Meredith Quill November 25, 2014 Share November 25, 2014 Episode Synopsis: When a young boy is taken over by a malevolent spirit, John must put aside his misgivings over exorcising a child and convince the parents that their boy is not all that he seems. 1 Link to comment
thuganomics85 November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 Hmm, no Zed this time. I think Chas said she was off taking art classes, so I guess it's good to know that she isn't going to let all this demon hunting prevent her from full-filling her potential as an artist! Hey, Niall Matter! Why'd you have to be such a dick in this episode?! Glad that Chas was back and got more to do, although it still felt like he wasn't in there as much as when Zed is, when she is tagging alongside Constantine. Besides the failed attempt at the original spirit's house, he didn't even interact with the family. And, I know he's immortal, but I hope someone pulled him out between those cars. When the final shot was Constantine laying on a car smoking, I just had an imagine of poor Chas still here all "Uh, John! Now, you can help!" Loved Manny and his trolling. Burst out laughing over him lamenting how he used to be accompanied by trumpets whenever he appeared. I enjoy the relationship between him and Constantine. The kid from The Neighbors was pretty good as Henry. Did creepy very well. You know, Constantine, some of these jobs would be a lot easier if you just bring that truth telling sword with you, and hand it off to potential suspects. 3 Link to comment
kwerkee November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 This episode was aired out of order. It was supposed to be episode 2, before they met Zed. I knew of this before watching the show and it kind of took me out of it. For example, the part when he said he was rusty because he just got out of an institution. You know, Constantine, some of these jobs would be a lot easier if you just bring that truth telling sword with you, and hand it off to potential suspects. I don't think that's wise. God knows how many who have met Constantine, want to use pointy things on him. Overall, I was more impressed by the trailer than the actual episode. I expected it to be darker. 4 Link to comment
Actionmage November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 How frustrating must it be to be John? That teacher at the school was all about the "Stranger Danger" yet was too busy being "protective" and actually had a massive fail at protecting and listening. John wasn't trying to get into the schoolyard; he was trying to redirect attention. Totally was rusty. I have to believe John has better patter. Manny! Aww, I love a horn section myself. Granted, yours is probably way cooler than any I could get. IA with thuganomics, you're a troll, but at least it's genuine concern trolling, so there's that. *g* Note to self: watch out for Alabama; there's funky mojo all through that state! The kid playing Henry was the right amount of spooky and sympathetic. Like the girl at the top of the hour. Good choices, Casting! Also? Henry's mom, Claire (?), was great! Being female, a mom, and a doctor, she was as brave as Chas,Liv, or Zed have been. To accept a crazy story about your own son? To haul some strange, lying Brit out jail and talk exorcism? She's not exactly Scully, but she was pretty cool. The husband was a tool, but that's not a killing offense. I did like that the fish tank was sort of boiling when Marco was around. Poor three-legged baby! I liked that just because something happens, it doesn't have to be a message or symbol. Now, I went ahead and thought it was a nod to Marco's fingers, but that little doe could have truly been just a random happening. While I am not one to do Houses of Horrors, it was good to see John cautious. I loved when he punched the automated dummy for the mirror. Nice apparating with Henry's costume, as well! Part of me was hoping for a glimpse of Swamp Thing's face in the first section/the jungle-y area. I enjoyed the time-reversing, post-cognitive smoke. It was a neat effect. I was also concerned for Chas, despite his ability. I wanted to see him waiting for John to quit smoking and get into the car so they could get home. I don't need to see Chas put himself on the line every week or healing from damage taken, but having him around a bit more would be nice. He brings a bit of warmth and humor that I appreciate. ( As well as others here!) Matt Ryan and his Constantine are why I come back every week. Constantine may not be an Everyman, but he's a blue collar mage who anyone with a crappy job with crappy hours can understand. Plus, he's got a sexy accent and that lovely face. Next week looks pretty cool, as well as a bit Manny-ish, iirc. 1 Link to comment
Xantar November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I was thinking as I was watching this that it would be an excellent Episode 2. Zed's not there, we get some exposition and character development for Chas. And some banter between him and John to show us a little of their relationship. Besides, Zed would have solved a lot of problems by just touching the catatonic patient. And so I come here to find that indeed it's an episode shown out of order. Why the hell do networks do this? Is it because they thought nobody would be watching this episode anyhow? If they were that worried, they could have just aired a repeat today. Instead, it's starting to look like they're pulling a Fox. 2 Link to comment
