In episode two of Constantine, “The Darkness Beneath,†John Constantine uses the map that Liv left to find where the next demon will attack. The map takes him to a small mining town in Pennsylvania where miners are being killers in unexplainable ways. Unfortunately for this episode, Chas was not able to join Constantine in Pennsylvania due to an outstanding warrant from a previous case involving a succubus and a train derailment. Wouldn’t it have been fun to see a flashback of that?
Once Constantine arrives to Pennsylvania, destiny brings him together with Zed, the artist we saw in the pilot episode who draws visions of Constantine. Zed is star struck by Constantine because she really didn’t believe that he could be real. I was worried that the introduction of Zed may not be great and that I would be missing Liv. I do believe that they did a wonderful job of introducing Zed. Even though she is clueless about what Constantine does, as well as her own abilities, her determination keeps her right on his heels.
After Constantine realizes that Zed may be useful, he helps her to control her visions. Using these visions, Constantine and Zed figure out that someone is controlling what is usually a peaceful demon and making them murder the bosses of the local mine. One thing that is refreshing about this show is that the “heroes†are not able to save everyone. In many shows, the heroes are always there in time to save the “innocents.†With Constantine, it feels more authentic that Constantine, being just one man, can’t manage to save everyone especially once a demon already has a hold of them.
In the pilot episode of Constantine, Liv left Chas and Constantine a map depicting trouble brewing all across the United States. During episode two, Constantine talks of the darkness spreading everywhere. I’m wondering if we are going to build up to one “big bad†demon by the end of the season. Maybe it could be the demon who took Astra. One thing is for sure, when looking at the map, Constantine will have a lot of work to do.
The VerdictÂ
Constantine is a great character and is so much fun to see brought to life. Matt Ryan continues to do a great job embodying Constantine and owning his wit. The show is very dark and finds humor in just the right places. I can’t wait for next week’s episode and hope to see the return of Chas and Manny.
+ Great introduction of new character Zed
+ Wonderfully funny moments
+ Special Effects continue to amaze
+ Creative ways to show Constantine’s smoking habit
– No Manny at all in this episode
