Shadowhunters - 'Malec'

"Can we hurry this up? I have a lounge singing gig."

Okay, this episode is seriously called 'Malec', which is not the name of a place, character or event in the episode, it's the name of the Magnus/Alec ship. I appreciate the openness.

This is the wedding episode. Alec and Lydia prepare for their nuptials, while Magnus makes one final play and then helps Clary and Jace to track down the warlock who created Jocelyn's sleep spell.

Jace and Clary are dealing with the fallout of Valentine's bombshell, Jace in particular very badly; perhaps because he is also trying to work out what's up with his much abused parabatai bond to Alec. Ultimately, Isabelle tricks them into talking as the core of Alec's bachelor party and they clear the air considerably. Clary then shows Jace her mother's box of memories of the on she believed dead, convincing him that he was never abandoned.

Simon is still needlessly gleeful about the whole thing. I really don't like him at the moment.

The wedding is officiated by one of the Silent Brothers. If I ever get married, I want an immense celebrant with a booming psychic voice. Round about vow time, Magnus shows up and - as Simon puts it, apparently just in case the audience missed what the writers were trying for - everything goes a bit The Graduate. Lydia is super cool about the whole thing, and even Papa Lightwood is pretty understanding, although Mama is a little bit 'I have no son!'

Lydia opts to head back to Idris with the Cup, but gets coshed on the head by Hodge, who is - dun dun dun! - in league with Valentine (which might be a shocker if you don't know the source material.)

I want to give a reasoned critique here, but I'm still stuck on that 'Malec' thing. I think it pretty much obviates 90% of criticism outright to rock that sort of self-awareness without ever winking at the camera.