If you’ve read Cassandra Clare‘s Shadowhunters Chronicles, Monday’s Shadowhunters TV finale probably confused you a bit.
The finale featured a lot of major moments from the books– Those moments were just given to completely different characters. There are likely a few reasons for this from copyright (the series doesn’t have the rights to all of Clare’s books) to sheer convenience.
Despite the reasons, the finale received mixed reactions because of the storyline mix-up changed characters’ destinies in a big way and because Simon Lewis totally got screwed.
Let’s break it down, shall we? Beware: Book and show spoilers galore!
Imbued with Heavenly Fire
TV show: Isabelle
Books: Jace
In the books, it’s Jace who shares a twinning rune with Jonathan (as a means to get to Clary, among other reasons) and he was imbued with Heavenly Fire when stabbed with Glorious to destroy their connection. Clary creates a rune to extract the Heavenly Fire into another ancient mythical sword and uses that sword to kill Jonathan in Edom. In the show, getting stabbed with Glorious doesn’t affect Clary at all, but it still imbues Isabelle with Heavenly Fire when she’s hit by shrapnel. She uses the Heavenly Fire to survive Edom and destroy Lilith before the gang shares her burden Guardians of the Galaxy style and the remnants burst out of them, destroying all of Edom.
Wedding Festivities
TV Show: Alec and Magnus
Books: Jocelyn and Luke
Don’t get us wrong! Alec and Magnus do get married later in the Shadowhunters Chronicles series (specifically in Queen of Air and Darkness,) but only after they’ve traveled the world an adopted two children– one warlock, one Shadowhunter. But at the end of the TMI books, it’s Luke and the 100% not dead Jocelyn who finally get married. Given that Jocelyn is a goner on the show and everyone loves Malec, this is one of the more reasonable changes.
Affected in the LA Institute attack
TV Show: The Lightwood family
Books: The Blackthorn family
Helen Blackthorn was just the tip of the iceberg for a major character set-up! In the books, she’s one of seven children whose family runs the LA institute. Clare’s TMI follow-up, The Dark Artifices, follows the family. The show doesn’t mention the Blackthorn family even being at the LA Institute. Instead, it’s run by Robert Lightwood, who’s taken Max with him. In the books, Max is long dead and Robert never runs the LA Institute, but the show needed a way to bring them back into the action.
Head of the New York Institute
TV show: Isabelle
Books: Jace and Clary
In what will probably be a shock to the show-only crowd, Alec is a temporary head of the New York Institute for a only a short time in the books. After The Dark War and the defeat of Jonathan, it’s Jace and Clary who run the Institute and train up the next generation of Shadowhunters– as you can infer from that, Clary’s fate is totally different. When Alec gets promoted in the show, it’s Isabelle who takes over the Institute. In the books, Isabelle remains a dedicated Shadowhunter, but she’s never the boss.
The new Inquisitor
TV Show: Alec
Books: Robert
Another caveat: Alec does eventually become the Inquisitor in the books, but several years after the fact, and even then, he’s pretty young for the job. At the end of the TMI storyline, it’s his father Robert Lightwood who takes up the position and does his best to atone for his past sins as a Circle member and generally not great father. In the show, Alec becomes Clave Inquisitor within a couple years of first being appointed as an Institute head while Magnus becomes the High Warlock of Alicante (a position that doesn’t exist in the books,) making them a serious power couple.
Loss of memory of the Shadow World… Sort of
TV Show: Clary
Books: Simon
In a major shocker, the Shadowhunters finale featured Clary losing her memories of the Shadow World completely as a punishment from the Angel Raziel for the use of original, “unnatural” runes– even though both the books and show say this power came from the angels and she used them to save the world BUT I DIGRESS. Upon seeing Jace while he’s glamoured a year later, Clary remembers his name and asks about his runes, giving fans clear hope that she can return to her old life. In the books, it’s Simon who suffers the total memory loss. It’s a willing sacrifice he offers up to Asmodeus to get the gang out of Edom alive. The loss hits everyone hard, especially Clary and Isabelle, but Magnus says that if they can find any proof that Simon has even a vague memory of the Shadow World, he can help the former vampire regain his knowledge. After many sly attempts by the group, Isabelle approaches Simon. While he doesn’t totally recognize her, he hands her a flier promoting a gig for his latest band: The Mortal Instruments.
Downworlder reverting into a Mundane
TV Show: Raphael
Books: Simon
Complete loss of the Shadow World means Simon couldn’t be a vampire anymore in the book series, so when Asmodeus rips away his identity, he becomes a Mundane. In the show, Raphael becomes a Mundane after being injected with Heavenly Fire serum– a product that only exists on-screen. Raphael’s book fate is much darker: He remains a vampire, goes to Edom with the others, and is killed by Jonathan Morgenstern while there.
Former Downworlder turned Shadowhunter
TV Show: Luke
Books: Simon
Did we mention that Simon Lewis got totally screwed in the TV finale?! Again, Heavenly Fire is a show-only design used to turn Luke into a Shadowhunter again. In the books, Luke remains a pillar in the werewolf community and it’s Simon who eventually becomes a Shadowhunter– Mundanes with the sight can do that, after all, and that’s what Asmodeus reverts him back to. There’s even an entire short story collection focused on his training, Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy.
