Constantine Quid Pro Quo
Feb. 7th, 2026 01:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethI watched the episode which explains Chas. And it does so neatly and makes him seem like a better man than John then end up... exactly the powder keg John called him. So it's a good story of itself.
It gets more interesting because this is a TV show version of the same plot in the animated movie I saw, I think City of Demons? Chas and John have to save a little girl from a coma that is actually her soul popped out and preyed on. In the animated movie it is all just demons but on TV there's a mortal man making it happen, which is an interesting choice, that changes the possible outcomes.
Felix Faust as a man who spent his life desperate for magic and is now just revelling in power makes an interesting contrast to John on the downhill in Legends. Incouding that John gets away with a Lot because he's pretty. Just so many reactions that wouldn't be the same if they swapped faces. (which is a plot bunny that occured to me sometime in the middle of the story and would have made it Very Interesting, but not easy to get out of. Though really Legends did go there. Just didn't make John deal with being old.)
The thing is though that the changes to the solution are kind of what is frustrating in the theology philosophy underpinnings of not just this show but so much horror. Used to be that fighting demons meant faith hope love and being a good person and maybe purity and suchlike. Now it can all be solved with violence.
I am not keen on a world that honestly thinks the evils can be solved with violence.
I also think that the show should bring up the possibility that doing a spot of murder could be considered a Bad Thing with consequences for your soul. Like, occasionally they could talk about it. The case for self defence can be made but it should have to be made.
The characters are fascinating but the world they've set up to put them through the wringer and the solutions to it are... worth poking pretty thoroughly.
John in this one does some Interesting magic and gets called out for having it easy and doing big magic on accident rather than with arduous research. As a Pathfinder player that's just the difference between a charisma caster and an intelligence caster. But John does do the research and is shown building new spells and having prepared a lot earlier so it's more like he's being perceived as Just Lucky when he's more complicated than that. It's a good source of tension with other magic users though, like the objections to him mixing traditions.
Also the thing where people keep getting killed doing him favours is, you know, sufficiently tense.
I liked the very last moments where they show John on the bed all exhausted getting comfy and then oull back and he's lying like the tarot Hanged Man.
Yep.
I continue to enjoy this series and I would happily watch the remaining episodes except then I have watched them all.
It is in fact tempting me to re buy Hellblazer comics, possibly in omnibus form, which would be spendy.
Probably I will rewatch Legends of Tomorrow again instead.
After.
It gets more interesting because this is a TV show version of the same plot in the animated movie I saw, I think City of Demons? Chas and John have to save a little girl from a coma that is actually her soul popped out and preyed on. In the animated movie it is all just demons but on TV there's a mortal man making it happen, which is an interesting choice, that changes the possible outcomes.
Felix Faust as a man who spent his life desperate for magic and is now just revelling in power makes an interesting contrast to John on the downhill in Legends. Incouding that John gets away with a Lot because he's pretty. Just so many reactions that wouldn't be the same if they swapped faces. (which is a plot bunny that occured to me sometime in the middle of the story and would have made it Very Interesting, but not easy to get out of. Though really Legends did go there. Just didn't make John deal with being old.)
The thing is though that the changes to the solution are kind of what is frustrating in the theology philosophy underpinnings of not just this show but so much horror. Used to be that fighting demons meant faith hope love and being a good person and maybe purity and suchlike. Now it can all be solved with violence.
I am not keen on a world that honestly thinks the evils can be solved with violence.
I also think that the show should bring up the possibility that doing a spot of murder could be considered a Bad Thing with consequences for your soul. Like, occasionally they could talk about it. The case for self defence can be made but it should have to be made.
The characters are fascinating but the world they've set up to put them through the wringer and the solutions to it are... worth poking pretty thoroughly.
John in this one does some Interesting magic and gets called out for having it easy and doing big magic on accident rather than with arduous research. As a Pathfinder player that's just the difference between a charisma caster and an intelligence caster. But John does do the research and is shown building new spells and having prepared a lot earlier so it's more like he's being perceived as Just Lucky when he's more complicated than that. It's a good source of tension with other magic users though, like the objections to him mixing traditions.
Also the thing where people keep getting killed doing him favours is, you know, sufficiently tense.
I liked the very last moments where they show John on the bed all exhausted getting comfy and then oull back and he's lying like the tarot Hanged Man.
Yep.
I continue to enjoy this series and I would happily watch the remaining episodes except then I have watched them all.
It is in fact tempting me to re buy Hellblazer comics, possibly in omnibus form, which would be spendy.
Probably I will rewatch Legends of Tomorrow again instead.
After.