Arrow 4.05 “Haunted”

I can’t believe that a flashback subplot actually had relevance to the rest of an episode. On top of that surprise was seeing John bloody Constantine pop up. I love the way he was introduced. Like an anticipated guest at a party where you know he’s showing up at some point. You just don’t know exactly when. Then, in the middle of being “interrogated” by a warlord, he turns to the camera, flashes that wry smile, bloodied from being beaten, and spits out one of his customary quip.  It was a cameo befitting the actor and the character.

For those unaware, actor Matt Ryan played John Constantine on NBC’s ill-fated Constantine series last year. He was freaking brilliant. His appearance on Arrow could have been much better. But, honestly, I’m amazed it even happened at all. The fact that the producers reached out to make this happen is pure fan service and, as a huge fan of the Constantine series, I appreciate it. Ryan was in good form, too. He always does such a great job chewing the scenery whenever he has a conjuring scene. His eyes roll back in his head. His face grows gaunt, and his voice drops to a guttural growl. For many of us “Hellblazers” Ryan is the definitive John Constantine.

The rest of the flashback is immensely pointless. Other than to show us that Oliver and Constantine have a connection, so that Ollie can call him up during the last fifteen minutes of the show. Although, it’s a pretty fun fifteen minutes. John, taking on the role of  “Deux Ex Machina,” transports himself, Oliver, and Laurel to a spiritual plane to retrieve Sara’s soul from a demon keeping it captive. This amounts to some silly swordplay. Then, before you can say, “Bob’s your uncle,” it’s all over.

Elsewhere in the Arrow-verse, there’s some unexpected bonding between Diggle and Detective Lance. Expect these two to become crime-fighting buddies in the near future. Likewise unexpected, Diggle finally got the answers he’s been searching for about his brother’s death. It was very anti-climatic, to say the least.

Ray Palmer’s coded message was cracked and it turns out he’s not dead. Just like I said last review, true believers. Which is hardly surprising, so I can’t really brag too much. If you’ve seen the very entertaining preview trailer for CW’s Legends of Tomorrow then you know that the Atom is on his way back. Even though the return of Ray Palmer and Sara Lance to Arrow inspires little excitement for me, it is fun to see how they’re being prepared for the leap to the other upcoming show.  Where I hope they’ll be more interesting than they’ve been on Arrow.  I actually like the actors very much. They’ve just never had much to work with on Arrow.

For me, of course, everything else in the episode pales in comparison to seeing Matt Ryan in action again. I can only hope he’ll return in the future. Even though there’s little chance of it, I hold out hope that Constantine might still be resurrected to a new network. Considering how well The Flash turned out, I wouldn’t mind if it turned out to be the CW. Come on, John; work that mojo, mate! You’ve been to hell and back. Surely TV limbo can’t keep you down for too long.

That’s it for me. I’ve got an appointment with some bonnie palones. Cheers, mates!