Constantine – S1 Ep8 – The Saint of Last Resorts – Pt 1 Review

The episode starts off in a classic ‘scary story’ setting- a convent at night. We see a man and woman in the infirmary, the woman having just given birth to a child. Wonderful moment right? Of course, this is Constantine so this moment is quickly spoiled by a creature with horrible claws/talons stealing the baby and mauling the mother to death. Again another solid opening for the show- they really do set the tone for the episode!

At HQ Zed is sitting drawing and John is, well, talking until they are interrupted by an image that has been projected of a woman named Anne Marie. From this conversation we find out that John owes her a favour- later finding out that she was involved with ‘Newcastle’. It is here that our episode splits into two distinct storylines, which makes me a little sad as it means that even though Chas is back in the episode, the three aren’t working together again. However, it all works well in this episode.

HQ
Zed stays to rest after her dealing with the fallen angel. After having been told by John she is quite safe, we see later on that not all of his defensive devices have worked. Having to out for more art supplies, Zed just so happens to bump into the man from the life drawing class/the one she has arranged to go to on a date with. How convenient. They end up having their little date there and then, however during this Zed touches his arm and gets one of her visions. Seemingly thinking nothing of it, Zed invites him back to HQ and then, well the shit hits the fan. Turning on him, Zed questions his motives and demands to know why he is after her. A few thing come to light here. 1- Zed’s name is Mary (but she does tell him “don’t you dare call me that”) 2- this thing goes deep. We find out snippets of Zed’s childhood e.g. that she was locked in her own room, for her own safety and ‘salvation’. Two other intruders have entered HQ (not sure how they got by John’s defences? Or what exactly they are). We find out they are linked to something to do with the ‘Crusades’. Which, at this point in time we do not know if our team have any prior knowledge to what this is, and how exactly will affect them all. This little side plot ends with a chase, and Zed showing us that she can be pretty damn resourceful, quick thinking and competent on her own. This side plot has hopefully given us some more pieces of the ‘Rising Darkness’ jigsaw, perhaps more to come in part 2.

Mexico
John and Chas arrive to find out that their old friend is now a nun! Tension runs high between John and Anne Marie- but we find out that John was a last resort and that he owes her a favour and also that they have a sexual history together. John and Chas find out what has been happening, and John sets out to do what he needs. I must say, I do not get squeamish very often, but when John cut through the ‘pear’, I winced – makes a visual impact for sure! However, from this we find out that the kidnapper/killer is targeting the father’s family. Visiting the family we find out that what is haunting them is old, primordial almost. Here we have the connection to the series as a whole and of the ‘Rising Darkness’, and things again start to fall into place a little more. Constantine’s rituals as very visual this episode and again just shows the variety of ways in which he gets his information.

As to not give away a lot of spoilers, John finds out who has been taking the children, and they set a trap/ruse for them, so they can find the location of the others! Surprisingly a chicken works well as a fake baby, and down underground they go. They finish their objective of finding the babies. We find out who/what the demon is and the grander plan is explained- Hell and Earth shall be one! John is visibly perplexed- he doesn’t know what he can do, especially if creatures such as these keep appearing. After these (plot device) discussions, John and Anne Marie still need to get themselves and the babies to safety. But massive twist as Anne Marie shoots John as to provide a distraction- “No price is too high to save the innocent”.

The episode ends tensely, as John is hunched against the wall, bleeding out, as the creature closes in on him. Part two cannot come quick enough.

Constantine – S1 Ep7 – Blessed are the Damned Review

We start off the episode in a town called Briarwood. We are introduced to a brother and sister (the familiar face of Juliana Harkavy) and an ominous looking box- which we find out soon enough houses a snake. We cut to the local church, where the brother, Zack is a preacher. We find out that Zack’s father died previously and he has taken over. This is where the snake comes in. He preaches about the saviour and being safe but then things go a little wrong and after being bitten, he mediately falls to the floor dead. Shocked faces everywhere, but not as shocked as when he comes back alive again. He proceeds to heal a man with an amputation- growing the leg fully back. Miracles. Knowing the show, this cannot be a good sign- and neither was the glowing object Zack put in his pocket.

