Constantine (US) [** Spoilers **]

Nody

Mr E wrote: »

It's a solid show. Not brilliant, but very watchable.

Have to agree; having said that the last episode was really really nice imo and there's a big story there that (if given seasons) could really have been built further to some rather epic moments.

mymo

Re watched all the eps so far over the weekend and really enjoyed them, this show has great potential, and hasn't even developed all the characters yet, such a shame they are only making 13 eps. Just hope they go ahead with second series, this far into agents of shield I was ready to stop watching (glad I didn't), but this is getting better.
A few small niggles with it, but nothing to put me off.

nc19

watched 4 eps so far.......not impressed tbh

havent read the comics so the only reference I have is Keanu Reeves

Keanu brought a much darker presence imo which is needed for the role

not sure if ill continue watching.........

18MonthsaSlave

later episodes are stronger than earlier ones.

mymo

Last night's episode was very good, really enjoyed it, hope this series gets a chance to develop.

Mr E

Yep, very good episode, nice cliffhanger.

Realised that I had actually seen the first 4 episode and not just 1-3, after watching 5 and the show has really came into it's own. It's still a Supernatural redux but the cast area really fitting into their roles and the stories are getting more and more interesting. Papa Midnight is a great character and I'm hoping we'll see a lot more of him as his dynamic with Constantine is really well done, the mounting darkness is a nice ongoing storyline and hopefully we will get to see it explored in series 2.

conorhal

The show is so-so in my book, Constantine's ability to pull a magic relic out of his bat-utility belt trenchcoat and save the day in the nick of time is beginning to bug me though. It feels too much like lazy writers pulling a mcguffin out of the bag to get out of any corners they may have written themselves into. The show relies too heavily on such plot devices.

Playboy

The lead actor is ****e and so wrong for role. As a fan of the comics I can see what they have tried to do but they have just got him so wrong. He is a cynical, nihilistic, opportunist who smokes and drinks too much. His sense of humour is dark. The lead actor is playing him far too upbeat and doesnt bring that brooding nihilism to the role that it needs. Keanu as bad as he was got much closer to the comic book character.

Agent Coulson

I really do hope this gets renewed in some form.

I have enjoyed the last to episodes after the winter break.

There really is a great great series long arc to be told it would be a shame for it to end after a short 13 episode season.

Constantine is one of those shows that gets better and better with each episode. The story is building really well and there's a sense of mounting tension that's well used. What really sets it apart though is the writing, there's a knowingness to it that's infectious and it's great to see the writers acknowledge that John isn't the cynic he initially appears.

It's also strangely funny, John has some great lines. My favorite being when he discovers that to condemn an angel to earth all you have to do is pluck one feather.
John: It's the only way an angel can enter our plane in physical form. Damage to the wings. One feather. Piss-poor design, if you ask me.

Another great episode this week with an interesting set up and a fascinating world. The show hasn't so much as gone from strength to strength but rather leaped above the competition and became essential viewing and it's a shame that so many will ignore the show or write it off as genre trash when week by week it's shown itself to be a far more adult and compelling show than something such as Game of Thrones. There is no gratuitous sex here, nor is it overtly violent, instead it deals with adult themes and issues in an intelligent, nuanced manner and offers more emotional heft than anyone could expect from it.

It's also a rather refreshing throw back to TV of yesteryear. It's like Kolchak or The Rockford Files or any number of western or in perhaps the best comparison I can think of The Fugitive. It's a show which has it's supporting cast but only one constant, John Constantine. He's front and center each week and with “Zed’s on bed rest and Chas is playing family man” this weeks episode "A Whole World Out There" perfectly showcases just how well the show works when compared to any of the examples given.

The story this week was pretty standard fare when all things are considered. A group of college students get drunk and read from the diary of a mad man in an attempt to send their consciousnesses to another dimension. Being a genre show they succeed and find themselves smack dab in the middle of a world belonging to a serial killer. Escaping they return to their world and in the days that follow find themselves haunted and hunted by a mysterious figure who exists only in reflection. In perhaps the most bizarre, startling and genuinely chilling moment in TV this year the mysterious figure haunts one victim as she practices in a ballet studio late at night. It's an expertly shot sequence that should be essential viewing for anyone interested in how to build tension and dread through restraint.