Primetimer November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 Got a tricky problem to solve? Do like John Constantine and consult the Manny-ual. Read the story 2 Link to comment
Morrigan2575 November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 (edited) I really enjoyed this episode. Demonic/Evil kids and ghost stories always creep me out. This one had both so it was extra freaky. Constantine licking the wall was gross. Loved the new dynamic between Manny and Constantine, like how Manny has more of a sarcastic/snarky aspect to him. I continue to love Chas and the relationship between Chas and Constantine. Reading above this was supposed to be the second episode? That explains why it was a Halloween episode. Edited November 29, 2014 by Morrigan2575 1 Link to comment
Grammaeryn November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 Throughout this episode, I kept thinking of that Angel exorcist episode. Just thinking about that episode, gave me CHILLS! This episode? Not so much. Weird thought though - after Marvel runs through Alist actors for Doctor Strange, Niall should be considered. 1 Link to comment
mage-girl November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I thought this week's episode was kind of disappointing. But, knowing it was originally the 2nd episode, it makes sense. Early on the show was a bit rough; it's consistently gotten better each week. Now, if we could just get more people to watch it.... 1 Link to comment
HalcyonDays November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I really like this episode. Interesting that this was supposed to be episode two? I was wondering about the Halloween. They could have still aired in the right order, but who knows if there was a issue with showing demon kids that eventually was resolved. This world and it's PCism, you know. However, the kid/killer whose parents chopping his fingers off...dear god that is horrific. Those parents should rot in hell... Okay, I want myself a Chaz. Love this guy and his interactions with John. Same with Manny popping up and 'guiding' John. You get a hint of how messed up John is and the personal demons he is fighting. Did like that the mother wasn't reduced to being a hysterical crying mommy (phew) - instead the father was. She was calm headed, logical and took action quickly. Nice to see. Also, the kid playing Henry did the creepy possessed really well. And that three-legged dear...why did you show that, show? I didn't need to become a bundle of tears...poor baby... 3 Link to comment
Actionmage November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I almost forgot about the wall-licking, but yeah. It was gross. I liked that Manny was all 'How do you know I wasn't there watching out for you...?' I get Constantine's frustration with Manny, but when the 'poor me' started, I was glad that Manny wasn't having it. Yes, John, your life is anything but some idyllic 50s sitcom idea of How Life Should Be, yet you keep going back to this world, choosing it over anything else. Blame Manny for his vagueness and his rude exits (see: the murderous hobo Zed chased off), actual crap he did. I did like how Manny grinned as he told John he once "had a whole horn section" to announce him. I guess budgets are being cut all over! Link to comment
RandomWatcher November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I was somewhat disappointed by the kids in costumes. They should have been various DC characters, though I think I saw a kid as Robin. 1 Link to comment
cyan November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 (edited) Heh. Manny the concern troll. Pretty much, in a nutshell. This ep was fun to watch - fast paced and swinging between creepy and hilarious in a good way, but they wasted so much character and thematic material. You have two adults who were abused as children; one is possessing kids' bodies to murder their parents, whereas the other is John the exorcist/demonologist/fuck-up of the dark arts. This mirroring should have been a bigger deal. You have this whole internal conflict of John having to exorcise a kid after Newcastle, which is huge for the character. I mean, ghost, man and angel had to drag him by arms and legs into leaving the nuthouse and dealing with life and demons again. That's how fundamentally fucked up he is by what happened. And here something as major as attempting another child exorcism gets breezed over in a ridiculous way. "I'm worried about doing this." "Well, man up." "Oh, OK." I hate when characters change their mind about something critical just because of something that another character says. That kind of change should be motivated by an event, action or consequence of action/inaction, not just by a freaking conversation. And there should have been a cost for his delay. The whole ep should have been structured around John getting to the point where he could risk an exorcism, and building up to a climax, with major things at risk not just for the family but for John himself. Instead we got a fun potpourri of genre bits that has no depth whatsoever, and three lines of lazy, stencil dialogue addressing the implications at play. I hate when people waste material like that. It's all there for the taking. It's sitting there begging to be used. Ugh. Writers. Beatings for all of you. The show has a goofy charm, which I like, but "goofy charm" is the last thing that Hellblazer stories and the character of Constantine should be described as. Having said that, licking the crime scene is deeply true to Constantine. Thumbs up there. Also, does Chaz just... habitually serve John his meals? Like, he's not so much a friend as an actual manservant? Not a complaint, but I need to know more about this relationship and its deep strangeness. I mean, I really enjoyed the ep, but it could have been so much more. Edited November 29, 2014 by cyan 3 Link to comment
