Constantine First Two Episodes Review and Thoughts on the Series

Constantine First Two Episodes Review: Better Than Gotham

DC Comics have premiered three different TV shows this fall. Combined with the already established show Arrow, DC now has four superhero-based shows across multiple networks (math), creating quite the foothold in the television medium. The latest show to premiere was Constantine.

Note: I put off writing this review because after the pilot, I didn’t have a great feel for the show. Having now seen the first two episodes, I think I have a good idea of how the show will unfold. Also, I can confirm: It is better than Gotham.

SPOILERS!

Constantine is based on the successful DC (and more specifically, Vertigo) comic series Hellblazer. There was a film adaptation the comic a couple years ago starring Keanu Reeves. The movie was fun, but not great.

The main character of the show is John Constantine, an exorcist, demonologist, and, um, dabbler of the Dark Arts.

I am a fan of the Hellblazer comics and a huge fan of Vertigo Comics as a whole. I was not only excited to see the show’s pilot, but also satisfied with what I saw.

Constantine’s pilot was incredibly fun. The pilot was full of cameos, references, and smart-ass remarks (courtesy of John). Essentially, the episode’s plot involves John helping an old friend’s daughter by protecting her from a creature that is haunting her. I was worried that the daughter was going to be a permanent character in the show, but it looks like she was written out.

Don’t get me wrong, the girl was a great plot device because Constantine was constantly having to explain things to her, but her character was stereotypical and a little obnoxious.

After this pilot, all Constantine had done was save the girl, move into his dead friend’s old house, and got a map with a bunch of supernatural disasters prophesied on it. It was at this point that I began to develop a suspicious thought. Later, I watched the second episode, and my speculation was confirmed.

Season 1 of Constantine is going to be just like the first season of Supernatural.

In episode two, John travels across the country to fight an unknown but prophesied force. Along the way, he met another, more interesting girl, who conveniently has the same skill set of the first one. Anyway, I have a feeling that this season is going to follow the “Saving people, hunting things” pattern.

But that’s okay! For those of you don’t know, Supernatural’s first season had the Winchester Brothers fighting a different monster/threat each episode. Honestly, I this route is the most logical for Constantine’s storyline.

It’s Award Time

Best Performance: Matt Ryan as John Constantine

Best Reference for All the Nerds: The Doctor Fate Helmet.

Ahem. Prepare for a pretty big geek-out. In the pilot, the helmet of Doctor Fate is shown in the house wear Constantine is staying.

Holy crap! I pretty much lost my mind at that point. If Doctor Fate makes an appearance at any point in this show, it will be amazing. Oh! And what if something happens that causes Constantine to put on the helmet in order to win a fight or something?!?

Wooo. Breath. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay; just give me a minute.

Note: If you don’t know who/what Dr. Fate is, then look it up! I don’t think I can appropriately explain his significance.

Conclusion

I have a problem with DC’s TV series. They exist in their own universe, are not tied to the movies in any way, and only Arrow and The Flash are connected (at the moment). But Vertigo is predetermined to exist in a different universe than the rest of the DC universe (Vertigo comics take place in the magical universe of Europe). That’s why I am okay with watching Constantine. There is no responsibility to watch any other shows or movies, and I don’t need to worry about ridiculous continuity errors (*cough, cough* Gotham). It’s just a fun show.

Constantine is not the best it could be. The show has a lot of plot holes and moments when things just don’t make sense. There needs to be a lot more backstory explained in the coming episodes. Still, I believe in Constantine. It shows definite promise. I give the first two episodes of Constantine a combined score of 8.5/10. Watch the show and enjoy it. I promise it isn’t that scary.