The show then cuts to Zed at a still life class. Which is a good time to point out that I almost forgot she was an artist- so thank you for this! However this is cut short with a blood-curdling shriek as Zed has a vision of snakes all around her ankles. Class goes into a short break, and during this time we see the life model talk to Zed, asking her out. Zed seems a little held back and hesitant in giving him her number, but changes her mind. Is this hesitant as there may be something with John? Or just not ready to date? Or just simply not interested? I like to think that Zed is holding back as she has some feelings for John, but we shall see how this potential story comes into place.

Zed heads to see John to tell him of the vision and the pair of them head to Briarwood. The conversations between them are quite important as we see a little more insight into Zed’s character. She believes that there is ‘something’ else in life- a guiding hand of it all. We also find out later in the episode that she would like to know where her powers come from- something that has not really came up much in the show so far! After chatting a little they head into see the preacher in his church. A massive contrast to size of congregation- there are people coming from all over to see Zack’s miracles. Constantine recognises (but doesn’t understand) the language of the angels that Zack is chanting during his service- Enochian. After the service they speak to him one-to-one and Zed has a vision- there are wings and its all shadowy, however one thing is certain. Zed confirms that Zack is faithful and has good intentions. Constantine however is less impressed and simply tries to get a measure of him.

The show cuts to the man in the first scene- the amputee man who grew his leg back! At the doctors surgery we see him turn. His skin changes, sweating and then he turns animalistic -attacking the doctor and later, the sheriff. His eyes are red. Something has indeed went wrong with the miracles. Who would have thought??

Constantine yells out for Manny, which is significant for a couple of reasons, however, this is the first time Zed finds out about him, and the fact that angels really do exist and are in contact with John Constantine! This leads onto Constantine and Zed finding a hurt fallen angel and how it happened i.e. damage to the wings. Things are definitely piecing together.

We head back to Zack and his sister Sarah where we find out that Sarah is getting more and more worried about where the powers come from. We find out a lot of her worries surround Zack and how he has been a changed man for a while. I get a vibe here that Zack may have killed his father and this is how he is trying to prove himself? But these are just my speculations. This would have been a good little sub-plot to expand a little, but timing and pace of the episode- I get it!

Suddenly the pace of the show gets a lot faster when we basically see more attacks by the first ‘miracle’ guy- we found out upon his death that he is a ‘ghoul’- i.e. he is formed when magic goes wrong. Constantine and Zed work out a plan to steal Zack’s source of power (the feather from the angel) however, it’s not that easy. While being chased by ghouls, Zack confessed to killing his father (I KNEW IT) and then Constantine puts two and two together and realises that the angel is not good! Beautifully terrible we see the fallen angel in all her glory and we see her end. It would be nice if the series looked more at angels and their place in it all, as from what little we know of her and of Manny, I am extremely interested.

The episode ends with Zed on the phone to her date (I didn’t even pick up his name). A light conversation that ends with them re-arranging to meet another time. This more light-heartedness abruptly comes to an end as the man from the date isn’t alone and we find out that people are after Zed. Who? Who knows… but an interesting ending to the episode all the same!

 

Crisis On Infinite Earths – Pt5 – Legends Of Tomorrow Review

For Ollie

We all knew from the outset that the Monitor had foreseen Oliver’s death and in a bargain Oliver had agreed to sacrifice his life to restore the balance and to save Kara and Barry. This bargain set up the most anticipated crossover in years and the finale did not disappoint. It answered a number of questions besides opening up possibilities. Saving the multiverse meant creating a new beginning and this new beginning has seen earths merge, bad guys become good guys and changes to the team’s families. The team may need time to discover what has changed but what hasn’t is the celebration of friends and family and the continued sacrifice that Oliver made.

The team didn’t have long to grieve before having to deal with a giant Beebo and jewellery robbery. Personally I would have just removed its batteries. However it isn’t long before the Anti-Monitor and his Shadow Hunters are back. Oliver’s sacrifice restored the universe but did not kill the Anti-Monitor. The team split up to tackle the Shadow Hunters. We have a team of substance between Mick, Killer Frost and the newly named Sparkles. This earth isn’t going to be lacking in terms of heroes.   This was the team’s challenge to face. To defeat the Anti-Monitor the geek team devise a shrink bomb which cuts the Anti-Monitor down to size and victory is finally achieved. The Paragons working together to protect Oliver’s legacy.

