Constantine 1.05 “Danse Vaudou”

This episode proves that it’s very important, boys and girls, to read lots and lots of reviews. After all, if I hadn’t read Paul and Brooke’s J-Horror sampler platter I would have had absolutely no clue that the surgical-mask-wearing woman seen in the beginning of (and throughout) this episode was based on the Japanese urban legend Kuchisake-anna – the Slit-Mouthed Woman. I also would not have had the background knowledge to make the educated assumption that several of the other ghosties in this episode are based on even less-known international horror myths.

There are a few new developments in this next installment, and while it’s not as much of a gut-punch as the last episode it’s plenty entertaining and engaging to keep itself afloat. These developments are mired in an intense ghost-hunt that spans not one, but three unique entities.

Aforementioned developments are thus:

Uno: Zed (Angélica Celaya) has more going on with her than she lets on. She’s got bundles of secrets that leave even Constantine mystified, and this episode’s newcomer may or may not know a thing or two about them. Her crush on John himself is also getting more blatant, which is a risky move to make this early in the series – romantic tension is a tough thing to keep balanced without changing the status quo from time to time, and that’s even more dangerous.

Dos: John (Matt Ryan) is seen smoking a cigarette in this episode. It’s brief, but it happens. This is a major plot-point in the comics, and when it seemed to be wiped from the face of the television series, fans were… well, not pleased. But whether they’re responding to backlash or had this in their plan all along, the writers are now introducing what will inevitably lead towards a cancerous climax.

Tres: I fucking love Chas (Charles Halford). While we haven’t really seen much from him in any of the previous episodes, he gets a chance to shine in this one and I really enjoy him. He seems very much like a normal guy who’s become accustomed to a weird situation (and a very useful power). I hope we get to see more of him!

Side note: He also weirdly reminds me of True Blood‘s Terry Bellefleur. I think I’m the only person who thinks this though, so I won’t make a big deal out of it.

Quatro: Jim Corrigan (Emmett J Scanlan). To DC fans, this will mean quite a lot to you. To non-DC fans, this will mean absolutely nothing to you and I really shouldn’t spoil the significance of this character’s appearance.

Just rest assured that his appearance is significant.

Five-O: Papa Midnite (Michael James Shaw) refers to his sister’s skull as either “Zatanna” (a well-known DC character) or “Satana” (a… less-known DC character, best known for getting her arm blown off by Power Girl). Since neither of these characters have any relation to Midnite in the comics, I have absolutely no clue what the writers are up to with this one. [Editor’s note: After some research, it looks like his sister’s name is Cedella.]

Now that I’ve already let it slip that Papa Midnite’s in this episode, I might as well go on about him a bit. He’s back, I love his rivalry with John as much as ever, and he may or may not be the unknowing source of what’s going bump in the night in this episode. Thinking he’s just pulling off some parlor tricks to soothe his customers, he instead summons the everkillin’ shit outta some vengeful-ass ghosts. Hilarity ensues.

Not really, though. Mostly death and killing and stuff.

But some hilarity too.