There’s been magic around Shadowhunters since it made its debut last season, and as the second half of season two has kicked off on Freeform, it seems like a perfect time to have actress Katherine McNamara take us back for an episode-by-episode look at year one.

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At the start of the series, Clary Fray discovers on her 18th birthday that she is not who she thinks she is. She is, in fact, the latest in the line of “Shadowhunters,” human-angel hybrids whose purpose is to hunt down demons.

When her mother is kidnapped, Clary becomes immersed in this world of demon hunting, relying on Shadowhunters Jace, Isabelle and Alec, who are there to help guide her on the journey to her true destiny. Along with her best friend Simon, Clary finds a new life among vampires, faeries, werewolves and warlocks as she tries to find her mother. But what quickly becomes obvious is that nothing is as it seems, including the mysterious Magnus Bane, a warlock who might hold the key to unlocking Clary’s past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp5iLE2JvvM

In explaining how she became involved with the show, Katherine says that she was looking for a role that she could grow in to, and Clary provided that.

shadowhunters - katherine mcnamara

“One of the things I loved about working on Broadway was working with a cast of people mostly the same age for such a long period of time, playing the same character, really getting to know these people and having a home or family at work,” she notes.

“That’s something that’s so rare in this industry, because people are moving, constantly doing different things and recycling coworkers. It’s nice to step back and have a home for a little bit and to really dig in deep with the same people and the same story; to dig into the nooks and crannies of the story and the character to see where it takes you. TV is such a fun medium, and it keeps you on your toes. There’s no room for breaking, no room to stop and rest. It really makes you work hard, and that’s something I thrive on.”

Glad to hear it, because we’re about to give Katherine’s memory a serious workout.

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