Hey-oh! Anyone catch the pilot last night? I was watching the Royals hold tightly to their one run lead and missed the first part. I caught most of the rest and was almost totally lost. I don't know about Hellblazer or John Constantine, so I was really l lost by the end. Great visuals though.
If you missed it, the pilot is currently free on iTunes for you to download. I'll rewatch it and hopefully it will make more sense.
Thought it was pretty strong. Nice effects. Some well done creepy imagery. Decent acting. Perhaps the the best debut ep of any of the current comic shows?
Did any of you have any issues with the female lead like I did?
I did not, but she's not coming back. Pilot to second episode change, the like of which sometimes happens. Different actress as a different character for next episode.
Did any of you have any issues with the female lead like I did?
I did not, but she's not coming back. Pilot to second episode change, the like of which sometimes happens. Different actress as a different character for next episode.
Yeah, they decided she didn't really work and dropped her like a ton of bricks. It's the only reason I'm going to watch a second episode, see if the change makes any kind of difference.
I watched this when it aired on Friday night. And I will admit, it was the first time I think I had watched something when it aired since True Detective was on. So even though I had my doubts about a Constantine TV show on a broadcast network, the longtime Hellblazer fan in me had to be there.
Bottom line: It is a pilot. I will give them more chances. I liked it better than I expected.
The pilot seemed very anxious to give us a very packaged, not-too-unlikable, and superheroish version of John.
They boiled who he is down to a word: exorcist. Which is really only one of the things he is or can be, but they seemed to want to try to sell it to us in a word.
He wore the signature outfit, but ONLY wore that, I think, the whole show. Which is a bit like being a Gilligan's Island character. But I suppose it more like giving him his own version of a supersuit.
They definitely tried to leave us with a very superhero final image (and one that, frankly, is ridiculous for Constantine-- he goes into an alley and a gang of criminals point machine guns at him and he lights his hands on fire? What the hell does that have to do with the world we've been in the rest of the episode? And what sort of frontal assault plan is that for a sneaky, smarter-than-you con artist?)
So my hope-- and I think this might happen-- is that after simplifying things for the initial sale, that they will take more risks. It sounds like they are trading out the forgettable female lead for someone a little older and more interesting. If they make the upcoming "Zed" character like the one from the books, then instead of a 'gosh golly explain this all to me!' character, we will get a female lead who is more of a match for John. If so, then great.
My main hope- and the thing that has always made John such a classic antihero- is that he needs to do some very questionable, or even despicable things. He needs to not just be wry and sarcastic, he needs to be dangerous to be around. And not just because he says so. He needs to be untrustworthy. A bastard. That is a pretty rare kind of character for broadcast TV, but I hope they take at least some steps in that direction.
They grabbed that old "I'm a nasty piece of work... ask anybody" quote from the comics. But I don't think the character is actually there yet. So far seems to be actually sort of a scruffy sweetheart who got into magic for a heart of gold reason (he just wanted to meet his mom) who once made a mistake. I'm hoping they can go for it more than that. I mean, there is nothing wrong with those motivations, but I would prefer a little more arrogance and self-destructiveness in the mix. More streetwise and more con man. Because, if not, then why not just have him be Dr. Fate, you know what I mean?
And not just to make him more like the comics. Because it doesn't have to be like the comics. For example, I don't care that he doesn't smoke. I get it. It is TV in 2014. But rather, if they are going to have it be the world of demons, and a character who has lost his soul and is trying to get it back, we need to believe he is someone CAPABLE of having lost his soul. And not by making a mistake when trying to do a good thing. I want there to be the arrogance behind that mistake. The hubris in dabbling in such huge powers that were over his head. The gusto of the con man.
And I don't want him squaring off against gangs of machine gun gangsters like he's the goddamn Batman. Come on, now.
I haven't been able to watch the second episode yet. Anyone check it out?
I watched it, or rather is was on in the background but I could seem to force myself to be interested. Same premise from before with the map and the hideout but the female lead for the pilot is gone (as we knew would be the case). I don't recall any explanation for her absence though.
I haven't been able to watch the second episode yet. Anyone check it out?
I watched it, or rather is was on in the background but I could seem to force myself to be interested. Same premise from before with the map and the hideout but the female lead for the pilot is gone (as we knew would be the case). I don't recall any explanation for her absence though.
A reason was given in the pilot. Constantine gave the girl a choice on if she wanted to be part of this freaky world or not. She chose, not.
I caught the second episode. The female sidekick in this episode is miles away better than the one in the pilot. I thought overall the second episode was pretty good. Enough so where I'm interested in checking out more.
I haven't been able to watch the second episode yet. Anyone check it out?
I watched it, or rather is was on in the background but I could seem to force myself to be interested. Same premise from before with the map and the hideout but the female lead for the pilot is gone (as we knew would be the case). I don't recall any explanation for her absence though.
A reason was given in the pilot. Constantine gave the girl a choice on if she wanted to be part of this freaky world or not. She chose, not.
that obviously wasn't the impression given at the end of that episode but okay. Fans can surmise she just took a pass. I meant i didn't recall an acknowledgement in that 2nd episode that,"oh yeah, the other chick split".
I haven't been able to watch the second episode yet. Anyone check it out?
