Constantine, Ep. 1.07: “Blessed Are the Damned” wrestles with some big questions
So far, the world of Constantine has mostly been filled with frightening demons, cursed objects, and people working under their thrall. “Blessed Are the Damned” looks at the lighter side of the equation, but this episode might be the scariest one yet. Zachary (Patrick Carroll), the pastor of a struggling church, gets healing powers when he is lethally bitten by a rattlesnake while trying one of his father’s old snake-handling routines. This leads to him become a popular cult figure. What seems to be yet another expose about religious fundamentalism becomes an in-depth look at faith, doubt, and free-will, with many trademark John Constantine wisecracks, written by Sneho Koorse and delivered with aplomb by Matt Ryan, in the funniest episode of Constantine so far. After taking last week off, Zed (Angelica Celaya) comes to the forefront, as traces of her belief in a “helping hand” are revealed and rewarded when she meets the angel Imogen (Megan West). Also, Manny (Harold Perrineau) gets something to do other than annoy Constantine and remind viewers of “the Rising Darkness”, and gets a defining character moment towards the end of “Blessed Are the Damned”.