Although the team won the loss of Oliver is felt widely and the world acknowledges the role that Oliver Queen played and the sacrifice that he made. The dedication to Oliver and the feeling of loss is clear throughout the episode. The round table was a really clever touch with the green arrow seat remaining vacant but still with a seat at the table. The table being round to me has significance and almost an Arthuresque  quality – the circle has no beginning and no end which fits with the infinite universes that they saved. There is no head of the table because the circle means that they are all equal. A truly remarkable symbol of equality.

I really hoped that somehow fate could be changed and Ollie would make it through somehow. But Ollie did succeed in saving his family, his friends and the multiverse. I am intrigued with how this single / new merged world of heroes will play out and what other changes to the world they knew? I guess when they go back to their cities we will see whether everything is as it appears. Has Lex really changed his colours? The teams will now have a new variety of dangers and this opens the possibilities for the evil that they could face going forward. Although this episode is moving Arrow towards its ultimate conclusion I really enjoyed the celebration of family, friendship and the duty that the team feels it has to each other and the multiverse. The circular table of paragons is a symbol of bringing together the best that the world has to offer. Seeing Diggle get his daughter back was a nice touch. Will this change mean that JJ will take a different path to the one we have witnessed? Also seeing Brandon in his super suit again didn’t hurt either as the multiple earths came back. As they defeated what seemed like the impossible all that’s left to say is…..Crisis averted.

Crisis On Infinite Earths – Pt4 – Arrow Review

I’m not even sure where to begin with this. Part 4 completely surpassed my expectations and it’s quite difficult to articulate how it left you feeling. It was television on a cinematic scale.

You’d better suit up
Right from the first scene you really feel that Crisis has cranked up a gear in its conclusion. The opening of the episode shows us Mar Novu on Planet Maltus 10,000 years ago, preparing to travel to the dawn of time, assisted by his wife, Xneen, THE MONITOR (!) and it gave us further insight and context to the origin of the whole story. More to the point, it got your heart racing in anticipation for what was to come.

Following on from where we left off before Christmas, the seven paragons have been left in waiting for months at the Vanishing Point and their desperation and despair translates so well on screen. Completing his training with Jim Corrigan, Oliver joins them with a plan which pushes Barry to the forefront after Oliver gives him a power boost. His friends are all confused. Is he Oliver or isn’t he? He doesn’t really give them much clarity when he tells them he is more than Oliver Queen now … he’s Spectre. Oliver’s transformation and Stephen Amell’s portrayal of his new incarnation is just fantastic. We are left in no doubt that Oliver Queen is gone and this person isn’t him. His new sith-like costume (thank you Ryan Choi for that), his stance and most noticeably, his voice have all transformed giving us an almost other worldly version of him.

The paragons are all sent on a mission which takes them to The Anti Montor where they face the biggest fight of their lives. Each paragon had their moment during the episode. Osric Chau really does continue to shine as Ryan Choi, Melissa Benoist is Supergirl at her best (she has been sensational during this crossover) and Jon Cryer simply dazzles once again as Lex uses the end of the universe to plot and scheme. I have to also add that J’onn totally upped his game and gave us an all new, empowered Martian Manhunter in this episode and we have David Harewood at his very best.

No, I’m Barry Allen
There are several stand out moments in this episode but there’s one which will have excited fans beyond belief. We had heard rumours. We had got our hopes up. We didn’t think it was possible … but this episode connected to the DCEU by giving us Ezra Miller. EZRA MILLER!!!! I unfortunately had this moment spoilt on twitter before watching but in no way did it take anyway any inch of the enjoyment. This was so much fun and broke so much tension by making you smile. It was also really important as Ezra’s version of The Flash has no knowledge of the multiverse previous to meeting this Barry and wouldn’t it be great if that fed into The Flashpoint movie we’re waiting for. They argue over being Barry Allen and admire each other’s suits and this scene was perfection. I can’t believe they actually managed to make it happen.

