My goodness, there was so much to love in the latestinstallment of Freeform’s hit supernatural drama Shadowhunters! The show’s fifth episode, titled “Moo Shu to Go,” features our favorite red-headedShadowhunterreturning to her childhood home after she recalls another memory that could be a clue as to the location of her mother and the Mortal Cup. In the process, she butts heads with just about everyone, including Maryse Lightwood, Isabelle and Alec’s domineering mother. She also drops some pretty impressive truth-bombs on Alec, who is in denial regarding his feelings toward Jace.Nevertheless,when Clary tells Alec about a mysterious box thather mother kept hidden, the two of them team up with Clary’s best friend Simon in order toretrieve it.What follows is an episode punctuated byheartfelt reunions, shaky new alliances and the introduction of an intriguing new race of Downworlders: the werewolves.
As a whole,there werea plethora of stand-out moments and scenes, making selecting certain ones extremely difficult. However, I’ve tried my best to highlight the ones that made this episode truly exceptional. Here are the top five moments from Shadowhunters episode five, “Moo Shu to Go.”
Jace Shows Off His Shadowhunter Moves (And Maryse Makes Her Grand Entrance)
Most of you know that I’m a huge fan of Dominic Sherwood as Jace (and not just because he’s pleasing on the eyes). In this scene, we get to see Jace in action like we’ve never seen him before.By filming it in a slow motion style,the directoremphasized the discipline and concentration that goes into training. More than that, however, this scene served as a preamble to one of the most telling moments of the entire episode: Maryse Lightwood, played by the amazing Nicola Correia Damude,hugging Jace after Isabelle told Clary that her mother wasn’t the hugging kind. This spoke volumes about the state of Isabelle’s relationship with her mother compared to Alec and Jace’s relationship with her. In addition, this scene showcased who Maryse is as a character. She’s stern, abrupt and authoritative, just as she should be, and Nicola portrayed her perfectly.
Alec and JaceHave a Heart-to-Heart (And Exchange “I Love Yous”)
This scene was touching and beautiful and everything thatI had hoped for but never thought would happen. I love the relationship between Alec and Jace; it’s so nuanced that it’s practically a shipping goldmine. At the same time, it’s bittersweet, because I know that while Jace loves Alec, he isn’t in love with Alec. This scene really emphasized that fact.Even thoughJacedeclaring that he loves Alec as a brother was satisfying (because who doesn’t love a scene in which two guys share their emotions and feelings), I couldn’t help but feel bad for Alec, whose affection for Jace was obviously a lot deeper.
Alec and Clary Duke It Out (And Alec Gets An Interesting Phone Call)
Alec and Clary have issues, and all those issues come down to Jace. Alecis jealous that Jace is showing a romantic interest in Clary, and Clary is jealous of the parabatai bond, which ultimately leads to a lot of pent-up tension and resentment between the two.Therefore, when Alecwas assigned to protect Clary in this episode, I feared for the worst–and was pleasantly surprised. Instead of trying to kill each other, Alec and Clarybecame reluctant allies and even started to work out their issues. In this scene, in particular, Clary and Alec train together, and Clary does the best that she can to push every one of Alec’s buttons.However, Alec keeps his cool and even ends up going along with her plan to find that box. It’s the first time that we get to see any prolonged interaction between the two, and although I wouldn’t call them friends yet, I think they are in a better place now than they were before.
Of course, the cherry on top of this scene was that delightful Malec phone call. Magnus calls toask Alec out for a drink, and Alec is so bashful and cute.Seriously, if I wasn’t shipping Malec before, I certainly would be now!
Super-Simon Breaks Free (And Calls Jace For Help)
Is Simon becoming a vampire? I think it’s fair to say that he is. In the previous episode, we saw a Simon that was belligerent and blood-thirsty; inthis one, we saw a Simon whose super-strength was off the charts. And that wasa good thing, too, because Clary needed all the help that she could get after her expedition back home led to her getting kidnapped by werewolves. In this scene, the wolves use Simon as leverage to secure Clary’s cooperation, chaining him upside down and handcuffing himin a locker room for good measure. Unbeknownst to them, however,chains can’t keep Simon down; he breaks free of thehandcuffs, lowers himself to the ground and puts in a franticcall to Jace for help.
What I loved the most about this scene was that despite his changes, Simonwas still Simon.Even in his panic, he managed to be thedorky Simon that we’ve grown to love, and thatalone gave me hope for his character’s future.
Clary and the Others Square Off Against a Pack of Werewolves (And Luke Takes on the Alpha)
I was so happy that Clary and Luke were reunited in this episode! It was long overdue, but the emotional payoff for waiting was worth it. Luke and Clary have such a unique bond, and Isaiah Mustafa and Kat McNamara did an excellent job of capturing that in this episode. One of their most poignant scenes was the one in which Luke takes on the Alpha of the werewolf pack in order to save Clary and the others. He emerges victorious and stays conscious long enough to tell Clary that he swore to protect her before passing out. Clary and the others rush to get him to Magnus, and Clary begs him not to leave her again. It was the perfect way to end the episode and to jumpstart the next one.
Honorable Mentions
Clary Confronts Alec about His Feelings (And Alec Resorts to Middle-School Defense Tactics)
Oh, Alec…denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, you know? Alec has such a hard time coming to terms with his feelings for Jacein this episode, so I was glad that Clary gave him a reality check.I was also ecstatic that Clary treated it so matter-of-factly instead of making it sound scandalous. “What’s the big deal?” Clary tellshim.“I was there when that memory came out. Just say it; you’ll feel better. You’re in love with Jace.” Instead of admitting it, however, Alec turns the tables on her, pointing out that she’s in love with Jace–which she is, but that wasn’t the point, was it, Alec? I hope that Alec is straightforward about his feelings in the future, for his sake; that’s the only way that he’ll be able to move on.
Isabelle and Jace Pay a Visit to the Seelies (And Question Meliorn)
With everything that was going on in this episode, I was thankful that we got a chance to visit the Faerie realm and see Meliorn again since he’s one of my favorite characters. I especially loved watching him evade all of Isabelle’s questions while still maintaining that air of flirtatiousness between them. In all honestly, Jade Hassoune and Emeraude Toubia have amazing chemistry together, and it would be a shame for the show to waste it. Here’s hoping for more Meliorn and Isabelle scenes in the future!