treated to a big surprise at the end of the episode—one that’s been long awaited by many in the fandom. Just how drastically is Malec’s relationship going to change? Keep reading for our thoughts on the latest developments.

While we can’t quite say “it’s official” just yet, Shadowhunters is just that much closer to a full-blown Malec engagement. We’ve been waiting for so long but now that it’s finally happening, the experience is surreal. Let’s recap for anyone who hasn’t seen the episode.

Warning! Spoilers for the latest episodes of Shadowhunters follow. You’ve been warned.

At the very end of “Stay With Me”, Alec (Matthew Daddario) visits his mother Maryse at her newly purchased bookshop to ask for the Lightwood family ring—which is commonly given in Shadowhunter wedding proposals—because he’s going to ask Magnus (Harry Shum Jr.) to marry him.

Alec has been devoted to Magnus for quite some time now—ignoring the timeline of course. But in the latest episode, titled “Stay With Me,” we see a new level of desperation from Alec, who is determined to save Magnus’ life.

The episode picks up almost exactly where episode fifteen left off—minus a delightful dream dance sequence that’s executed perfectly by Shum and Daddario—with Magnus on the ground seizing because his body is rejecting Lorenzo’s magic. Luckily for Magnus, Catarina Loss is able to arrive in time to save him, but he’s not in the clear yet. The strain of using Lorenzo’s magic has landed Magnus in a coma, and though Catarina tells Alec that Magnus will wake up, he’ll likely die if he uses Lorenzo’s magic even one more time.

Alec, who blames himself for not realizing deep down how much Magnus was suffering, takes it upon himself to confront Lorenzo all to make him take the magic back. He goes to the loft, where Lorenzo has made himself at home, and even though he tries to keep his cool, Lorenzo’s attitude towards Magnus triggers a response.

When confrontation doesn’t work out, Alec tries a more vulnerable approach. He tells Lorenzo that “Magnus is his world” and that Magnus is helpless at the moment. What’s worse is Lorenzo is the only one who can do anything. “Please, please help him,” Alec begs Lorenzo—and it works.

Back at the Institute, Magnus wakes up to Alec, and unfortunately, Lorenzo. After Alec explains what happened, Magnus insists that Catarina is just being a bit overprotective, and there isn’t anything wrong; he tells Alec he won’t give up his magic again. This proves to be a bit of a sore point between the two after all Magnus did explain that without magic, he feels like he doesn’t matter. Alec, however, doesn’t think the risk is worth it.

Magnus feels very differently after all Alec fell in love with a powerful and charismatic High Warlock, not a mortal man. He says to Alec “can you honestly say you don’t feel differently about me…can you honestly say you like this?”.

Ultimately, it’s an incredibly vulnerable moment for Magnus, acted incredibly by Shum. The scene is also one of the first instances we see Magnus with no make-up or nail polish, or even fancy clothes. By literally baring it all we can see for the first time just how lost Magnus is without magic.

Despite Magnus’ insistence that Alec cannot love this new version of him, Alec vehemently rejects this line of thinking. He tells Magnus:

"Your powers were incredible, but that’s not why I fell in love with you. I fell in love with you because you’re wise and you’re generous. You’re brave. You’re incredible…When you walk into a room there’s a spark in you, magic or not, that lights up everything and everyone around you…I won’t lose you. I can’t."

We often see these grand declarations of love from Alec, and they’re always fantastic, but this one carries quite a bit of weight. Alec has always made it clear that he loves Magnus no matter what, and now he’s making it clear that he needs Magnus as well. This big declaration is clearly the catalyst to Alec wanting to propose and it’s enough to convince Magnus to give up his magic again. When Lorenzo is finished, he not-so-graciously tells Magnus that he’s keeping the loft, but Magnus gestures to Alec, emphasizing that he doesn’t need anything else to be happy.

Other spoilers (including the official episode synopses) indicate that after losing this last shred of magic, Magnus will spiral out of control. Normally a proposal would be a happy occasion, and it still is given what we know about the final episodes. But Magnus’ mental state isn’t in the best place, and marriage is a big step for them to take.

There have been plenty of TV couples who’ve initially rejected proposals only to be engaged later on. Keep in mind that given Alec and Magnus are prone to interruptions during romantic gestures, it’s entirely possible that the proposal will be postponed instead of rejected. Perhaps Magnus is acting in a way that makes Alec want to wait. There’s even the possibility that Magnus will say yes right away, only to be taken by his father Asmodeus, who is going to pop up at any moment now.

While it’s true that TV shows manage to shock their audiences on a regular basis, when you’re a devoted member of fandom, sometimes the surprises lose their full effect after multiple dissected analyses of any and all new content.

A Malec wedding has been long rumored since the filming of the final episodes completed last year, which was fueled even further when executive producer Matt Hastings tweeted about potential wedding songs.

What’s crazy is how little fans knew just how far in advance the showrunners were planning an engagement storyline—and that it was in the works at least a year before the cancellation news hit. So while many fans have expected a Malec wedding by the series end, it was a very pleasant surprise to find out that whole plotline wouldn’t just be relegated to the series finale.

So will Magnus say yes? Or will something go awry during Alec’s special proposal dinner? Let us know your theories 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.