Shadowhunters season 3B, episode 18 recap: The Beast Within

Deadly demon attacks keep the Shadowhunters busy, while Alec decides to make a huge sacrifice and Clary continues to battle her inner demons.

It’s Halloween! The one night of the year all Downworlders get to be themselves. What better time for Simon Lewis to fit right in with the crowds? Not that he would have thought about adult trick-or-treating were it not for the sudden arrival of his sister Rebecca (Holly Deveaux). However, the Shadowhunters Jace Wayland, Clary Fairchild, and Isabelle Lightwood, don’t enjoy this holiday quite as much.

The Seelie Queen, at that moment, is plotting to end Jonathan Morgenstern’s life, regardless of the fact that it will kill Clary as well.

The Ties that Bind

Clary has been at the mercy of Lilith’s twinning rune which has bound Clary to her brother Jonathan. After Izzy sent Simon to extract the secret Clave ‘cure’, Heavenly Fire, Izzy has found a way to use the serum to purge demon blood from Jonathan. This will effectively break the rune’s bond. Clary and Jace are so relieved.

Luke Garroway returns to the Institute, finally a free man. Luke tells Clary about the Praetor Lupus pulling some strings to clear his prison records. She’s delighted to have her father by her side as she and Jonathan endure the painful procedure. Despite it all, the rune remains in place. The serum didn’t work. Izzy thinks she has a way to make the formula more potent.

Elsewhere, Maia Roberts and Jordan Kyle have returned to New York after Jordan was healed by the Praetors. Unfortunately, he was also discharged from his duties for failing the Downworlders. While Maia debates her suitability as the new pack alpha, Jordan remains optimistic about his future with dreams of traveling the world. It’s evident his feelings for Maia remain, but has Maia’s love for him rekindled?

Meanwhile, At Maia’s bar, Simon gives Rebecca a brief history of the many Downworlders. As they chat, we find out that Rebecca and her mother are doing well after moving to Florida, but she’s concerned about Simon, especially when Rebecca learns that he has ‘sworn off love’. She worries that he’s isolated, which is understandable.

Maia asks Jordan to stay with her pack and act as her beta – a second-in-command. But he’s still wracked with guilt for turning her into a werewolf several years ago and then abandoning her. Maia has struggled with that abandonment, but now she can see how much Jordan has grown as a person. Jordan is committed to doing good, which will make him a good leader.

Alec and his Sacrifice

Alec Lightwood’s attention is divided – he is concerned for Magnus Bane after his breakdown in the previous episode of Shadowhunters, and decides to cheer up his partner by suggesting Magnus helps Alec’s mother Maryse decorate her new shop. Alec promises to join them after his clandestine meeting.

Despite Maryse and Magnus’ tenuous relationship in the past, both have mellowed and become quite comfortable with each other. Maryse tells Magnus about her relationship with Luke Garroway (who she affectionately calls Lucien), asking Magnus to keep it under wraps till they’ve figured out their relationship. Maryse accepts Magnus as part of the family and consoles him in his time of need.

So, who is Alec meeting? Another Warlock, of course. Vera can help him contact Asmodeus (Jack Yang), Magnus’ father and the person Magnus willingly gave his magic to in order to save Jace’s life during the first half of this season.

Asmodeus is dismissive of Alec and Magnus’ relationship, and uses Alec’s desperation to his advantage. To restore Magnus’ powers, Asmodeus demands Alec break Magnus’ heart by ending their relationship. Talk about classic romantic strife!

Izzy is so attuned to her brother’s moods; she immediately detects that something is wrong with him. Alec confides in her about Asmodeus’ edict and his decision to go through with the break up. Alec feels like he owes Magnus since the Warlock gave up his magic to save Alec’s parabatai. Now, it’s Alec’s turn.

"“I’m not the first person he’s loved, and I won’t be the last.’"

Demons on the Loose

Jace and Clary inform Alec, Head of the New York Shadowhunters Institute, that they came across a sewer-dwelling demon on their hunt. When further reports of Drevak demon attacks surface, Alec, Jace, Izzy and Clary investigate. Clary is briefly taken over by the twinning rune, and has to be brought back from the darkness by Jace.

When Rebecca steps outside the bar to call her mother, she is attacked by a Drevak demon, who is swiftly destroyed by Izzy. The moment Simon and Izzy lock eyes on each other their latent feelings become apparent – especially to Rebecca. She orders Simon to join Izzy on her examination of mysterious demon orbs and at least give their romance a shot.

The Drevak are like bees – kill the queen and the rest die. Jace and Clary locate a nest and are immediately attacked by a demon. Clary is knocked into a wall and in her unconscious state, succumbs to the twinning rune’s powers. Jace and Alec despatch the demons and Clary reappears, pretending to be herself.

Izzy’s investigation on demon orbs connected to the Drevak attacks uncovers a Seelie fingerprint. As she puts in a request to interrogate the Seelie, the Institute is breached. Lanaia (Kyana Teresa) who served Jonathan up until his capture, has been doing her Seelie Queen’s bidding. She prepares to kill Jonathan, only for Clary to portal into his cell and kill Lanaia. Clary won’t let anyone hurt her big brother. This is bad news for the Shadowhunters.

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Alec goes ahead with the break up, stoically avoiding Magnus’ apologies and pleas to stay with him. Unknown to Alec, Asmodeus commands Vera to open a doorway, allowing him to enter the world because his son ‘needs’ him.

The romantic intrigue is surprisingly compelling on Shadowhunters, but Maia and Jordan rekindling their romance would be problematic. Maia has struggled too long with Jordan’s negligence for it to be brushed aside for the sake of a happy ending. Additionally, Simon and Izzy’s romance, though a fan-favourite, again feeds into the Hollywood machine that the only way to find true happiness is through romance. Let’s see where the show takes these relationships in the final few episodes.