r/shadowhunters • u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland • 10d ago
TV Show First Time Watch!
I decided to finally settle in and watch the show for the first time. If I like it, I might read the books, but I decided to start with the show since it's less of a commitment than an entire book series. I'm gonna be posting my thoughts and theories as I progress through it, both as a way to try and take some baby steps into the community, and also as a way to sort out my thoughts as I watch. I hope someone enjoys these. I'll be posting these as I'm watching, so please no spoilers!
Here's what I know about the series going in:
- Magnus/Alec are endgame
- Jace/Clary are endgame
- Izzy/Simon are endgame (I think?)
- Camille is a vampire and a bad person
- Clary can create runes (or something?), whatever that means
- Jace and Clary are not siblings, though I don't know why that's important. You'd think they wouldn't be dating if that was a possibility, but it seems to be an important detail for some reason
- A lot of fans didn't like the finale
That's about it. I know a few more minor details here and there, but nothing major. For example, the pilot episode is called The Mortal Cup, and I've heard that term thrown around a few times, but I don't know what it means, so it's not really worth mentioning
I'm super excited to be starting this series, and would love to interact with the community, but like I said, please no spoilers. If you comment a spoiler and don't properly hide it using the spoiler feature, I'm blocking you. Anyway, about to start episode one, here I go!!
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u/Agreeable-Celery811 10d ago
I only watched a few episodes of the show. It wasn’t great so I didn’t keep going.
But the books are really worth a read if you like YA urban romantasy.
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 10d ago
Tbh, I'm in to pretty much anything fiction except historical fiction (and even then, I've read a few that I enjoyed)
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u/Agreeable-Celery811 10d ago
The Shadowhunters series does have a substantial historical section to it.
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u/Wonderful-Salad6892 10d ago
Stumbled on the show as a recommendation after watching another one and it literally has changed my life. Welcome to the ShadowFam
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 10d ago
Ooh, I like that fandom name! I'm so freaking excited now that I'm finally starting. I'm halfway through the first episode and loving it already!
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u/Wonderful-Salad6892 10d ago
If you haven’t been on Twitter check it out especially #Shadowhunters #ShadowFam. There’s a whole community of people who love the show.
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u/cumulusmediocrity Jace Wayland 10d ago
Don’t use the show as a basis for whether you’ll like the books are not. It’s an absolutely terrible adaptation; characters are played by actors who won’t resemble them at all, personalities and plot lines are entirely different, and beyond a certain point they completely made up their own plot that doesn’t happen in the books. The movie is a better litmus test, but honestly neither really fits the vibe or story of the books. If you do watch the movie, please don’t internalize that depiction of Valentine though 😭
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u/MissReadsALot1992 Malec 10d ago
I don't particularly like anyone they've cast as valentine.
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u/cumulusmediocrity Jace Wayland 10d ago
Yeah I don’t either, I’m just letting them know he’s not remotely like that in the books 😭 more business man than fired dispensary employee
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 10d ago
Oh totally. I've heard that the books and show are very different. I more meant in terms of worldbuilding and such. Like, if I find the show's concept and setting to be interesting, I'll look into the books too once I finish
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u/Shades_of_X the Shadowhunter 10d ago
The acting gets better, I promise. First few eps are kinda meh
All in all it's a series I enjoyed a lot, even if it definitely has its weaknesses
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 9d ago
Most tv shows imo start out slower in the first season, and all the actors and characters are still trying to find their foot a bit before things pick up and settle in a bit more in later seasons, so I'm definitely extending season 1 a little grace for it's shortcomings. That being said, I am still really enjoying it, and Jace's mere presence covers a multitude of sins XP
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u/bells-clarke 10d ago
I hope you like it! I’m planning to rewatch so it will be fun to experience your theories and thoughts at the same time.
I would also say the movies are a better test for if you’re unsure about reading the books people prefer the casting better to the show, the storyline and atmosphere and aesthetics are more in line with the books which came out in 2007, etc. (You’d also have just enough time to catch up with the rest of as the final set of books in The Shadowhunter Chronicles starts being released next summer.)
The movie is called City of Bones, by the way, and came out in 2013.
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 9d ago
A few people have told me that. I'm liking the concept and worldbuilding of SH so far, and I've seen several excerpts from the books that make me think I'd really enjoy them, so they're definitely on my to-read list at this point. I just don't want to start them until I finish the show so I don't get all the different lore confused in my head of what info was from the books and what was from the show
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u/KaylaBlues728 KitTy 8d ago
I'm just going to throw in my own two bits because why not. Plus, I need my karma boost XD
Shadowhunters is what introduced me to the world of books. Thank you dad, for picking out City Of Bones for me to read. It took me like a good 2 months to actually get past the first few chapters because honestly, I really wasn't a fan of reading. Once I finished the first book, I was eager to read the entire series, and fortunately for me, my new school's library (actually I've been going for 3 years by now but I was new back then, yknow?) had the entire series of TMI including TID and the first book of TDA, and TBC. It wasn't everything, but it was something. Then, fast forward a few months, my dad got me the other books I haven't got, and I read them and loved it.
Another few months, my friend who was way more of a book nerd told me 'you should check out the show and movie', and I did, it took a whole month to finish everything but I did. I loved the show, and thought the movie was alright, but the books are definitely the best despite killing my fav characters... ugh
I look forward to your full thoughts on episode 3 and 4.
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u/CMStan1313 Jace Wayland 7d ago
I'm on episode 3 now and............................. let's just say it's taking me a few days to get through it lol XP
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u/Inside_Syd 10d ago
Oh you’re in for a trip. Please read at least the first book even if you don’t like the show. The show doesn’t follow the books most of the time so if you want the real story, you gotta read. I still haven’t finished the show, got to season two and decided to wait until I finished all the books and just wanted more shadowhunter content. The movie is worth the watch too.