Constantine

Kyle’s Review

We’ve entered the home stretch for this season of Constantine (or for the series completion as it hasn’t had the best ratings, hasn’t been given an episode extension for this season, and hasn’t been picked up for next year), and we see John assembling Voltron in this episode.

Zed and Chas take a break, so there’s room on the schedule for one of John’s old mates, Ritchie (Jeremy Davies). What ensues is an interesting episode that takes notes from The Twilight Zone. The bulk of the story revolves around some college kids stumbling upon an Egyptian ritual, allowing them to travel to another dimension. Unfortunately for them, a serial killer calls this dimension home. It doesn’t end well for the college kids, but that doesn’t matter. The consequences of these actions don’t amount to much in the Constantine world. What does matter is how Ritchie responds to these kids’ exploits.

He’s their professor and led them to the ritual. In short, Ritchie pulls himself out of his funk – he pops sedatives like Mentos – and promises to help John in the future. Just in time for the big showdown in two episodes.

This was a nice episode. John comes off as more compassionate than he has in previous episodes. You can actually see him inspire others to join the fight against the growing evil. Davies as Ritchie adds some much needed depth to the cast as well. You can’t depend on Chas and John for everything, and Constantine continues to build. But I’m afraid this series won’t have the chance to grow to its full potential. It’s not a good sign that NBC hasn’t ordered for another season or more episodes to complete this season.

Verdict:

Dig deeper into the netherworld with our Constantine secrets. But we warn you; they contain spoilers.

Grimm

Kyle’s Review

We didn’t get a lot of Rosalee and Monroe – because they’re on their honeymoon – so other characters got some much needed focus. Wu finds his footing with Team Grimm, Renard helps Juliette with her hexenbeist problem, and of course, we get plenty of Juliette.

I don’t buy why Juliette refuses to tell Nick that she’s a hexenbeist: she’s afraid he’ll turn on her and take her life because she’s wesen. I’m not opposed to her staying silent about her ailment; I just question her logic. Yes, she wouldn’t want to concern Nick as this should be a temporary condition. No, Nick wouldn’t kill you because he’s besties with Rosalee and Monroe.

I do buy why Juliette would ask Renard for help. His mother is responsible for her being a hexenbiest, and he has the best chance of fixing her problem. We also get a tip of the hat as to why Renard can’t contact his mother. She’ looking for Renard’s and Adalind’s baby. And when will we get back to that story again?

One story Grimm hasn’t abandoned is Sergeant Wu’s. Wu shined in this episode. He proved that he can hold his own, but I didn’t care much for the paint-by-numbers murder mystery. This week’s wesen of the week may have had a great ability, but that doesn’t forgive lazy writing.

One last thing. I enjoyed the goofy “Ghost Seekers” angle in this story. They added some great comedic relief to an otherwise serious episode.

Verdict:

This week’s episode is more of a mixed bag. Renard’s return to the fore. Good. Juliette hiding her hexenbiestness from Nick. Not so Good.