Constantine - 'Angels and Ministers of Grace'

Some days are tougher than others.

It might be hard to admit it, but John is missing his backing group. Chas is back in play, but Zed is hiding out in an extraspatial meditation chamber since her powers overwhelmed her in confronting Felix Faust. Constantine encourages her to get back on the horse, but she suffers a seizure as they try to track a source of 'dark matter'. Zed is taken into care at a hospital full of murders, and John - needing another helper - binds Manny into a human form to force him to actually get involved for once.

'Angels and Ministers of Grace' is a significant episode for Manny, but also for John, who is forced to confront the fact that he still needs people, and that Zed is more than just a handy psychic receiver, when she is diagnosed with a brain tumour that may or may not be the source of her visions. It is also a watershed for Zed, who wants to know where her gift comes from, but seeing John visibly racked with guilt for pushing Zed to use something that may be killing her was a real turning point for the friend-sacrificing, nun-snuggling hard man of urban sorcery.

It's tough to be human.

After his total absence last week, Chas had a bit of a side role here, but less through lack of inspiration than to give John the impetus to force Manny to be his sidekick, I suspect. Much of Manny's role in the episode was as comic relief, but he also gained a new appreciation for the problems of the humans he usually only observes. He also signaled a sea change in the series by destroying Liv's scrying map, calling it a prop.

Of course, we're almost out of episodes now, the series having not picked up a second half order and with renewal looking dicey. Here's hoping it at least goes out on a high note.