While there's no other moment that comes close to matching it the episode features a number of memorable images and sequences including a truly breathtakingly beautiful final confrontation in which returning friend Richie builds with the world. It's worth the price of admission alone and the scene where our heroes escape the crumbling building but forget to rescue the girl is another in the series comedic high points.

"A Whole World Out There" is proof, if it's needed the Constantine deserves a second series. There's a bleakness to events and a lesson that suffering is essential when pursuing desire that lays the road for what's to come. The much spoken of rising darkness is really coming into it's own and it would be a shame if we don't get to see John Constantine do his best to stop it.

Agent Coulson

Not looking good for to be renewed.

NBC named quiet a few shows it is renewing today and Constantine wasn't among them.

The last episode of the season is on Friday the 13th Constantine would love that

Agent Coulson

It really will be a petty if it doesn't get renewed another fine episode and only one left now.

“Angels And Ministers Of Grace” this weeks episode of Constantine​ is further proof that the show can't put a foot wrong and is quickly growing into one of the strongest, maturest and most adult offerings on TV.

What's most striking this week is just how patient the writers are in unwrapping the mystery, there's a sense of urgency to proceedings but a restraint that allows the story to unfold in a natural manner. Zed's medical issue are front and center and in a rather nice directorial flourish these scenes don't feel rushed or unnecessarily over packed. The characters are given time to reflect on their role in the world and the brief conversations surrounding just where Zed's powers come from are a nice change of pace. Zed's illness and the questions it brings up are really what is central to the show as a whole, the focus on morality and the justification for undertaking less than savory actions if for the greater good.

John trapping Manny in a human body is ripe for comedic fun and the writers have a blast with it. That so much light can be found in a show which is exploring evil is a treat, the scene of Manny being pleasured in a storage room is one of the shows strongest lighthearted gags and worth the price of admission alone.

The last few minutes of “Angels And Ministers Of Grace” is where the show really shows it's power. Much like the final scene of episode 5 “A Feast Of Friends”, this week ends on two emotional gut punches. The image of Manny freeing the trapped evil and taking the doctor home was just beautiful. It was just so simple and easy, there was no big set piece, no bombast just a simple and evocative moment which goes to the heart of showing just how much different Constantine is to every other show on atm. And then it one ups itself seconds later with a bittersweet meeting in a church where John leaves Zed to ponder her life with Manny.

With just one episode left this series it's looking likely that it's the last we will see of the show and that's a shame. Constantine may have been a little slow out of the gate but it quickly evolved into this years must watch show.

Agent Coulson

The last episode (ever?) aired on Friday the 13th. Something fitting about that and this show.

A pretty full episode story wise with up to three different stories being told and not all finished sadly if this is the end with the final twist.

I'll leave it to John to have the hopefully not the #last words below.

“Waiting For The Man” the final episode of series one of Constantine and more then likely the last one we will see is Constantine cut down to the bare necessities. There's a real sense that what we are seeing was intended to be told on a broader canvas but with no back 9 order the writers cut what they had down to fit within the 42 minutes.

Watching the episode I was constantly reminded of True Detective. the procedural story at the heart of “Waiting For The Man” felt so similar to last years standout show that one could almost imagine it as sort of low budget knock off that The Asylum like to churn out. Both central plots play out in Louisiana and involve a metally unstable mad man kidnapping young girls and using them in occult rituals. Hell even the themes explored were near identical, (violence only leads to more violence, the ends justify the means and so on) though whereas True Detective had several episodes to tell it's story “Waiting For The Man” had 42 minutes within which it also had to delve deeper into the ongoing story. As such the writing, good as it was still felt rushed and a little lack-struck when compared to the previous number of weeks.

Still the show did a hell of a lot good this week. Some of the imagery was genuinely chilling, images of our Satanist caressing his child brides, the final reveal of the bed sheet, John electrocuting himself and coughing up a hair ball and a final scene which really does change the entire dynamic of all that has come before.

It would be a shame were Constantine not to get a renewal, while “Waiting For The Man” may be one of the weaker episodes of the series it's still superior to most other television on atm. It's a show not afraid to go to dark places and makes great use of small throw away moments, the girl commenting on the smell was a wonderfully disgusting way of setting up some truly grotesque imagery. Also nice to see the show allow John to smoke without hiding it anymore, I hope it's a nice two fingers to the Network and it was also nice to see that long trench-coat finally make an appearance.

unreg999

no mention of Chas in this episode??

