Shadowhunters – A Problem Of Memory

By: Jessica Wolff

Heartbroken by the kiss between Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara) and Jace Wayland (Dominic Sherwood), Simon Lewis (Alberto Rosende) walks into the bar ignoring a call from Clary.  He asks the Bartender (Brianna Goldie) for a shot of blood and Quinn (Chad Connell) tells Simon that it’s on him.  Quinn remarks that Simon looks pale and reminds him that he’s living the life as a daylighter, but Simon tells him that his heart can be broken day or night.  Quinn asks for two plasma shots and explains that they are stronger than normal blood shots.  They drink their shots and Simon is amazed by how strong it is.  Quinn takes Simon to a feeder den where vampires feed on mundanes who know about vampires and crave vampire venom.  When Simon asks if it’s legal, Quinn tells him that everyone’s having fun and nobody’s getting hurt.  Heidi (Tessa Mossey) comes over and offers her hand, but Simon is worried about losing control and hurting her.  After some convincing, he agrees to have a little and bites into her wrist.

Sebastian Verlac (Will Tudor) irons his hand while his prisoner remains locked in his closet.  Alec Lightwood  (Matthew Daddario) wakes up to find that Magnus Bane (Harry Shum Jr.) is not next to him in bed.  Sitting at his desk, Magnus is haunted by memories his younger self (Cassius Doroja) finding his mother dead.  Alec is worried about his inability to sleep and asks if something is bothering him.  Magnus tells him that everything is fine, but Alec is not convinced.  Magnus refuses his offer to talk about his problems and asks how he’s going to report Luke Garroway’s (Isaiah Mustafa) attempted murder of Valentine Morgenstern (Alan Van Sprang).  Alec isn’t sure what to do, but Magnus assures him that he’ll support him no matter what he decides.

Jace tells Isabelle Lightwood (Emeraude Toubia) about what happened at the seelie court and knows that the kiss meant something.  Isabelle warns him to drop it for both Clary and Simon’s sake.  Alec tells them that the transfer of Valentine to Idris has been approved.  He tells them that he didn’t tell the clave about the assassination attempt, but that moving him would improve relations with the downworld.  Sebastian believes that it’s the right decision and tells Alec that he has leads on who orchestrated the assassination attempt.  Alec puts Isabelle in charge of the transfer and she gives Jace the honor of removing Valentine’s circle rune.  Alec asks Jace if he made the right call and Jace assures him that he did and to trust his instinct.  Clary is unable to reach Simon and Isabelle comes in to ask if she wants to help with Valentine’s transfer.  Clary turns down the mission and explains that she needs to work things out with Simon.  Isabelle sits her down on the bed and recommends that Clary give Simon some time.  Clary insists that Simon needs to know that the kiss meant nothing, but Isabelle tells her that seelie magic is always true and that it’s okay to like more than one person at the same time.

Simon wakes up hung-over and covered in blood, and Clary demands to speak to him.  He invites her in and she tries to apologize and assure him that the kiss didn’t mean anything.  However, Simon isn’t convinced and tells her that he’s bothered that she desires Jace more than him.  Clary tries to deny it, and Simon tells her to not make this any harder than it already is.  Clary tearfully asks what he wants from her, and he tells her to look him the eye and tell him that she doesn’t have feelings for Jace.  She tells him that she loves him, but he says that she doesn’t feel the same way he does.  He tells her that he’s always loved her and that it wouldn’t be a contest for whom he desired most.  He tells her that she can’t deny her feelings for Jace and she tells him that they don’t compare to how she feels about him.  Unconvinced, he declares that pursuing her was a mistake.

Valentine tells Jace that removing his circle rune won’t do anything, as it’s blood that makes people who they are.  He mentions that Jace’s blood is extraordinary and he asks him why he experimented on him and his mother as a baby.  He explains that his mother was scared about losing the baby and came to him for help.  The angel blood injections made him stronger and Jace yells at him for the way that he was brought up.  Valentine warns Jace that his love for Clary will be his downfall before he begins to remove the tattoo.  Simon throws his bloody shirt in the dumpster as Luke pulls up.  He quickly figures out that Simon is hung-over and warns him to be careful with plasma.  Telling him that Clary told him what happened, Luke tells Simon that he’s there for him and declares him the closest thing to a son he has.  Luke tells him that a vampire murdered a girl last night and Simon denies knowing anything about it.  Luke gets a call from Ollie (Alexandra Ordolis) who tells her that she found DNA on the victim linked to Simon.

Isabelle reports to Alec about Valentine and asks if Magnus is prepared for the transfer.  Alec considers using a different warlock, but Isabelle reminds him that they need the best for the job.  Alec tells her that he’s worried about Magnus and Isabelle tells him to not let Magnus push him away.  Sebastian reports that whoever hacked the system left no trace, but he’s found a list of shadowhunters that might want Valentine dead.  Aline Penhallow (Eileen Li) comes in and Alec and Isabelle are thrilled to see her.  She tells them that Sebastian is her cousin and questions why he disappeared.  He apologizes and she confronts him about his yin fen addiction.  Isabelle assures her that he’s clean now and Sebastian apologizes for not contacting her.  Aline remarks that there’s something different about him and Isabelle tells her that he saved her life.  After making dinner plans with Aline, Sebastian goes to his prisoner – the real Sebastian – and demands that he tell him everything about Aline.

