Have you heard the saying, “It’s an oldie but a goodie?” Well, this definitely applies to Shadowhunters! Based on The Mortal Instruments book series, Shadowhunters delves into the sci-fi, mystery, and fictional world of demons, vampires, warlocks, werewolves, Seelies (a special breed of magical creatures who control nature), and of course, Shadowhunters. For those who are unfamiliar with Shadowhunters, they hunt rogue demons who terrorize mundanes (humans) and ensure that the mundane world is forever protected. There is a constant battle between the good (Shadowhunters and Seelies) versus evil (vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and demons themselves).
Shadowhunters follows the adventures of Izzy (Isabelle), Alec (Alexander), Jace, and Clary, all who become close friends over the course of a few years. Alec and Izzy are siblings, with Clary and Jace being honorary siblings. The show begins with Clary first seeing Jace outside a club called PanDEMONium, but here comes the kicker – no one else except for Clary sees him! Everyone thinks she’s going insane … until she actually bumps into him in the club, mortified that he is fighting off a demon. As Clary meets Alec, Izzy, and Jace, they realize she must be a shadowhunter if she can see them. Because Shadowhunters are able to glamour themselves (not being visible to the outside world), only another Shadowhunter can see them. Thus begins the tight friendship between our four main characters.
Throughout the show, we watch the relationships of each of these characters grow and eventually they become a group of best friends who have each other’s backs. We see them trust and work together to kill demons while making other friends in the Shadow World. We also meet Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, as well as Clary’s best friend, Simon. Simon doesn’t have angelic or demon blood (more to come on his story when you watch the show – no spoilers here !!), but Jace (who Clary quickly develops a special bond with) allows Clary to tell Simon about the Shadow World. Simon thinks Clary is insane until she actually shows him the Shadowhunter’s home base inside an old abandoned church, where all New York Shadowhunters convene to get their demon-hunting assignments.
As the show progresses, we see Clary trying to fight off her past life while trying to adjust to her new one. The first season mainly focuses on Clary trying to find her mother, which is really how this entire show begins – with Clary’s mother getting kidnapped by her evil father. As Clary fights to get her mother back, she not only learns more about the Shadow World, but also about herself (why she never remembers anything about the Shadow World in her 18 years, why her mother – at first – seems randomly kidnapped by her father, and more). In the show, Runes are common markings on Shadowhunters’ bodies – each “tattoo” has a different purpose, whether for protection, healing, stamina, or a spell to help the unique situations they find themselves in. These Runes come into play throughout each episode to help the Shadowhunters protect themselves and other victims of the demons.
Truthfully, this show could have gone on for at least 10 seasons (in my opinion!), but due to financial purposes, it was sadly cancelled after 3 seasons. However, despite the limited number of episodes, I can wholeheartedly say that it is one of the most exciting and action-packed shows I’ve seen in a while. So if you like fun, mystical, and well-choreographed fight scenes, what are you waiting for?? This is the show to watch!