Clary’s Parabatai
TV Show: Isabelle, assuming Clary becomes fully involved in the Shadow World again
Books: Simon
We love Clizzy and women working together, but Simon is the oldest, dearest friend of Clary’s heart. In the show, Clary asks Isabelle to be her parabatai. Assuming she gets her memories back and rejoins the Shadow World, it seems likely to happen. It makes sense, given that Simon is still a vampire. But Book!Simon is eventually a Shadowhunter, Book!Clary never lost her memory, and the two are parabatai.
Which of these many endings works better? Well, you can decide for yourself!
23 Comments
Love the series hope another one is coming (5/6/7 please)
Thanks
Carol
I liked the tv show because it had been years since I read the books – but I recently read them again and I understand why Cassandra Clare made them younger and why certain things had to happen the way they did in the books.
So now I feel short changed with the tv show, I wish they had rights to the books because I think they would have done great with adaption – the actors were amazing and we connected with them really well
So very mixed feelings but tbh I hate when they change the book in tv shows and movies – call it something else if your gonna change everything
i think i have mixed feelings about the a couple of things. I’m torn because of the switches that were made. i love the fact that Alec and Magnus get married but i didn’t like that Jocelyn died and did marry Luke. i also am on the fence that they switched Clary and Simon’s ending. I think we need more to the story and we need another season but, I guess if we have to imagine what happened to Clary is that she became a shadow hunter again. just wish it would have followed the books a bit closer.
If we could see on screen how Clary regains her memory that would be great for us. I keep rewatching old seasons because I’m so attached to this show. Please, another season pleaseeeeeeee
I wish u guys would make a season 5 if shadow hunters I love clary and jayce together I don’t really like the ending of season 4 but it shows how strong there love is so it’s ok I just wish it would of ended white them kissing or hugging but me and all my friends think u should make a season five and it doesn’t have to be put on Netflix it could be on a nother site like 123 movies or videoprime or something like that and u said that ur props are gone I got them in the first place u can find different ones to make season five I love this so much I’ve watched all the seasons 5 times and I’ve read all the books a lot of times I think u should make a season five for all ur fans I really like that u put clary and Jace together but make season five just like the books so Jace and clary have a baby and Izzy and Simon get married u could use todlay difrent props but me and my friends and some of my family want a season five soo bad so plz make one u don’t need to put it on Netflix I love clace
i literally agree, like at the end she could have at least said “runes” when she asked about the tattoos on jaces neck. i also wanted them to kiss or hug. anyway i really hate simon and like why could they not have made him lose his memory? when clary lost her memory it was so devastating but if simon lost his memory no one would care- at least i wouldnt care-. i just wish they made the show more like the books.
i know rightttt
we would have more hope for her memories to return
i agree with you it would be good to have season 5 i love the show but i havent read the books but i realy would like another season i keep on watch them i love them and i cant stop watching them
from lisa
i want more to :(((((((((((((
i want more tooooo..:((((((((((((
u read my mind.. u dont know how much i need season 4 and 5 :((((((((((
I haven’t read all the books yet, but I want to, even more so now, they seem like a much better way to end a series. I was so disappointing in the ending of the series. I’m glad that it ended making you believe that Clary could get her memory back and can return to Jace and her Shadowhunter life but I would have preferred to see it actually happen.
me toooo
I haven’t read all the books yet, but I want to, even more so now, they seem like a much better way to end a series. I was so disappointing in the ending of the series. I’m glad that it ended making you believe that Clary could get her memory back and can return to Jace and her Shadowhunter life but I would have preferred to see it actually happen.
i couldnt agree more…. i want it too :(((((((((((
I wish for another season because in the end Ckary remembers Jace name and ask him about the runes on his neck…..
After that the drama ends but i will be waiting for more …..
EXACTLY… I really want it to happen
i literally agree, like at the end she could have at least said “runes” when she asked about the tattoos on jaces neck. i also wanted them to kiss or hug. anyway i really hate simon and like why could they not have made him lose his memory? when clary lost her memory it was so devastating but if simon lost his memory no one would care- at least i wouldnt care-. i just wish they made the show more like the books.
i kmowww rigghhttt , it would have given us so much more hope for her memories to comeback
We really need another season even if its just one. Us as fans would love to see Clary and her remembering everything, going back to be a shadowhunter and being happy with Jace. Yes we know she remembers but would be nice to see it.
that is the only reason i want shadow hunters back so that everyone will have a happy ending and i also want to see some good sibling bonding with jonathan and clary cuz jonathan has a good heart….. i really wont both of it to bad :((((((((((((((((((((((((
I am a weird person and let me explain why I am saying this, so the thing is that I always like happy endings and I am addicted to shadow hunters and it has a “not so happy ending” and I wished that instead of Clary, Simon could at least lose his memory or like Clary lost her memory but she remembers it all again after seeing Jace and like go to the angel and ask for forgiveness or something like that. The other thing I am crazy about is that Jace Herondale (Dominic Sherwood) is so handsome so I feel like I am attracted to him and I always think about him and wanted to be his like girlfriend and all but like he is 31 years old and I am like 18 years old but people say age doesn’t matter with love right? LOL, anyway, now i am obsessed with Dominic Sherwood and I really want to meet him and be married to him. (sorry for being so weird.)
dude i would support u but i need clary and jace to happen so if u come between them then all the fans will litreally jump of their window so dont ……. lol:)