Altered Reality November 29, 2014 Share November 29, 2014 I was wondering why this episode felt a little, off? unpolished? And now I see that it was meant to air second, which also explains the Halloween theme. *Why* do networks do that? Grump, grump, grump. That said, this was still a good episode. Things I liked: The mom, good for her for recognizing the problem and being willing to do whatever it took to help her child. The actor playing the child did a good job of acting as the sensitive, overly imaginative boy *and* the confident, creepy serial killer. Our first sight of John in this episode. Wouldn't mind a few more like that :D As for Nora? If I were her I'd have told the boyfriend I was having the house fumigated or something so he should go away for a few more hours. Full English cooked by John? Would not be turning that down. Except for the beans, just can't get on board with baked beans for breakfast. And the chance for seconds, yep, that's good ;D (okay, I'll get out of the shallow end~for now). Chas!!! I want to see more of him and that little ramble while he was holding that sword? Would love to know what that's about. And he was sweet and reassuring with the mom. Manny trolling John, it could eventually get annoying, but for now I'm enjoying it. BTW, was it just me or did that exchange about the horn section have a secondary meaning? (okay, I know I'll get out of the shallow end, really I will). The haunted house at the festival was cool, some of those shots as John walked through it were gorgeous! Creepy, but gorgeous. Had to grin about him punching the dummy responsible for breaking the mirror. Things I didn't like; Jerky officer. Poor little girl is traumatized and he (and sergeant) are worried about "stations". Hmpf. I know that was just to set up the scene with the exploding coffee cup, but I still don't like the attitude. Zed's in art class? All day? Okay. Now with this airing out of order, guess they had to throw in something about why Zed wasn't around, but still, lame. Licking the wall. That will never be not gross. Not when The Doctor does it, not when JC does it. Teacher too focused on the wrong thing. Yes, it's a good idea to be suspicious of people hanging out around a school but for goodness sake, *listen*. John spiraling down into self-loathing and self-pity. I get where it's coming from, but I don't like it. Three legged deer. Next week looks interesting. Zed is back, hope this doesn't mean Chas disappears again. 2 Link to comment
cyan November 30, 2014 Share November 30, 2014 Hey, art class is serious business. Many classes go all day - morning, lunch break and until evening. Not for the faint-hearted :D So licking walls is a thing, apparently? Whatever will they think of next. I actually want John to deck Manny. Never enough punching angels in the face. Link to comment
Altered Reality November 30, 2014 Share November 30, 2014 Hey, art class is serious business. Many classes go all day - morning, lunch break and until evening. Not for the faint-hearted :D At the college or university level, absolutely. Continuing Ed or community based (which is where I'd think Zed would be taking such) not so much. But maybe that's just in my area. So licking walls is a thing, apparently? Whatever will they think of next. Apparently. I've now seen it twice and I hope to never, ever see it again. *Shudder*. Link to comment
gazebo November 30, 2014 Share November 30, 2014 I really like this episode. It wasn't perfect, but I thought it was perfectly scary. That kid actor that played the little boy possessed by the evil spirit was very believable. I was kind of freaked out over the whole episode. I think I would've turned off the TV or switched to another channel if no one else was in the living room with me. The "haunted house" was a little too frightening for me. I wonder how they could have something like this in the middle of a residential neighborhood with so many little kids about. I know everyone likes being scared at Halloween, but those statues in that haunted house would be way too scary looking for little kids. I can understand why that teacher approached Constantine at the children's playground. Heck, he was wearing a trench coat and he looks so scruffy and unkempt, he looks like he could be a child molester! What was wrong was that the teacher was so focused on Constantine that he refused to hear Constantine's warning of the danger to the kids behind him. I smiled when next Constantine knocked on the parents' door and he wasn't wearing his trench coat. Constantine is learning how to make himself unthreatening. But jeez, you'd think he's learn to be more clean shaven in order to get people to trust him and talk to him. This was a great Halloween episode. Actually the first episode of Constantine that I actually enjoyed. Link to comment