I watched it, or rather is was on in the background but I could seem to force myself to be interested. Same premise from before with the map and the hideout but the female lead for the pilot is gone (as we knew would be the case). I don't recall any explanation for her absence though.
A reason was given in the pilot. Constantine gave the girl a choice on if she wanted to be part of this freaky world or not. She chose, not.
that obviously wasn't the impression given at the end of that episode but okay. Fans can surmise she just took a pass. I meant i didn't recall an acknowledgement in that 2nd episode that,"oh yeah, the other chick split".
They say in the pilot she left to stay with friends in California. They make it pretty clear she's gone.
I haven't been able to watch the second episode yet. Anyone check it out?
I watched it, or rather is was on in the background but I could seem to force myself to be interested. Same premise from before with the map and the hideout but the female lead for the pilot is gone (as we knew would be the case). I don't recall any explanation for her absence though.
A reason was given in the pilot. Constantine gave the girl a choice on if she wanted to be part of this freaky world or not. She chose, not.
that obviously wasn't the impression given at the end of that episode but okay. Fans can surmise she just took a pass. I meant i didn't recall an acknowledgement in that 2nd episode that,"oh yeah, the other chick split".
They say in the pilot she left to stay with friends in California. They make it pretty clear she's gone.
Really? I don't recall that at all. I watched the pilot a couple months before the episode aired. Was that a change made once they knew she woulnd't be sticking around? I mean was the pilot that aired different from the screener?
The first episode was fair but it's a pilot and things change a bit in the second episode. Mainly the female companion. I would at least try the second episode and see if you have a different opinion.
Second episode was ok. Kinda corny in spots. The new girl didn't do anything for me and the lead guy sure over acted here and there in this one. Though hes still likeable. I'm personally starting to laugh though at his constantly deliberately untied tie. The effects are still pretty decent.
"Constantine dropped to a fractional rating. Even assuming it rises a couple tenths without Halloween, this is already a dead show walking. That said, NBC will likely continue airing Constantine until Hannibal can take over; how long that will take is an interesting question (Hannibal only started filming last week)."
Comments
If you missed it, the pilot is currently free on iTunes for you to download. I'll rewatch it and hopefully it will make more sense.
Bottom line: It is a pilot. I will give them more chances. I liked it better than I expected.
The pilot seemed very anxious to give us a very packaged, not-too-unlikable, and superheroish version of John.
They boiled who he is down to a word: exorcist. Which is really only one of the things he is or can be, but they seemed to want to try to sell it to us in a word.
He wore the signature outfit, but ONLY wore that, I think, the whole show. Which is a bit like being a Gilligan's Island character. But I suppose it more like giving him his own version of a supersuit.
They definitely tried to leave us with a very superhero final image (and one that, frankly, is ridiculous for Constantine-- he goes into an alley and a gang of criminals point machine guns at him and he lights his hands on fire? What the hell does that have to do with the world we've been in the rest of the episode? And what sort of frontal assault plan is that for a sneaky, smarter-than-you con artist?)
So my hope-- and I think this might happen-- is that after simplifying things for the initial sale, that they will take more risks. It sounds like they are trading out the forgettable female lead for someone a little older and more interesting. If they make the upcoming "Zed" character like the one from the books, then instead of a 'gosh golly explain this all to me!' character, we will get a female lead who is more of a match for John. If so, then great.
My main hope- and the thing that has always made John such a classic antihero- is that he needs to do some very questionable, or even despicable things. He needs to not just be wry and sarcastic, he needs to be dangerous to be around. And not just because he says so. He needs to be untrustworthy. A bastard. That is a pretty rare kind of character for broadcast TV, but I hope they take at least some steps in that direction.
They grabbed that old "I'm a nasty piece of work... ask anybody" quote from the comics. But I don't think the character is actually there yet. So far seems to be actually sort of a scruffy sweetheart who got into magic for a heart of gold reason (he just wanted to meet his mom) who once made a mistake. I'm hoping they can go for it more than that. I mean, there is nothing wrong with those motivations, but I would prefer a little more arrogance and self-destructiveness in the mix. More streetwise and more con man. Because, if not, then why not just have him be Dr. Fate, you know what I mean?
And not just to make him more like the comics. Because it doesn't have to be like the comics. For example, I don't care that he doesn't smoke. I get it. It is TV in 2014. But rather, if they are going to have it be the world of demons, and a character who has lost his soul and is trying to get it back, we need to believe he is someone CAPABLE of having lost his soul. And not by making a mistake when trying to do a good thing. I want there to be the arrogance behind that mistake. The hubris in dabbling in such huge powers that were over his head. The gusto of the con man.
And I don't want him squaring off against gangs of machine gun gangsters like he's the goddamn Batman. Come on, now.
So... here's hoping. I will give it more chances.
AH! they did some reshoots and cuts. I'll need to go back and watch that pilot as it aired. it is different thatn what i saw.
But at least it confirms i'm not just thick headed.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/11/04/nbc-predictions-constantine-is-likely-to-be-canceled/322471/
"Constantine dropped to a fractional rating. Even assuming it rises a couple tenths without Halloween, this is already a dead show walking. That said, NBC will likely continue airing Constantine until Hannibal can take over; how long that will take is an interesting question (Hannibal only started filming last week)."