TV Review: Constantine 1×3 – “The Devil’s Vinyl”

Constantine is finally closer to getting on the right track to living up to its true potential. Up to this point, the show has been in a gray area, teetering between mediocrity and magnificence. We finally get a glimpse of the Constantine some of us know from the comic books, but there is still a ways to go. This episode takes us to my hometown of Chicago to investigate a vinyl record that has a demonic voice in it. Zed hunts down Constantine using her powers and finds the mill. She’s persistent, but at least she’s useful. Right before she finds the disturbance in Chicago, we also get a look into a never ending corridor, but John guarantees us that even he’s not ready for that one.

Jasmine Fell goes to the abandoned Moonrise Studios in the south side of Chicago to find a famous record. Not just any record, but the only ever recorded Acetate of famous musician Willie Cole, who is said to have sold his soul to the devil for his talent. This Faustian story may sound familiar, and that’s because it is based on a real person, Robert Johnson, who was also believed to have sold his soul to the devil for his amazing musical ability. The only difference is that as soon as Willie Cole began laying down his record, his time came up and hell came to collect him. All of that was placed onto the record, so any time it is played, chaos and destruction break loose and it always results in bloodshed. His old friend Bernie, who Jasmine took the record to for verification, was the one of the victims of the record after stabbing himself. Yep, I think that’s verification enough.

For his next trick, Constantine may need a hand. Not just any hand, but one that can temporarily bring the dead to life. After finding out the existence of the Acetate, and getting it verified by the man who was there when it was created, he is on the trail of Ian Fell, a famous rock star. Thinking that Ian made a deal with the devil for his “talent”, Constantine is convinced that he is trying to get out of his deal. Unfortunately, it turns out it was Jasmine who made the original deal, and it wasn’t for fame and fortune, but instead to cure Ian’s terminal cancer. Jasmine was told that her soul would be returned to her if she were to find the Acetate before her contract was up. Now this is where things gets fun.

As a fan of the “Hellblazer” comic books, my main complaint with the show is that while Matt Ryan almost perfectly embodies John Constantine, there is not enough fun transferred over. Constantine has a wide array of spells and tricks, but up until now, we have barely gotten a glimpse of them. That appears to be changing, especially with the introduction of one of my favorite characters: Papa Midnite. This voodoo crime lord is the one who had Jasmine hunt down the Acetate for him. When Constantine gets in his way, he ties him up, injects him with anti-coagulants and cuts his arm so he can bleed out slowly. Oh, he also leaves him a very poorly fabricated bottle of Vitamin K (shame on your production design team).

The men Papa Midnite sent to get the Acetate seem to have taken a detour to a club. The record spoke to them and demanded to be played. That, too, of course, resulted in a blood bath. They next attempt to get the record aired on the radio, but with the help of Zed, Chas and even Papa Midnite, they manage to stop it. The recording seems to be powerful enough to use as a bartering chip. For Constantine, it could mean saving his soul from hell. For Papa Midnite, it could just be another weapon in his arsenal. Unfortunately, so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, Constantine must destroy it and send it back to hell. We’ll be seeing a lot more of Papa Midnite, I can guarantee you.

Overview: This is not the Constantine I know, but it’s getting there. This episode was much gorier than the past two, which makes it more authentic for the source material. It’s suppose to be horrific and it’s suppose to be scary. That’s where the sense of danger lies. Constantine has been lacking that so far, but this episode shows us glimpses of it, and of greater things to come. If all of the future episodes were of the caliber this one was, I’d be content with the series, but it can (and hopefully will) live up to its potential the deeper we go into hell and Constantine’s own backstory. Also, more punk rock music.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10