Constantine: Blessed Are The Damned

December 5, 2014 10:19 PM - Season 1, Episode 7

John and Zed visit a Kentucky preacher with supernatural healing powers and discover he has a connection to an angel.
posted by Small Dollar (10 comments total)

Well, you can only do the fallen angel shtick once. Also, you'd think that Zed at least would want to you know, hang out with the angel instead of leaving it in the barn overnight? She could have brought a sketchbook and some hot chocolate or something. I mean, you've got this homeless chick with wings and you don't even know whose barn it is? Did it belong to the church? Was it some farmer who'd been turned into a ghoul? For heaven's sake (ha!) they could have made that a two-parter and had the two teenage kids who'd left that clean blanket in there to fuck on later discover the angel and bam, you've got plenty of filler for two episodes. Maybe the angel wants to watch, maybe the kids have some celestially headdesking questions for the angel. Maybe it recruits them to go do something evil. How the fuck do you waste an angel in a barn?

To turn it into Syfy's angel v angel show Dominion at the end was the worst way to end it. Dear lord that was almost mawkish, and certainly predictable. Suppose that the angel had Constantine by the throat at the end instead of Zed? And then Manny would have to make a much more important decision about needing Constantine alive. That'd had Manny invest more. But no, we get another weak scene where Zed's not freaked out that she just almost had her throat ripped out while calgon takes her away in addition to the horse tranquilizers she found in the barn.

Someone please tell me the comics aren't this bad.
posted by Catblack at 6:10 AM on December 6, 2014

And did anyone else get a "Wings of Desire" vibe to Manny and the angel's conversation? Felt like we were about to go on a road movie to Berlin for a minute there.
posted by Catblack at 12:48 PM on December 6, 2014

And did anyone else get a "Wings of Desire" vibe to Manny and the angel's conversation? Felt like we were about to go on a road movie to Berlin for a minute there.

Considering what NBC have done with the Constantine source material I think it would have been less Berlin with Peter Falk and more Meg Ryan versus truck.
posted by fullerine at 5:07 PM on December 6, 2014

I realize this is the tiniest of nits to pick but after the snake first bit the preacher where did the snake wander off to? I mean everybody comes rushing to aid and comfort him and nobody gives a second thought about the deadly snake on the loose in the church?
posted by sardonyx at 7:14 PM on December 6, 2014 [3 favorites]

Hello, Tailor: The three main problems with NBC's 'Constantine'
posted by oh yeah! at 5:58 AM on December 7, 2014

Good episode! The show is quickly finding its way after a lackluster beginning. If you ignore last week's episode, as I am, then this week is the third excellent episode in a row, doing a great job of laying the groundwork for the series.

There's a lot of background themes that come forward this episode, the chief being the issue of human faith and how it can lead people down dark paths. As with Papa Midnight's clients , the snake wrangling preacher desperately wants to believe in something more than the mortal world, wants to make things right for what's considered a sin. Papa Midnight uses that blind desire to make money, while Imogen (and presumably the Rising Darkness) are using it get what they want: the mortal world.

Like the preacher, Imogen has been condemned for a single transgression and is finding that stifling. But Imogen's fall was because she killed a human, just see what it felt like. Not cool, as far as Angel's go. The preacher has more of reason for forgiveness in my book, but the point is that it's not anyone's book, only God's. He sets the rules and they're seemingly carved in stone. Even Manny will face consequences for doing the right thing, because it broke the rules. Which leds to natural and vexing question: Who's right and who's wrong?

Tie this all up with Zed's struggle with face in contrast John's firm lack of hit and you've got some interesting character drama mixed with a great. Hope it continues for the remaining episodes, even if the show has stopped production.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:12 AM on December 7, 2014

The three main problems with NBC's 'Constantine'

1. It's virtually indistinguishable from other genre shows of the same type, ie Supernatural.

I don't watch Supernatural so I wouldn't know, but whatever. The show has had some predictable episodes, no question, but overall it's been worth the hour of watching, especially the last three episodes (the Halloween one doesn't count)

2. Both of the supporting characters, Chas and Zed, are completely pointless.

What a bizarre statement. Both function as assistants to John, with Zed being a strong counter point to John in thought and action. Being new to the magic game, but street smart, gives her a different outlook and problem solving skills, often to John's astonishment.

3. It's often racist

Yeah, not getting this vibe at all. Quite the contrary with the nuanced portrayal of Papa Midnight.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:31 AM on December 7, 2014

1. It's virtually indistinguishable from other genre shows of the same type, ie Supernatural.

Except the first season of supernatural was amazingly good.
posted by fshgrl at 10:44 AM on December 7, 2014

I really like Matt Ryan as Constantine.
posted by Pendragon at 6:09 AM on December 8, 2014

To turn it into Syfy's angel v angel show Dominion at the end was the worst way to end it.

Yeah, I really hope they don't make yet another angel war a major arc on this show, but I suspect it's inevitable.

But here's something that sounds promising: apparently Lucifer is going to get his own show based on Neil Gaiman's portrayal of him in the Vertigo comics: Lucifer TV Series Will Follow Neil Gaiman's Devil To Los Angeles
posted by homunculus at 12:28 PM on December 8, 2014 [1 favorite]