BWW Recap: Angels, Demons and a Bloke Named CONSTANTINE

After a disastrous movie adaptation staring a miscast Keanu Reeves, DC Comics' popular master of the dark arts John CONSTANTINE gets resurrected with his own weekly TV series on NBC.

From the opening shot, you can tell this is going to be more truthful to the comic than the film was. We open on Ravenscar Asylum (taken right from the comic). John CONSTANTINE (Welsh actor Matt Ryan, who really looks the part) has voluntarily checked himself in because he botched a young girl's exorcism, damning the young girl to hell.

His therapist, Dr. Roger Huntoon (also from the comic, played here by Miles Anderson) doesn't believe in demons. He examines John's business card: Exorcist, demonologist and master of the dark arts. The number listed is 404-248-7182 (not the usual 555 number used in television and film). Turns out, it's an actual working number. If you call it, CONSTANTINE will instruct you to "leave your number and lock your doors."

In group therapy, a bored John watches a cockroach scuttle across the floor and join a cockroach convoy. He follows them into the art room where he finds one of the fellow patients is possessed and painting something on the wall in what looks like blood. He reluctantly performs an exorcism. Cathedral windows smash.The bugs scatter to reveal a message: "Liv Die."

I wouldn't want to be Liv (Lucy Griffiths, best known as Eric's sister vampire Nora on TRUE BLOOD) the least of which is the fact that Griffiths was fired and won't be sticking around after the pilot.

We first meet her stateside where she works the graveyard shift at a car rental place. In the parking lot, a fiery pit opens up, trying to swallow her. A yellow cab pulls up and John introduces himself. She takes his card and leaves.

In the fiery pit of what's left of the rental car parking lot, CONSTANTINE meets his guardian angel Manny (Harold Perrineau). John didn't just damn a girl to hell, but also his soul as well. Comic book CONSTANTINE wouldn't hang out with angels (Manny is a character created for the show). Neither, it seems with his TV counterpart. Oh, and something is on the way. For being a messenger of God, Manny sure is cryptic.

On the door of Liv's industrial loft, someone has carved the eye of Horus into it and placed an arc of salt in front of the threshold, protecting her.

John and his yellow taxi are waiting for Liv at the rental shop the next day. The carving was made by the taxi driver (and John's oldest mate) Chas Chandler (Charles Halford).

Liv's father Jasper, whom she thought died when she was born, actually died last year. Oh, and he practice magic and mentored John.

Liv has inherited her fathers gift. She sees trapped souls and even a ghost train. It is enough to convince her to go with John. The yellow cab is hit by a truck. John momentarily envisions Astra been dragged away by a demon.

John awakens to find the cab crushed, Liv trapped inside. John utters a spell to keep the demons at bay as Chas gets Liv out of the car. Chas is skewed by a downed powerline.

John doesn't appear too torn. Liv and John enter a stone cottage that's filled with all sorts of magical things (including the helmet of comic book character Dr. Fate; "Put that down, Luv, before it puts you down," he tells Liv when she picks it up).

Liv's demon is named Furcifer and it draws its strength from electricity. John wants to use Liv as bait.

But first he has another run in with Manny. Manny wants Intel on who summoned Furcifer so that Manny can save lives. John wants to know what's in it for him (that's the selfish, loveable rogue comic book fans love). Manny is gone before John learns if it isn't too late to save his own soul.

John pops in on ex-friend Ritchie Simpson (another character known to fans of the comic; played here by Jeremy Davies). John needs him to hack the power grid. Ritchie is reluctant because of what happened in Newcastle with Astra. John threatens to pin Astra's death on Ritchie if Ritchie doesn't help him. Is it any wonder why John has so few friends?

Back at the cabin, Liv is as surprised as we are to see Chas alive. "There's a reason Chas is my oldest friend: he has survival skills" John tells her (something tells me we'll find out more about Chas in future eps). They are going to trap the demon tonight, but first Chas is going to make rack of lamb. Yum!

On top of a high rise, John traps the demon after Ritchie shuts down the powergrid, thus depriving the demon of his power. The demon offers to free Astra if John lets him go. Liv tells John it's not the girl, but another demon disguised as Astra. John exorcises both demons.

Chas meets John in a bar to tell him Liv is gone, but she left him a map marked in blood (the drops indicate demonic activity). John has purposely scarred her away to keep her safe. Oh, and he stiffs Manny the angel with his bar tab.

The final scene is a young woman feverishly sketching John. Her room is littered with drawings of him.

And with that, we step back into the light until next week when we'll be back to recap CONSTANTINE's next adventure. Let us know what you thought of this new show in the comments below.

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