HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'Shadowhunters' season 3 episode 17 finally shows us Helen Blackthorn, but who is she really?

While fans strictly of the show might not know what's so special about Helen, book fans will know how important and crucial she is to the plot

This article contains spoilers for 'Shadowhunters' episode 17 'Heavenly Fire.'

This week's 'Shadowhunters' episode, 'Heavenly Fire', which was season 3's episode 17 really went all the way for the titular mission that Simon Lewis and Izzy Lightwood embark upon to dig deeper into the Clave's mysterious murders. And as a bonus, we were treated to the sight of one unique Helen Blackthorn, who is half shadowhunter and half Seelie! How exciting is that!

While fans strictly of the show might not know what's so special about Helen (played by Sydney Meyer), book fans will know how important and crucial she is to the plot. We are introduced to Helen as Izzy (Emeraude Toubia) and Simon's (Alberto Rosende) secret undercover mission takes off, and we find Izzy sending Simon to The Clave's prison to find out more about the element called Heavenly Fire, which we learned about in the previous episode.

Heavenly Fire is what the magical sword 'Glorious' is blessed with, which gives the weapon the power of destroying anything demonic that it touches. We know that the main plot of this season of Shadowhunters has been about snapping protagonist Clary Fray's (Katherine McNamara) life-rune bond with her evil twin Jonathan Morgenstern (Luke Baines), and in the quest for the same, they need the sword which is believed to have been destroyed long ago. However, not everything seems right about the scenario, and our shadowhunters believe The Clave might have more information than they are letting on. 

However, as huge a danger that this mission was to Simon's life, there is no denying the obvious sparks which flew between Helen and fellow shadowhunter, Aline Penhallow, meaning that Sizzy isn't the only new couple we should be shipping. It'll be interesting to see how the sparks soar from merely flying, considering the book's Helen lives in the Los Angeles Institute with her family made up of six younger siblings. But the fact that she is a half-faerie makes things us even more curious, knowing Jonathan's latest encounter with the Seelie Queen.

The previous episode showed Jonathan reach out to the Seelie Queen looking for the Morningstar Sword, which he believes, will give him powers that'll make him invincible. The Seelie Queen in return asked for him to kill his mother, Lilith (Ana Hopkins) - a deal he willingly struck, and acted upon, before failing, and eventually getting locked up at the Institute. However, with a half-seelie living at the Institute, as we have now figured out, will Jonathan use his Seelie influence on her to try and escape? Or are his chances of ever making out free even more restricted now? While these questions will have to wait till next week for answers, all we can rest easy about is the knowledge that Jonathan isn't all that evil as he might come off as - the realization of which is slowly starting to take toll on Clary.

'Shadowhunters' returns with season 3 episode 18 'The Beast Within' on Monday, April 15, at 8/7c, only on Freeform.