Since I did a post on Magnus, a
write-up on his relationship with Alec was bound to show up sooner or
later. You know a ship is popular when
the show titles an episode with their ship name (in this case, Malec.) While Clary/Jace is the central relationship
on the show, I’d say Magnus/Alec is the most beloved (a few Magnus/Alec-related
spoilers.)
Right off the bad, one of my
favorite things about this pairing is just how quickly the show makes it clear
that it is a potential pairing. Many a fan-favorite slash ship languishes in
queerbait territory for a show’s entire run, and even canon same-sex pairings
have a tendency to remain subtextual for ages
before anything is directly shown or said out loud, if ever. Honestly, watching Alec and Magnus made me
realize just how coy so many shows
can be with their same-sex ships, because they stand out so refreshingly. Even though the two still dance around each
other for the better part of the first season, the question is, “Will they, won’t
they?”, not, “Is there anything to
see here?”
If you know anything about Magnus
Bane, it won’t surprise you to know he’s the most demonstrative from the jump –
he practically says, “Well, hello, sailor,” the first time he sees Alec. Alec, meanwhile, isn’t as forthcoming. However, that’s largely due to 1) his secret unrequited
love for his (straight) best friend and 2) the fact that he’s in the
closet. But even so, it’s still
instantly obvious that he’s into Magnus.
The tightly-controled Alec immediately starts to relax whenever the two
of them are alone together, and I doubt Alec is even fully aware of how much he
turns into a puppy around Magnus.
Like many same-sex pairings before
them, the chief obstacle for Alec and Magnus early on is Alec’s reticence
fueled by his fears. He likes Magnus and
recognizes that what they could have together is what he needs, but he’s afraid
of fully being himself in front of his loved ones. (As it happens, when they do finally make that leap with each
other in front of everyone, it turns out his parents are entirely focused on
Magnus being a Downworlder/warlock and don’t care that he’s a guy.)
Since then, they’d been a pretty
solid couple whose issues largely stem more from supernatural complications
than anything else. “How do I cope with
my boyfriend beng immortal, knowing he has 100s of exes and can never grow old
with me?” “I’m a Shadowhunter/in charge
of our Institute and my boyfriend is the high warlock of Brooklyn. What do I do when our opinions about
Shadowhunter/Downworlder relations clash?”
“One of the greatest villains in our world is claiming to actually be my
boyfriend, having caught the wrong end of a body-swapping spell. Do I believe that it’s really him?” You know, the usual.
Through it all, we see their
enjoyable dynamic together. Magnus and
Alec collaborate more often than they fight; though both can be strong-willed,
they also trust one another’s instincts and make a good team when they work
together. Romantically, Magnus is
patient with Alec’s more tentative/awkward moments, and as Alec becomes more
self-assured in his relationship, his care and devotion is evident. While there are always things that threaten
to get in the way – secrets, insecurities, some new apocalyptic crisis – they’ve
proven themselves to be strong enough together to weather just about anything.
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