Episode Title: Angels and Ministers of Grace
Original Airdate: 2-6-15
Coming in for the second to last episode of the season brings on one of the funniest episodes to date, and also one with some of the most revelatory character moments where both John and Manny soften up a bit. It does make me sad that the show is ending already, though there is a sliver a hope that she show will get picked up for a second season by SyFy along with a name change to the original Hellblazer along with a stronger focus on the horror and sci-fi elements rather than the current format which is closer to a detective procedural with supernatural elements. This episode has John and Zed investigating a literal black heart of darkness while Zed struggles with her own personal spiritual conflict.
One of the funniest elements of this episode is when Constantine casts a spell that traps Manny in his human host body. While Manny is stuck on Earth, he struggles with some of his human host’s emotions and urges including a backroom tryst with a young nurse. He also finally reveals himself to Zed in person, both while he is stuck in his human host as well as when he has full capacity at the end of the episode. It opens up an interesting dynamic between the three of them as Manny’s role continues to become more proactive and less cryptic. The returning ancient evil La Brujeria are becoming a serious threat even though they have yet to play a direct role in the show outside of the Saint of Last Resorts back in episode 8 when they were first revealed.
The other piece of information revealed in this episode is the fact that Zed has a brain tumor, it’s very small but it contributes to the seizures that she has been having when she focuses on her visions. Not only that, but to a more scientific and less magical minded person, it could actually be the cause of her hallucinatory visions. So while Manny and Constantine scurry around this hospital trying to find the demon of the week, Zed struggles with her own personal crisis of faith where she tries to decide whether she believes that the tumor is causing her visions and should be removed, or that the tumor is causing her visions but it’s doing so for a reason. In the end, of course she follows the conclusion that while the visions may be partly caused by the tumor, it is doing so for a reason, and nothing comes without a price. Instead of risking the chance that removing the tumor could also get rid of her visions, she decides to leave it in and deal with the pain it causes in order to help as many people as she can. While John reveals how he can sometimes be so cold to the people he cares about the most. Every day he imagines what he would do if everyone he cared about were dead so that way he will be more prepared when it eventually does happen. It’s a great moment that shows that while he is pessimistic, he also knows what he must do to face the reality of what he does for a living, and that he really does care about those close to him even if he doesn’t always show it.
Channel: Superhero 