Shadowhunters - 'The Descent into Hell Isn't Easy'

"So... are we in the Matrix?"

Faced with the choice of Jace and the Institute or finding Luke with Simon, Clary takes the third option: Institute, but insisting that Simon comes with her, despite the presence of lethal, potentially mundane-killing runes. Inside, only Isabelle and Alec even seem to register Simon's presence, and he stays with the former while Jace takes Clary to quiz weaponmaster and former Circle member Hodge, who reveals that - dun dundun! - Jocelyn Fray was part of the Circle back in the day. It later turns out that so was Jace's dad, although he died trying to get out.

Clary realises that Dot was a warlock and might be able to unlock her memory, but then has a sudden vision of Dot in trouble at the nightclub Pandemonium. Sure enough Dot, who did not die last episode, runs to Magnus Bane - which is only an awesome name if he didn't choose it himself - only to find him and the other warlocks in the city bugging out as Valentine is looking for someone to un-coma Jocelyn. Dot refuses to leave and is scrobbled by the Circle moments before the gang arrive in Simon's van. With no other options, Jace takes Clary into the City of Bones, the catacomb home of the Silent Brothers, who can cut memories free with their Soul Sword.

Luke gets into a fight with one of the Circle members he was talking to before, displays some funky superspeed, and then kills her in an unseen flurry of growling when she pulls a shiv on him. I think we're not supposed to realise he's a werewolf yet, although he appears to be working with a conspiracy of other cops who all know something about Jocelyn. Are all cops werewolves? Are all werewolves cops?

In Chernobyl, Dot refuses to talk, shanks a Shadowhunter in an escape attempt and then is, maybe, killed by Valentine, although she's been beating the odds so far.

"I love what you've done with the place."

The creepy Silent Brothers release just enough memory to tell Clary that her father was Valentine (a secret Jocelyn was so desperate to keep that she discussed it openly with Luke in front of Clary, then had her mind wiped, instead of - you know - not saying it) and then the Soul Sword... I don't know; runs out of charge or something. They return to the surface and find that Isabelle and Alec have between them proven utterly incapable of preventing Simon being scrobbled by vampires, who intend to swap him for the Mortal Cup (which makes Shadowhunters and controls demons.)

The show continues it's process of hot actionification. Not only is Luke a seriously badass cop rather than an unexpectedly badass bookseller, and Dot a hot witch instead of an elderly mundane tarot reader, now Hodge is a wiry swordmaster with a serious six pack, rather than a grizzled, bookish type. By extension, Jace really ought to be a white-hot vortex of inexpressible sexiness, visible only indirectly for fear of blinding. Sadly, he is actually pretty much the blandest thing on the menu.

One of the areas in which Shadowhunters suffers by comparison to the books or even the film is its complete failure - so far at least - to convey the supposedly colossal chemistry between Clary and Jace. It's supposed to be a big part of what draws her fully into the Shadowhunter world, but here it's an informed attribute only. Isabelle tells us it's obvious Clary is into Jace, but it isn't. As a side note, the introduction of pining friend who isn't in this episode means that 'nerd hot' Simon is clearly the natural chick magnet in this adaptation, while Jace is more like everyone's brother.