Darkness Beneath
Constantine has to face an invisible killer who burns his victims and lives in a cave. He also meets a new companion in Zed, who accompanies him on his adventure to track down this demon and stop him from murdering coal miners. This episode was a lot more colorful than the last one, and it served to work better with the special effects and atmosphere for the show. I am very interested to see where they decide to take this show, as the introduction of Zed just kinda happens with no real explanation and Constantine has little backstory himself. Let’s hope that they start fleshing things out so that the show doesn’t sputter out before it gets really good.
The Good:
- Matt Ryan continues to embody the character and make it his own. I absolutely love his take on the character as it looks like he was ripped from the comics but he can add his own swagger to it.
- Bringing a frozen dinner to a funeral
- The Water magic trick that made him see that demon
- The paintings that Zed draws being a lot of classic Hellblazer comic covers
- I really enjoyed the practical effects of the show with the demon hands that came out of the water, and the close up of the Coal Minor Demon
The Bad:
- Showing smoke come away from John but not actually showing him smoking. Not that I condone it, it’s just intrinsic to his character.
- I’m not entirely sure I like Angélica Celaya character of Zed. I was more of a fan of Lucy Griffiths as Liv Aberdine. She was a better actress and I liked the groundwork they laid for her character.
- Constantine doesn’t do a good job at saving peoples lives. Four people died in the episode, and other than the funeral for one; it didn’t even really matter to anyone. “Everyone who puts their trust in me dies” Yeah, John, I think you pretty much summed that one up.
The Devil’s Vinyl
Constantine must track down an acetate that contains the words of a demon written into it. His female companion, Zed, continues to tag along and mildly uses her powers of psychic-ness to help out. For now, the pair still seems very ill-matched and I’m not really buying into their chemistry. That being said, the introduction of Michael James Shaw as Papa Midnite is pretty great, as Shaw’s delivery of the character is spot on from the comics.
The Good:
- I love the beginning. You have a bit of Indiana Jones with the searching for the record, mixed with violent horror as the producer takes his own life.
- Matt Ryan’s southern accent as he charms his way in the hospital
- The music in the episode was amazing. From the Danny Elfman-esque opening. to the Ramones, and on to The Sex Pistols
The Bad:
- Manny isn’t believable as an Angel and I don’t quite know what use he is yet
- I’m still not feeling Zed as a character. Her psychic powers being developed added a bit to the episode, but it also may be unneeded with all the magics Constantine already knows.
- The ‘Villain of the Week’ format works for the show, but I don’t want it to go into the realm of Grimm too much and get stuck with not enough pay off
Here is a preview for next week’s episode “A Feast of Friends”
