General Thoughts Review: Constantine (TV Show)

I really had no interest in watching the Constantine TV series when it aired in 2014. I don't much care about the character. Yes, I've read some of the comics and... well, I just wasn't all that impressed. He was not something I thought I would like.

When Matt Ryan reprised his role on Arrow, I really enjoyed the appearance and found that, for the first time ever, I had a glimmer of interest in the character. Then Ryan showed up on Legends of Tomorrow and... well. He convinced me. He inhabits the role so completely and so well that I actually enjoy the character. I enjoy his journey (which is compelling, but I found boringly written in the comics I've read). His facial expressions and ability to clearly show that he cares a lot - while pretending to be a callous a-hole - just MAKE the character for me.

Anyway, I was convinced by his appearances on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow that his own series was worth checking out. Fortunately, my subscription to DC Universe comes with the whole series. So I binged it.

I really enjoyed the series. If the supporting cast had as much charisma as Ryan, I think it would still be running. As it is, the other characters were not enough to make up for some slightly weak scripts. Ryan did a valiant job of carrying the show on his shoulders, but despite his performances it wasn't enough to push this from a decent show to something that everyone who saw it would want to keep watching.

For me the best episode was early in the series, when John has to hunt down an old phonograph record that has the sounds of a jazz musician being pulled to hell. It was intense all the way through and introduced the season's apparent Big Bad. It also showed that Constantine's heart is completely in the right place, regardless of what he does.

I very much disliked the final scene of the show, although I could see it coming to some extent.

The series left a few hanging plot threads, and I'm not sure whether the animated specials clear any of them up. I do know that John's moment of despair in Legends of Tomorrow is NOT the same one as in the series (Newcastle) which makes me curious whether there's an in-series reason for that. I would guess the real-life reason would be the number of people who were known to be present in Newcastle who would have have to be rehired as actors in the "John erases his mistake and breaks all of time" episode.

So, overall, I really enjoyed Constantine and I'm glad Ryan is able to continue playing the character in Legends.