In SHADOWHUNTERS’ “A Heart of Darkness”, the plan to rescue both Jace and Clary is not as easy as the group hoped it would be. 

We recap the 8th Shadowhunters episode of the season, “A Heart of Darkness,” and we get to see how much each of the team are connected to each other, in more ways than one. Warning: *mass spoilers*

Lilith

Coming straight off the ending of the last episode, Luke (Isaiah Mustafa) and Simon (Alberto Rosende) are still at the location of where Lilith (Anna Hopkins) and Ollie (Alexandra Ordolis) are hiding, but Lilith transports Ollie, Jonathan’s casket, and herself to the top of a high-rise building before Luke and Simon are able to reach them.

From there, Lilith sends a team out to find out what happened to her Owl, aka Jace , while she makes plans to visit the Seelie Queen (Lola Flanery).

In the Seelie realm, we see the aftermath of Lilith’s arrival, dead faeries all over the ground, except for the still alive Seelie Queen. Lilith demands that Simon’s Mark be removed, but the Seelie Queen refuses to do so and warns Lilith that she would never find her Owl if the Seelie Queen is dead, saving herself from Lilith’s wrath.

Maryse and Luke

Maryse Lightwood (Nicola Correia-Damude) shows up at the Jade Wolf, upon Luke’s request. He doesn’t tell her about Jace’s possession and only that Clary is being held there and needs help in contacting someone in Idris to negotiate Clary’s release. Oddly enough, Maryse recommends Robert’s mistress, Anna Marie Highsmith, as a point of contact in Idris. Their time is short, but curiously intimate before Luke leaves to take a call from work.

Later, when Maryse goes to Luke’s office with intel that Clary’s going to be on trial, he plans on going to the Brocelind Forest in Idris, to talk to the werewolves there, even though Maryse considers them feral and unwilling to cooperate, but Luke is determined.

Clary

In Idris, Clary (Katherine McNamara) is put through questioning by Consul Jia Penhallow (Françoise Yip). Clary is ordered to put her hands on the Mortal Sword as it forces the person to speak the truth.

Under the Mortal Sword, Clary confesses her knowledge of Jace’s possession by Lilith, after already letting Penhallow know that it was Jace digging up Valentine’s body in the cemetery. Though she wasn’t there when it happened, Clary does think that Jace killed Imogen.

Through several more questions, Clary finally admits that she used Raziel’s wish offer to bring Jace back from death. Penhallow is angry, stating that Raziel offered that one wish for all Shadowhunters, and the plan was to use it as a means to destroy all demons if the time arose. At this knowledge, Clary is appalled and considers it a curse due to its power to destroy not just demons but all creatures imbued with demon blood. She proudly confesses that she’s glad the wish is gone now.

When Clary and Jia Penhallow are left alone in her cell after the trial, Penhallow sentences her to death.

Simon, Jordan, and Maia

Simon enlists Maia’s (Alisha Wainwright) help to search for Lilith, but before they leave the Hunter’s Moon, Jordan (Chai Hansen) shows up. Though Simon doesn’t want him around, Maia tells him that she had Jordan stay to help Simon, and even enlists him to join them in their search.

The three of them have the most awkward, kinda funny, drive through the city, but Jordan seems to be striving to hard to please Maia.

When they arrive at Lilith’s old hidden lair, they find the sacrificial altar in which all the victims’ blood was poured. They open the top part of the altar and find enochian symbols, which leads Jordan to it being used for a demonic resurrection.

When Simon goes outside to send the images of the symbols to Luke, Maia takes the opportunity to talk to Jordan about his persistence in being overly nice to her. He again tries to apologize for what he did and why he joined the Praetor. But Maia is near tears and yells at him for not allowing her to hate him, which Simon is witness to at this point. Maia’s anger causes her to start turning, but Simon is able to stop the change before it happens. Of course, now she just wants to be left alone and leaves them both there.

Later that night, we see Maia locking up the Hunter’s Moon, and with packed bags in hand, ready to leave for wherever. Simon finds her there, where Maia explains that she needs time away, so he let’s her go, giving her one last hug.

Alec, Isabelle, and Jace

Jace (Dominic Sherwood) is still stuck in the Malachi configuration at Magnus’ (Harry Shum, Jr.) apartment, with Alec (Matthew Daddario), Izzy (Emeraude Toubia), and Magnus there. Luke and Simon arrive, and Jace tries to get under the skin of everyone with his insulting words. They form plans to help Clary get out of Idris and get Jace back to himself again – unpossessed.

Magnus warns Alec about their plan to get through to the real Jace in his mind, which means using Alec, his strongest connection, as a way to do it, but it’s dangerous. Magnus is afraid Lilith could get to Alec as well, so Magnus suggests Izzy to join Alec. Of course, being the big brother, he’s hesitant, but allows it. It’s also hard to deny Isabelle anything when she’s insistent.

When Magnus tries to get Alec and Izzy connected into Jace’s mind, Jace knocks himself out to prevent it. Izzy has Magnus portal her to the Institute to use chains that Valentine used to hold Ithuriel on Jace. When Magnus attempts the mind-meldy thing the second time, he’s successful, bringing both Alec and Izzy into Jace’s mind.

Alec and Izzy watch a flashback of them training as kids, a happier time, but then both young Izzy and young Alec (Leonidas Castrounis) disappear, prompting young Jace (Tomaso Sanelli) to get upset and run. When Alec and Izzy try to find him again, Izzy disappears from Alec’s side.

We find Izzy looking for Alec and sees the young Jace playing the piano. He sees Izzy, but doesn’t recognize her. When she is able to convince him that she is Izzy and not Lilith, young Jace has her follow him.

Alec finds a room filled with dead Clarys, and Jace mourning over one of them, having apparently been forced to repeatedly kill Clary over and over again in his mind. Alec has to convince him that he’s the real Alec and they hug, causing all the dead bodies to disappear. Izzy arrives with the younger Jace, reuniting the three.

Magnus is losing the connection between the three, but when Alec tells them it’s time to go, Jace is scared that Lilith will find him again. He begs for them to kill him, first Alec, then Izzy. Of course they don’t, but Jace is still hesitant, asking them to promise him that they will not to let her take him. But when they come back, Lilith arrives, easily taking overpowering them, and taking Jace back, just as he feared she would.

Review:

Gah! They had Jace in their grasp, and yet, Lilith still found a way to get him back. Oh, the poor, troubled soul of Jace Herondale. How much more can he take? Yet, I found the ending more fitted for a series such as this, with the fans longing for a happy ending. It’s not going to come soon or easily. This show loves to torture its characters, and with it, its viewers. Not to say that we enjoy it to see our characters tortured, but we love coming back for more drama, humor, and action.

Not only that, but Jordan’s presence continues to have an effect on Simon and Maia, which we also love. Alisha Wainwright gives a worthy performance of a girl trying to keep control of her life even when the ones she love are causing her pain of the emotional sort.

With Clary and Jace still in the same predicament as they were before, or maybe worse, here’s hoping to see more surprises for next week’s episode, “Familia Ante Omina.”