Constantine Episode 10 Review: The Secret of Chas, Revealed!

Things are not looking good for the NBC show, Constantine, my friends.

Last week, the show based on the characters from the DC Comics series, Hellblazer, made its 8 p.m. debut . . . and saw it’s ratings drop, despite the more user-friendly time-slot.  Having already seen its season halted at 13 episodes, and with little to no good vibes coming from NBC, it would appear that the show is destined for cancellation.

However, as episode 10, “Quid Pro Quo” showed us, there is a lot of potential in this show – could it be enough to cause another network to step in and keep it alive?

Let’s break down the episode to see why I’m hoping this show enjoys a second season SOMEWHERE next year.

Plot Summary

Identify yourself. Face me like a real man not with your hand up another’s ass like a bloody puppet.

What should be a fun and relaxing weekend with his daughter and estranged wife turns into a father’s worst nightmare for Chas, as he returns to Brooklyn only to find his daughter on the floor, motionless.  The doctors at the hospital are calling it a coma, but Chas know better – especially when other patients exhibiting the exact same conditions start showing up at the hospital where his daughter has been admitted.

John Constantine and Zed fly in to help, and soon discover that the souls of the afflicted have been stolen by Felix Faust, a sorcerer who has progressed from being a minor nuisance to a full-on master of the dark arts, due to the rising darkness.  Sensing that Faust has become too powerful for him to handle directly, Constantine attempts to perform a few missions in order to win back the souls that Faust has stolen  – but how long can Chas remain patient while his daughter’s soul is trapped in limbo?

Meanwhile, we are given flashbacks that explain how Chas has become kind of immortal – turns out a drunken John Constantine tried an ancient protection spell on him that worked . . . and just so happened to fill him with the souls of 47 people who die in a nightclub fire that also claimed the life of dear old Chas.

Cue the sound of rabid fans trying to figure out how many times Chas has died right up until this episode!

Growing Pains

This latest episode was entertaining and a small step up above episode nine, “The Saint of Last Resorts Part 2,” which was held back by its by-the-book approach to exorcism.  I’ll highlight the episode’s strengths in a bit – but first, a few minor complaints.

As compelling as John Constantine’s character is , Zed’s character is slowly killing me.  It has not quite gotten to the point where she cancels JC out, but I am starting to find myself glad when she is not in a scene.  Is it the acting of Angelica Celaya?  Is it the clunky dialogue the show’s writers have forced her to speak?  Is it the fact that no one seems to know what the hell to actually do with her, aside from having her provide Constantine with some timely psychic goodness?   I vote for at least two out of these three, especially the last bit.  I mean, just when we thought we were going to get a meaty chunk of screen time devoted to her background, the show drops her abduction from a cult like a hot potato (episode nine), leaving us with vague references to her father and what the cult sees in her. Someone better give me a reason to care about Zed, and soon.

And I’m getting a little tired of EVERYONE blaming John Constantine for their current existence.  I get the fact that everyone blames John for what went down in Newcastle, but even Chas got into the “John ruined my life” spirit in this episode because it’s his fault that Chas (sort of) cannot die.  Hey Chas: just because you can’t die doesn’t mean you have to follow JC around and ignore your family.   By now the audience understands that John Constantine is a guy you love to hate, but he’s not holding anyone at gunpoint.  Lay off blaming him for everything that has gone wrong in his crew’s lives.

Why This Episode Proves Constantine Deserves To Live

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For starters, it had Matt Ryan in it.  As uneven as the writing can be – and it’s not like you shouldn’t expect the writers to still be finding their footing: it’s only the tenth episode – whoever thought of casting Matt Ryan in the role of John Constantine is a freaking genius.  Whether he is dealing with the fallout from his past, trying to capture a demon, or staring down a sorcerer with enormous power, Ryan IS John Constantine.  Never a dull moment when he is on the screen.

Of course, the most important thing a TV series should have going for it is entertainment value, and aside from the grievances I have aired, this episode was definitely enjoyable.  It started off nice and creepy, with the hooded Faust sending tendrils of smoke into the houses of unsuspecting victims.  The flashbacks that provided insight into how Chas got his regenerative powers were well done and placed at just the right moments in the plot.  Once again, the show embraces the darker side of magic, even though I feel the show would actually benefit from being cancelled by NBC and picked up by another network, as I would like to see it go even darker.

It wasn’t the show’s best episode, but it did introduce a worthy adversary to John Constantine and it succeeded in making me a bit more emotionally invested in Chas.  Plus, it kept my ass stuck to my computer chair for 44 minutes, so all in all, I would say that’s a win!