Thursday Thinks: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

As I'm sure most of you know, Cassandra Clare's beloved Mortal Instruments series was rebooted as a television show for Freeform (Formerly known as ABCfamily) and the pilot episode aired this past Tuesday night.

There were a lot of mixed feelings about the fandom for this reboot- most of them positive, but there were some (like me, if I'm being honest) who didn't want to see the series have the possibility of becoming one of THOSE shows. You know the ones. The cliche teen shows that start out with a halfway decent season, and then either never get renewed, or get renewed infinitely, until the show no longer has an allure. Until it becomes something that no one wants to hear about.

I have to say, I've been pessimistic about this tv-show-morph since we first found out about it. I loved this series with all of my heart, and we already watched it adapt into a movie, which didn't do so well. I know a lot of people love the TMI movie, but I am not one of those people. It feels too much like what they did with the Percy Jackson adaptation-- not enough of the plot followed, details missed and overlooked, the actors were nearly all too old, the acting was... iffy, and then with the ending that completely skipped over a majorly important part of the books-- I do own the movie, and I don't mind watching it, but it will always be one of those movies where I point out the book-to-movie flaws every time I catch them.

But then we got a cast. And I like this cast a lot more than our movie cast.

And then I started to see videos, interviews, etc. with them, and I could see how they meshed.

The thing that really sent me sliding over to the positive side was the special Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters, where I was able to get an inside look at parts of the series, how the actors thought in terms of the Shadow world, their characters, and the inter-character relationships that are oh so evident throughout the series. Of course, getting to see clips from the show helped, and I looked at January 12 as a day to be excited for.

So I waited, and the day finally came.

I have to say, I was extremely nervous watching the episode. I knew it wasn't gong to follow the book directly, so I tried to keep an open mind, but this series being as dear to me as it is, I was practically biting my nails the entire time.

When the episode ended, though...

I didn't hate it.

I didn't love it. But I did not hate it.

Yes, there were differences. The plot is not the same as it is in the books, the characters are a bit less like they were at this point in the book (Jace less sassy, Izzy more pleasant, and Alec less possessive). And yes, it's a bit cheesy corny, but it was fresh, and definitely Shadowhunter-y, and I enjoyed it. I think this pilot pulled us out of the shadow of our movie and really gave us a fighting chance at showing the non-reading world what the Shadowhunters are about.

I have the second episode right here, on standby, so as soon as I publish this post, I can hit play. Because I do want more. I want this series to be everything we need and want it to be. Everything we deserve as patient and forgiving and loving fans. 

So if you've been waiting, unsure whether or not you should watch, I say give it a shot. It wasn't perfect, but it is definitely something that (At this point in the show) I approve of. Things may change, but as of the first episode, I think I can call myself a fan.

Also, it's Steph PSA time.

If you watched Shadowhunters and DID NOT like it. Please, I beg of you, don't send any hate to Cassie. She doesn't have as much control over this as you think she does. ABC has the rights to her series, they can adapt it however they please, and you are allowed to have your opinion but you should not punish someone for things that they cannot control. Be kind. Think before you type. And remember, this series is her baby, too.

Did you watch? What did you think?

Happily,

Stephanie