There was an end and there is a beginning
As they all prepare to fight the shadow demons to get to the Anti Monitor, Oliver shows up again and gives a few cryptic clues which come in very handy. His new green robe and wise words give off immense Yoda vibes! The fight scenes were great and it was a great moment to see Oliver using his new powers. He defeats the Anti Monitor but the exhilaration quickly expires as Oliver meets his fate and the episode ends with the moment we’ve all been dreading – his death. Although we knew it was coming it didn’t make this any easier. As he watches the dawn of the new universe he assures Barry and Sara he is at peace and urges them to carry on, that the new world needs them. Dying is the easy part after all apparently. Stephen Amell … I just can’t. I just wish that Emily Bett was a part of this scene, it was the only thing missing. People may moan that we’ve already seen Oliver die in this crossover, but this was much more deserving for the character and plays out more in the way I had hoped for. You can tell me it’s only a tv show but I feel devastated and for that reason I’m going to end the review here and try to put my thoughts together for the final episode.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover really did deliver everything we had hoped for though and I just can’t see how they will ever be able to top this. An event in television we haven’t seen before and aren’t likely to see again.

Crisis On Infinite Earths – Pt3 – The Flash Review

Even in the darkest times, hope cuts through

Erm ….. WOW!

Part 3 of the crossover was INSANE – starting with a cameo from Ashley Scott as Huntress from the 2002 Birds of Prey series. As the red skies take over New Gotham, she’s trying to contact Oracle and then we see their Earth is the latest to be obliterated.

Seeing as it’s The Flash’s episode of the crossover, Cisco, Ralph, Iris and Frost arrive on the Waverider, as well as Diggle who reacts badly to news that Oliver has been dunked in a Lazarus pit. Ralph is well excited to be included in this crossover and gives us his best classic Robin impression. Thanks to Cisco we discover the remaining paragons – The Flash (Love), Martian Manhunter (Honour) and Ryan Choi (Hunanity). This leads the group of heroes to break off again on separate missions.

Super friends

Kate and Kara have made a firm friendship during the week and it’s quite nice to see some female solidarity. We saw that Kate kept the kryptonite she found at Bruce’s mansion and we learn that this wasn’t for any sinister reason. Phew. They have done a great job with Kate Kane during the crossover and I feel like we’re seeing a very different Batwoman to the one portrayed in her own series. I’ve seen people compare the beginnings of their relationship to Batman and Superman and actually, yes! It’s looking like that’s how it will evolve.

Lian Yu need to come home

Constantine, Mia and Diggle continue the mission to bring back Oliver’s soul. Their journey leads them to an old acquaintance of Constantine and gives us another fun cameo from Tom Ellis as Lucifer. This was a brilliant scene where Lucifer repays a favour and gives them a way to rescue Oliver. They are sent to Purgatory (Lian Yu) and after Oliver has an initial bad reaction to them, he ends up refusing to go home as he knows what he has to do. He’s met by The Spectre who seems to transfer energy to him which takes him to the next stage of his mission. I was left a little bit numb when Oliver died in the first episode and still didn’t know what to do with myself until this moment of hope that his journey isn’t finished yet. I’m excited to see what happens with him now.

Atoms and flashes of lightning

Iris, Ray and Ralph head off in search of Ryan Choi. I think we know where this is heading with Brandon Routh leaving Legends soon and I for one approve as Osric Chau makes a really good first impression. The rest of team Flash meet Pariah and find their way beyond the wall Nash Wells was trying to access. Vibe has his powers forced upon him by The Monitor but they came in very handy. The Flash from Earth-90 has been trapped for the past year in a forcefield, running on a treadmill used to power up the Anti Monitor’s cannon. It’s always great to see John Wesley-Shipp but this time is a much sadder occasion. Black Lightning makes his first appearance in the Arrowverse after being transported and therefore saved from his Earth’s destruction. We’ve waited a long time to see this and I’d say this won’t be the only time we see Black Lightning in this universe as he and The Flash seem to hit it off really well.

Barry’s fate is revealed to be all a panic over nothing. Earth-90 Flash momentarily steals Barry’s speed and gives his life to save everyone. This was a lovely moment as we were given a flashback to his series and a scene of him with Tina.

Destiny

With everyone back on the waverider, they begin to decide what needs to be done next. Harbinger returns infected by The Anti Monitor and takes the seven paragons to the vanishing point, before the rest of our friends are met by the red skies. Lex makes one last dastardly move as he replaces Routh’s Superman as a paragon. Gasp!

With only the seven of them left (and Oliver) the remainder of Crisis is sure to be shocking. It’s just a shame we have a whole month to wait for it.

See you in 2020 people!