Irishmaple November 30, 2014 Share November 30, 2014 I thought this was an odd episode, until I came here and read that it aired out of sequence. I thought the writers oversold Zed at first and then established her very well last week only to take her completely off the canvas this week. I didn't think that was a good decision, but it makes sense now. I didn't really miss her though which is why I struggle with the character. The show goes along just fine without her. I want the female lead to bring something other than prettiness and plot-convenient skills. The episode itself was entertaining. It was a bit strange having the Hallowe'en episode airing on (US) Thanksgiving weekend but, again, out of sequence explains that. The child actors did really well with the possession scenes and I liked Henry's mother a lot. She cared more about her son than about the weirdness of Constantine, the impossibility of demonic possession and the bizarreness of exorcism. Her world went sideways and she rolled with it. I continue to like Chas. I don't know if it's the actor inhabiting the role or the writing of it or the combination of both, but I enjoy the character. Manny is annoying but not off-putting. He's a bit of jerk but that seems to be how angels roll and he has an edge of wry humour. Showing Constantine's dark, manipulative side really sold that character to me. The set designers did great work with that haunted house; you couldn't pay me to go in there. The show has potential but I don't feel the high stakes of Darkness Rising or the depth of Constantine's torment. The show is still missing something for me. 1 Link to comment
Zahdii November 30, 2014 Share November 30, 2014 I continue to like Chas. I don't know if it's the actor inhabiting the role or the writing of it or the combination of both, but I enjoy the character. Manny is annoying but not off-putting. He's a bit of jerk but that seems to be how angels roll and he has an edge of wry humour. Showing Constantine's dark, manipulative side really sold that character to me. The set designers did great work with that haunted house; you couldn't pay me to go in there. The show has potential but I don't feel the high stakes of Darkness Rising or the depth of Constantine's torment. The show is still missing something for me. I agree with everything except for all the "darkness is coming" stuff and the "depth of Constantine's torment" part. I'd prefer the dark to come more slowly and to figure out Constantine's torment for myself to the degree that I'm comfortable with. IMO, it's way too early for the show to have to deal with overwhelming darkness, that stuff should be reserved for when they're running out of background stories, cases of the week, and hints of things to come. For me, once a show goes to "the biggest bad of all the big bad's is here", is when the show has run out of ideas and it's only on until the network can wrest the last bit of money out of it while they find a replacement. As for the depth's of Constantine's torment, I'm fine with getting hint here or there and adding it to my own narrative of the show. I really don't want to see graphic flashbacks and hear the details. I want more 'add up the clues' and less 'show' when it comes to the regular characters. 1 Link to comment
Machiabelly December 5, 2014 Share December 5, 2014 I am confused about how this could be episode 2. Zed and the map were not in episode 1 were they? I can see episode 3 maybe. Link to comment
Altered Reality December 5, 2014 Share December 5, 2014 I am confused about how this could be episode 2. Zed and the map were not in episode 1 were they? I can see episode 3 maybe. I suspect the whole breakfast in the Mill House scene was added after they changed the order in which the episodes were airing. Link to comment
Morrigan2575 December 6, 2014 Share December 6, 2014 (edited) I thought the map was in the pilot? The final scene at the bar with Chas/Constantine? I thought Chas said original girl left the map for Constantine? Or was it the amulet? Edited December 6, 2014 by Morrigan2575 1 Link to comment
Altered Reality December 6, 2014 Share December 6, 2014 I thought the map was in the pilot? The final scene at the bar with Chas/Constantine? I thought Chas said original girl left the map for Constantine? Or was it the amulet? You are right about the map, I'd forgotten about that scene in the bar. I'm a little less certain about the amulet though. Maybe someone else remembers. Link to comment
kwerkee December 6, 2014 Share December 6, 2014 (edited) I am confused about how this could be episode 2. Zed and the map were not in episode 1 were they? I can see episode 3 maybe.From Daniel Cerone's twitter last week: https://twitter.com/DanielVCerone/status/538398829133848576 "For our fans: Tonight's ep shot to air 2nd. Pushed to intro Zed faster. It's more procedural than our new work. #SaveConstantine #Hellblazer " The map was in the pilot when Liz bled over it. Zed was also in the pilot, in the final shot where you can see the back of her head as she was drawing Constantine. Edited December 6, 2014 by kwerkee 1 Link to comment
darkestboy September 7, 2015 Share September 7, 2015 Not my favourite, it had some creepy ish moments but I think other shows have tackled the child possession plot a lot better. Angel being one of them. I did like that we got more insight into Constantine's childhood and the scenes with him and Manny were great as well. Chas had some good moments in this one as well. I really like his character. It was set during Halloween and originally meant to air earlier than it did which explains Zed's absence, 6/10 Link to comment
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