Constantine - 'Quid Pro Quo'

What is it they say about a good man going to war?

A city plagued with mysterious comas and a little girl in peril. It's all in a day's work for John, except that this one is personal. The little girl is Chas's daughter, and the rising darkness might be about to learn how good it is for anyone bad that Chas is such a decent guy.

So, as you can probably tell from the synopsis, we're leaving Zed's father and all that jazz for another time and it's Chas's episode this week. Returning home for his weekend with his daughter, he finds her in a mystery coma and calls in John to help. Discovering that her soul has been stolen, John is wary of such a power, but Chas has no patience in this case.

'Quid Pro Quo' delves into Chas's backstory, the secret of his 'survival skills' and the motivation that drives him to risk life after life helping John. The title refers both to Chas's belief that he must pay the debt of the 47 lost lives that keep him from dying, and to DCU guest star Felix Faust's attempts to bargain for Geraldine's soul. The latter is right up Constantine's alley, of course - certainly more so than going toe-to-toe with the suddenly badass Faust - but when Chas offers to bargain nicely with the man who stole his daughter's soul... Well, you don't have to be a dad to know how that will end*.

* It doesn't end well.

This is another strong episode, pitting the eternal sidekick Chas against long-time occult runner-up Faust in a main event. It also brings out a rare flash of conscience in John, who continues to use Chas in his fight but clearly understands both how much he owes his friend and how much Chas has given up.