EoinMcLovin

Not Renewed for a second season

Mr E

Shopping around though... not totally dead yet.

EoinMcLovin

Mr E wrote: »

Shopping around though... not totally dead yet.

yeah hopefully either CW, syfy or Netflix pick it up

googled eyes

Such a pity that its axed. Hopefully they can find a new home. Bringing it in the the CW fold could be good for crossovers. Netflix would be great for giving them a bit more freedom to stick to darker stories.

mymo

Really hope someone picks it up, was very disappointed to see its not being renewed.

googled eyes

I promised I’d share news when I had it — sadly, that news is not good. The cast and writers of Constantine are being released from their contracts. The studio tried to find a new home for the show, for which we’re forever grateful, but those efforts didn’t pan out. I’m sorry, I wasn’t provided any information on the attempts to sell the show elsewhere. All I can report is that the show is over.

Many ingredients went into this TV series. From the dedicated cast that breathed these characters to life, led by Matt Ryan as the comic-made-flesh embodiment of John Constantine, to the exceptionality talented crew that put unreal images on screen, to the original Hellblazer writers and artists who gifted us a universe.

As a general principle, writers don’t choose a writing career to achieve stardom. Whatever demons or insecurities drove them to find freedom of expression through written words generally keeps writers comfortably obscure behind their words. Nor do people choose writing as a means to financial freedom. I’d venture to guess that most who set out to write professionally never receive a paycheck for their hopeful scribbles or key strokes.

In fact, nobody I know ever chose a writing career — it chose them. You write because that’s what you do. Like breathing, it just happens and you have to do it and you just hope that someday somebody out there notices what you’re trying to say.

If that’s the dream of writers, than the writers of Constantine lived the dream, because we’re leaving behind wild and passionate fans who believe in and were moved by what we tried to do. To leave such a significant, dedicated and active fan base on the table — that’s the real sadness. You all deserve many years of the series we set out to make, and we’re disappointed that we couldn’t deliver that to you. The good news is that Constantine will live on for years in many more forms. But our time as caretakers has ended.

Thank you for letting us in.

Daniel Cerone

Agent Coulson

For those asking if #ConstantineOnArrow ratings might lead to CW reconsidering #Constantine, I have no idea. But one can hope. #Hellblazers

— Daniel Cerone (@DanielVCerone) October 30, 2015

That was fast. As promised, my draft for what would've been Ep 14 of #Constantine. #Hellblazers #ConstantineOnArrow https://t.co/Tbqy7xikGA

— Daniel Cerone (@DanielVCerone) October 30, 2015

Draft in Dropbox link.



http://screencrush.com/constantine-episode-14-unreleased-script/

Agent Coulson

New talk that The CW will pick it up for a second season to replace TVD when it finishes.

That would put a DC show on every weeknight on The CW.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/07/18/big-honking-san-diego-rumours-for-dc-tv-supergirl-batwoman-oracle-constantine-and-john-wesley-shipp-sdcc-comic-con/

EoinMcLovin

Agent Coulson wrote: »

New talk that The CW will pick it up for a second season to replace TVD when it finishes.

That would put a DC show on every weeknight on The CW.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/07/18/big-honking-san-diego-rumours-for-dc-tv-supergirl-batwoman-oracle-constantine-and-john-wesley-shipp-sdcc-comic-con/

Well they are showing the first season on CW Seed so hopefully it's true. If there is going to be a DC show everyday then the crossover event would be unreal

It's about the only DC show I have any interest in, tried Gotham, The Flash, etc but none of them really grabbed me. They're all decent but none of them impressed me enough that I could give up hours each week to follow the DC universe. Constantine was the perfect Friday night TV and it really should have gotten a second series, it deserved one far more than something like Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which is so generic it hurts.

Nody

Deleted User wrote: »

It's about the only DC show I have any interest in, tried Gotham, The Flash, etc but none of them really grabbed me. They're all decent but none of them impressed me enough that I could give up hours each week to follow the DC universe. Constantine was the perfect Friday night TV and it really should have gotten a second series, it deserved one far more than something like Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which is so generic it hurts.

Those to sell movies though; Constantine would probably not work to well as movie material by comparison.

EoinMcLovin

Animated show just announced to appear on CWSeed. Matt Ryan will voice Constantine and will be in the same format as Vixen