print versus screen: shadowhunters, season 2a, episodes 1-8

i haven't had time to squeeze in any talk about shadowhunters, something so badly done of me because i continue to be obsessed. i read all the mortal instruments books last year and binge-watched the first season on a whim after i finished reading the novels. and then i binge-watched season 1 again before starting season 2 because i just wanted to watch jace and clary fall for each other all over again.

like i said, i've read the novels. and i'm going to assume that most people watching this show have read the novels. or have read about jace and clary in the novels and know, know that whatever they are to one another, they are not blood relatives. this whole plot point was icky in the novels, but it's even more icky on the screen, especially since jace and clary so clearly want to jump each other's bones whenever they share a scene together. it was like that in the novels too, so the actors are playing this correctly.

the thing is, because i loved these books, i can't really separate the novels from the television show. what i read informs how i feel about the things that happen on the show. even if the path taken is different. because i think that in the end the novels and the show are headed in the same direction. there is so much material here that i don't see how the show would suddenly start making up its own way. cinematically speaking, not all things written will translate well onto the screen, so the differences in plot or setting don't actually bother me. that the timelines of things happening on the show don't follow the exact same timeline from the books is irrelevant. but jace and clary were endgame in the books, and i believe they are endgame on the show, so actually one thing i hope they change is the timline for finding out that they aren't really siblings. this was something that didn't totally work for me in the books, and doesn't work on the show.

if i'm being honest, watching jace grapple with his feelings for clary is torturous. he is so not okay with how he feels. he knows it's wrong to want your sister. but he also fell in love with her. and given that everyone in his life is telling him that he is infected with demon blood, he can't help feeling super awful about himself. and yet, the guy still tries to save the world single-handedly every chance he gets. the way jace is broken apart in the novels and on the television series does make sense dramatically speaking, but i'm also kind of impatient and want to see him stop stressing about being in love with his sister because we all know he is not.

but there is that one scene in city of ashes that takes place in the seelie court that is so good, that i kind of hope is brought to life on the screen. but at the same time i'm ready for the clary and jace are siblings thing to be over. because the first season was a combo of books 1 and 2 and this season seems to combine books 2 and 3, i guess i don't know where they will fit things in. i will say that the subtle production tweaks they've made from season 1 to season 2 of the show have been for the better. the rune tattoos look better in black and the weapons less silly.

obviously, jace and clary are still working for me. even though i know that we need to get through simon and clary before we see anything significant happen for jace and clary. and i know that simon and clary are just getting off the ground, so to speak, and here i am already dying for it to be over. i think part of the issue i have is that i know how much story there is left to go before jace and clary learn they aren't really siblings. though i hear we will meet sebastian this season, so maybe we'll find out sooner rather than later. but there are several pieces of key information regarding jace's identity that have yet to be revealed. the connection to the herondale family still hasn't been made. there were hints of it well before the truth of jace's heritage was finally revealed. obviously i'm obsessed with jace. i can't help it.

as to the other characters, i mean, i'm really just enjoying the show. i love alec and magnus. izzy's plot of being hooked on the ying fen seems to be stolen from the infernal devices series, but i'm willing to give this the benefit of the doubt. izzy was always a character who was somewhat underserved in the novels, so this gives her an additional way to stand out.

i think the challenge of watching a show where you've already read the source material to its conclusion is what feeds my total impatience. like i said, i actually don't care about the differences in timeline or the changes to certain characters stories. i understand that what works on the written page is not always going to work on film. it's more that i hate being privy to information that is important to the plot and that the characters are wholly unaware of. if only there were a way to get jace to jump into the purity pool at the iron sister's, then clary and the rest of the clave would know that there is no truth to the claim that valentine injected him with demon blood, and maybe they'd figure out that jace isn't exactly who valentine says he is.

the second season isn't even at it's halfway mark, and i'm already thinking of binge-watching it again. i could just spend hours watching these characters. i also admit that i have a weakness for the fan videos on youtube. they are like a drug.