Luke tells Clary that Simon is a suspect in the murder, but she is confident of his innocence.  He reminds her that he’s a vampire now and that demon blood changes a person.  Luke tells her that he needs to find Simon before anyone else does and Clary demands to go with him despite Luke’s objections.  Simon goes to Raphael Santiago (David Castro) and tells him of his situation.  He promises to help in exchange for Simon telling him how he became a daylighter.  Simon refuses to give up the truth and rejects his offer.  As Isabelle prepares Valentine’s transport, Aline and Sebastian walk outside the Institute.  Aline is worried about him, but Sebastian uses knowledge of Aline’s secret relationship with a girl to justify hiding himself from the world.  He tells her that his addiction led him to his destiny in New York and asks Aline to check up on his family while he’s needed here.  Meanwhile, the real Sebastian breaks free of his restraints and escapes.

Simon retraces his steps at the crime scene, trying to recall what happened.  He remembers going outside with Heidi and feeding on her wrist and believes that he killed her.  Ollie arrives to arrest Simon and he apologizes for what happened.  Simon doesn’t argue as he is arrested.  Clary tries to find Simon using his jacket and tells Luke that they can’t arrest a vampire.  Luke tells her that they need to find him before the police do and that the alternative is handing him over to the clave.  Clary asks that they protect him and Luke promises that he’s not giving up on Simon.  Ollie asks Simon why he killed the girl and he explains that it was an accident.  Ollie mentions that the victim was bit in the feet and Simon realizes that he didn’t kill the girl since feet gross him out.  He breaks out of his restraints and runs out of the car.

The Building Manager (Brendan Shoreman) tells Sebastian about a possible break-in at his apartment and Sebastian sees that the real Sebastian is gone.  Simon walks into the vampire-feeding bar and confronts Quinn about being the actual murderer.  He admits that it was an accident, but Simon tells him that he will tell everyone the truth.  Quinn makes himself a wooden stake and tells that he can’t let him tell anybody.  He charges at him, but Simon throws him into the bar.  They fight each other with makeshift wooden stakes in their hands.  Clary and Luke arrive at the bar and run into Raphael.  He tells them that Quinn killed the girl and that he is tracking him.  The three of them run into the bar and find the vampires sill fighting.  Simon impales Quinn and then drives a stake through his heart.  Simon sees Clary, Luke and Raphael enter and tells them that he didn’t kill the girl.  Clary assures him that they know and asks if he’s okay.  He says that he’s not and runs away.

Magnus is still haunted by his memories and Alec reminds him that they’re transporting Valentine tonight.  Alec tells him that he loves him and that he can talk to him.  Magnus insists that he’s fine, but Alec reminds him that he once told him not to push him away when things got crazy.  Magnus admits that when he was tortured in Valentine’s body, he was forced to relive his worst memory and he now can’t get it out of his head.  Alec asks him to tell him about it and Magnus details finding his mother after her suicide.  His stepfather blamed him for her death and called him a monster, causing Magnus to lash out and murder him.  Alec reminds him that he was a boy and didn’t have control of his powers, but Magnus admits that he was in control.  He tells Alec that he didn’t want him to see his ugly side and Alec assures him that there is nothing ugly about him before embracing him.

Isabelle says goodbye to Aline as the real Sebastian tries to approach them.  Before he can reach them, the fake Sebastian gets to him and kills him.  Ollie meets Luke in the Jade Wolf and he talks to her about what she saw.  Luke apologizes for what he’s about to do and warns her that the shadow world is a dangerous place.  Raphael comes over and compels her to forget what she saw and tells her that Quinn is the real killer.  Clary finds Simon in her room and he admits that everything’s been hard for him.  He reminds her that they made a promise when they first kissed to not let anything ruin their friendship and that he plans to stick to his word.  He tells her that he can’t imagine a world without her in it, but that he needs time.  She tells him that she’ll be there whenever he’s ready.

Valentine is chained up for transport and Isabelle leads the group to Alec and Magnus.  After Magnus creates a portal, Valentine remarks that he’ll be glad to be somewhere without downworlders.  The group walks through the portal and Duncan (Shannon Kook) puts his hand on Valentine’s shoulder.  The group arrives in Idris, but Valentine never comes through the portal and it closes up.  Duncan and Valentine arrive in room where Sebastian is waiting for them.  Duncan asks Sebastian to let his family go, but Sebastian kills him and tells that he can’t uphold his end of the bargain.  Valentine asks what Sebastian wants from him and Sebastian transforms into a severely burned figure, addressing Valentine as his father.