Constantine 1.09 “The Saint of Last Resorts: Part 2”

January has finally arrived – and, after an unbearably agonizing hiatus, so has Constantine, in “Saint of Last Resorts… part 2.” This is the continuation to a brutal cliffhanger that left John alone, in the sewer, suffering from a gunshot wound, with a primal demonic creature hunting him down to devour him.

FUN, HUH?!

But I mean, obviously John’s gonna be okay… right?

Wrong, bitch.

He’s not gonna be okay at all.

While John does survive the encounter thanks to one of his endless tricks, it’s not without a cost. Constantine summons the demon lord Pazuzu into his own body, which heals his wounds and gives him the strength to survive his encounter in the sewers. But letting a demon possess you is like shoving a toy car up your nose – it may be easy to get in there, but it’s a lot more challenging to actually get out, especially with a demon of the degree of power that John summoned.

John holds off for a while, enduring the demon’s influence while Chaz and the gang seek him out and rescue him. When the demon gets frisky, however, John is once again separated from his posse and… well… some accidents happen. Accidents that result in the deaths of a quintet of gangbangers and land John in a Mexican prison.

With irresponsibly low-quality medical facilities.

While Zed, Chaz, and Anne Marie seek out a cure for John’s “condition,” Constantine himself is getting up to some trouble. He quickly attaches himself to Julio (vote for Pedro), the prison’s resident Morgan Freeman, and after a few more casualties he comes to be the prison’s alpha dog. This is actually a pretty awesome scene – seeing the possessed Constantine take on the title of the Diablo and conquer a prison full of hardened gangers? Pretty seriously badass.

This episode’s strength comes from the established attitude of episodes past. Yes, John’s possessed… and while I was tempted to just think “He’s the star, he’ll be fine by the end of the episode,” my mind quickly became plagued by nagging doubts. John hasn’t always been fine in the past. Just because he’s the star doesn’t mean he’s immune to permanent damage. So, as the episode wore on, I began to increasingly wonder exactly how it would end. A pretty impressive accomplishment for a show that hasn’t even finished its first season. Constantine means business, and more and more I’m starting to recognize it.

“Any chance we can talk this thing out?”

This episode is filled with just as much intensity, humor, character, and darkness as the ones before it. These characters are amazing, and their performances are utterly compelling. From Chaz’s fierce loyalty, to Manny’s bleak sorrow, to Zed’s endless determination, to John himself’s guilt-ridden masquerade. Never so quickly has a cast of characters started to feel like family, and with Constantine‘s steadily more tenuous lifespan, I’m starting to really become afraid of losing them.