BWW Recap: CONSTANTINE and the Secret Origins of Chas

John and the gang come face to face with one of DC Comics' biggest magical baddies Felix Faust and we finally find out why Chas just won't stay dead in tonight's episode of CONSTANTINE, "Quid Pro Quo" Sit a spell, won't you?

And the writers waste no time in introducing Felix Faust. On a rooftop in New York City, Faust (Mark Margolis from BREAKING BAD) conjures a dark spell, it's snake-like smoke weaves its way down a chimney and to the bedroom where a little girl is brushing her doll's hair. It quickly envelopes her.

Back at the magic cabin, John (Matt Ryan) has finished casting a spell that will make it hard for anyone but Zed (Angelic Celaya), John and Chas (Charles Halford) to find the place. It's a necessary spell, given the cult who worship Zed's father have previously tried to kidnap her. Of course, Zed hasn't exactly told John who took her. He corners her and demands answers. Daddy's cult is called the resurrection crusade, an ultra-conservative and ultra-crazy group of Christian fanatics. "I don't care if he's the heavenly father, luv," John reassures her, "He ain't gettin' past me." For those of us familiar with the comics, we know John's loyalty knows no bounds.

Chas, meanwhile, is on the way to visit his daughter in Brooklyn (where, shock upon shock, the stigmata map has indicated this week's case will be found). New York is probably the one place where Chas' bright yellow taxi will blend in. How cool is it that Chas' choice of driving music is Blue Oyster Cult's "(Dont Fear) The Reaper"? Awesome!

As the song plays, he is lost in his thoughts. It's Chas origins story! John is drunk at a bar (thanks to Chas picking up the bar tab). Chas is leaving. John doesn't think he's sober enough to drive. He grabs some salt (left on the bar from a round of tequila shots), throws salt over both of Chas' shoulders and casts a spell.

The band goes on stage in the crowded bar (Louisiana Hall of Fame rockers Lillian Axe, playing themselves). Something goes wrong with the pyrotechniques (seriously, in a tiny club). Chas jumps into action and saves many people and dies the first of many times.

Flash back to the future. John and Zed pack for New York. John's essentials are powder and a brush that belonged to English Occultist Aleister Crowley and sinew from Achille's heel (it robs anything it touches of its magic; now we know why his heel was weak).

Chas has made it to New York. His ex-wife Renee (Amanda Clayton) has already put his daughter Geraldine (Alexa Nisenson) to bed as he is an hour late picking her up. She calls him Francis and he reminds her never to call him that. He goes upstairs. It's his daughter that was attacked by the smoke. She lies on the floor in a coma.

John and Zed arrive at the hospital and it seems that Chas' daughter isn't the only one to have fallen into a coma. The hospital is filled with patients with the same condition. John breaks out Crowley's powder. It reveals celestial burn marks. Her soul has been pulled from her body. Someone is using it (and all the other souls) for some very dark, dark magic. Renee arrives and is less than thrilled to see John (who could blame her given John's track record when in comes to saving kids).

Comic book fans will recognize aspects of tonight's plot from the graphic novel "All His Engines," written by Mike Carey and illustrated by Leonardo Manco. Although Felix Faust played no role in that story.

Being at his daughter's bedside triggers another flashback. When Chas wakes up in the hospital after the bar fire, his daughter's eyes and smile are the first thing he sees. Halford's portrayal of Chas in that moment feels so raw and emotional.

Back to the present, where John, Zed and Chas are in a not-so-nice area of town to see a medium friend of Johns. The medium is named Fennel (Roger Floyd) and he is yet another one of John's friends who is now paranoid beyond belief. After Chas takes Fennel's gun and smacks him in the face with it, Fennel agrees to do the spell. There's a pentagram and candles. Zed, John and Fennel hold hands and Fennel channels her. Before Geraldine can reveal any more, Fennel's body rises into the air, the candles burst in bigger flames. The demon possessing Fennel warns John before Fennel bursts into flames, burning him alive.

Zed touches a notebook and has a vision. It's a laboratory near a rail yard. Before she can get any more details, Faust slashes her with his knife. Back in the real world, her arm is bleeding. The trio head to rail yard, but there is seeingly nothing there. John tosses a hubcab at the empty space and it disappears. John casts a spell and the cloak of invisibility drops.

Faust is waiting for them. John almost seems relieved that he's only dealing with Faust this week and not some demon from hell. John refers to him as a second fiddle to some of the greatest dark magicians. Comic fans know that Faust is not one to be taken lightly.

Chas goest to attach Faust and with the flick of his wrist Faust magically twists Chas' head and he screams in pain. Faust isn't screwing around. He wants John to dispatch the demon (who is absorbing some of the souls and thus Faust's power). If John does this, Faust will release Geraldine's soul.

Since this is all hitting to close to home, John tells Chas he will be of no use. Chas returns to the hospital and we have another flashback. John tells Chas that the protection spell he cast worked with some unseen side affects: Chas has been given the 47 lives that were taken in the fire (thus explaining how he keeps cheating death). He can do it 47 times.

Zed and John track down the demon in another abandon warehouse. John uses a rune stone, but the demon keeps moving. Zed volunteers to lure the demon out and into a holding circle that will imprison the demon once John Lights it. Trouble is, John's trusty lighter is not so trusty this time. He improvises, using a cattle prod he stole from Fennel's shop.

Faust attmpts to weasil out of the deal. John killed the demon, he didn't send it back to hell as were the terms of the deal. As they leave, Chas punches out John and head's back to see Faust.

Flashback again. Chas has missed his daughter's birthday out of a sense of obligation to defeat another demon. Chas tries to explain how he feels he owes each of the souls he carries. Renee feels he only owes his family a life.

Chas enters Faust's lair and offers him 32 souls. Faust doesn't believe him, so Chas kills himself telling Faust when he comes back he will only have 31 sould to offer.

Back at the hospital, Zed offers to try and chanel Geraldine, but collapses because of it. As medical folks descend upon her, her purse opens and Renee spies the address of the train yard.

Back at Faust's lair, Chas and Faust seal the deal with a handshake. Before Chas let's go, he tells Faust that he's changed the terms of the deal. He drops a grenade between them and tells Faust the only one of them is going to come back from this. Renee enters just as the two blow up.

Outside, John tries to explain/console Renee. He apologizes for breaking up their marriage, but notes that if he hadn't, a lot of people --including her daughter-- would be dead. He sends her to the hospital.

Final flashback. Chas has just been served his divorce papers. John tells him he can either tag along, with him using his unique gift in the fight agains evil or try to live a normal life (well, 47 normal lives, actually). Chas opts to work with John.

Back in modern times, Chas returns home. Renee is relieved to actually see him. He goes upstairs. She's made him a friendship braclet. He begins to read her a book. It's filled with pictures of all the souls he now carries. He has learned about every one of their lives and he now shares their stories with Geraldine.

Final moment: John visits Zed in the hospital. She's still kind of out of it, but tells John his mother wants John to know her death wasn't John's fault. Zed passes out again. He lays down next to her.

And with that, the spellbook closes for another week. I loved Chas' backstory. What did you think? Comment below and follow me @triggercric and follow @BWWTVWorld for all the latest updates, scoops and recaps.

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