‘Constantine’ episode 6 review: The NBC show finds its footing

For weeks, we have wondered whether or not “Constantine” was going to end up being a good series, or simply one that was only partially utilize the potential of its source material.

Luckily, we feel like Friday night’s new installment really marked a significant move in the right direction. For the first time really all season long, we really felt like the show started to completely figure out just how it could operate as a TV series, and not just a collection of good stuff that comic-book fans will recognize. There was enough for Hellblazer fans to be appreciative, but enough for neophytes to get into, as well.

The story this week was John’s attempt to try and stop a child who was possessed with an evil spirit, and the variety of ways in which he went about trying to repair the situation. In most ways, this story was extremely straightforward, but also easy to follow and full of a few good twists here and there as John eventually managed to succeed.

The real anchor here ultimately was Matt Ryan, who continues to bring just enough fun to the role, but also plenty of drama and gravitas at the same time. He’s a guy you want to root for, but also a guy with plenty of imperfections to boot. That’s why he is one of our favorite heroes out there, mostly because he would hardly profess himself as such.

Are there still a few lingering issues here? Sure, at least in that nobody in the cast yet has matched Ryan, and we need to get more of an inclination as to where this is going long-term. But for an episode airing on Black Friday, and after coping with the news that the first season will only have 13 episodes, we enjoyed this more than we thought we would. Grade: B+.

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