TV Review: CONSTANTINE: Season 1, Episode 2: The Darkness Beneath [NBC]

NBC’s Constantine The Darkness Beneath TV Show Review. Constantine: Season 1, Episode 2: The Darkness Beneath is more of a case-of-the-week episode as we see John Constantine (Matt Ryan) dealing with supernatural spirits in a mine as viewers are also introduced to a new character named Zed Martin (Angelica Celaya). Despite some editing and storyline issues, the episode still makes the show enjoyable after the lackluster pilot.

The episode begins with a man coming home from working in the mines as he goes in for a shower. He starts getting mud dropped on his face and then fire fumes from the showerhead burning the man alive. The show jumps into action as our titular occult detective heads to a small town in Pittsburgh, Penn. Thanks to Liv’s map from the pilot, John decides to investigate the miner’s death online after his buddy Chas decides to pass on traveling with him while he works another case. This at least gives Constantine a chance to meet our fellow artist Zed, who was teased at the end of last week’s premiere.

After bumping into each other, Zed is surprised to see Constantine is real and not a figment of her imagination after drawing many pictures of him. Zed asks for his help but utterly refuses, thinking she’s crazy so he leaves her off. Zed does however swipe his ID card to find out who he is. Constantine heads into the local bar where he finds out from the local miners that they have dug really deep into the mines and have unknowingly opened a gateway to Hell. John takes a look at the situation in the mines but he gets stuck from a cave-in after the spirits sense him entering.

Constantine does somehow escape after the break as we see him at the victim’s wake bringing in some frozen dinner (Real smooth there, lassie). He ends up heading to the bathroom where the victim died in the shower, until his wife shows up asking questions. Constantine lies to her by saying he is a reporter and wants some information on how the victim died. Covered in soot and coal dust, the wife doesn’t seem to care about how her abusive husband died. She tells him a story about how her husband tricked her into marriage and starts hitting on him. After refusing her advances, the wife kicks Constantine out of her house creating a huge scene with the guests. Constantine ends up fighting against a group of miners, which he loses. He leaves, but not without warning everyone that something unnatural is occurring in the mines and has already begun to wreak havoc in the town.

John returns to his hotel room where Zed has been apparently waiting for him. Zed tells Jack that he has been in her mind for months, but doesn’t know why. Zed has some ability that allows her to go into Constantine’s mind by touch. While knowing this hesitates John, he uses her ability to his advantage. Constantine uses Zed’s ability by having her close her eyes and puts some coal goo into her hand, where she is able to see how the victim died and sees the last vision of a tall cross. Being the trickster he is, Constantine sneaks out of his hotel, leaving Zed alone as he heads to the church. Constantine hears some sounds coming from the abandoned church, but it turns out to be a young couple having sex. After shooing them away, Constantine uses a spell to allow him to see the demon’s true form.

After being ditched, Zed follows on John’s trail as she hits up the local bar where she finds a former priest who lost his son in the mines. The mine has become trouble for the town despite it being the only source of income for many of the families. Zed returns to her place and unexpectedly finds Constantine on her couch taking a nap. Constantine warns Zed that there are dangerous things in this world that she can’t handle, but Zed won’t leave so they form an alliance. They soon hear sirens coming from the mines signaling a collapse after heading a strange knock. John and Zed head to the mine to warn the workers that there is danger in the mines unless they shut it down. As John does though, the car he’s in gets filled with muddy water and a ghoulish hand tries to drown our hero, but Zed comes in time to save him from death.

John reveals to Zed that what they’re dealing with is called a Coblynau, an ancient Welsh spirit that haunts in the mines. The duo figures that the priest must have summoned the Colbynau to exact revenge on the miners for losing his son. After using Zed’s ability to locate him, Constantine finds out he wasn’t behind it after doing a spell on him. The next suspect is the boss of the miners, but the Colbynau in the mines also attacks him and his son.

John and Zed get to them in time as Zed paints a symbol and John uses a spell to remind the spirit that it must protect the Earth. After that’s done, John plants some explosives to destroy the mine. Zed invites the priest for some closure by allowing him to activate the explosives to seal the mine. The case isn’t solved yet as Constantine must stop the conjurer of the Colbynau.

The culprit is revealed to be the wife of the first victim who has been ready for Constantine to show up after summoning some spirits for backup. In a sudden twist, John manages to summon the spirit of the abusive husband to drag his wife into Hell with him, banishing the Colbynau out of town.

The episode ends with Constantine telling Zed that he works alone, saying that the people who put their trust in him dies. However, Zed convinces him that they have met for a reason and that he may need her more than ever.

Overall, the way that the case was resolved didn’t seem fair but at least we got to see Constantine in action. We also get a fairly good introduction to Zed Martin, and we will be seeing more of her this season. Plus, next week’s episode will bring in another character from the comics and Constantine’s first adversary: Papa Midnite.

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