Season 1, Episode 13:
Waiting for the Man
A teenage runaway encounters a Crazy Homeless Person, only for her to run into three creepy girls who ask her if she would like to marry "the man". The same man who murders a helpful police officer passing by just because he bothered him at the wrong time. Meanwhile, Detective Jim Corrigan is consulting one John Constantine (and flirting with Zed) about a detective who was brutally murdered while investigating missing persons case. But that's not all that's going on; John has a bounty on his head, and Papa Midnite intends to collect. But naturally, the main character is hardly about to die so early on. In the end, Constantine gives a bad-ass monologue, awesome new trenchcoat and all, and walks off... only to be Screwed by the Network.Tropes present in this episode include:
- All Love Is Unrequited: John is implied to have feelings for Zed (who shares a kiss with Jim).
- Anti-Villain: Papa Midnite wants to save his sister, and is sorry that he has to interrupt John's mission to save a young girl.
- Back for the Finale: Well, this wasn't intended to be the finale, but Jim Corrigan comes back nonetheless. So does Gary, who possesses a corpse to warn John of a bounty on his head.
- Blood from the Mouth: Constantine. Fortunately, it's really just an animated corpse with a Glamour on it.
- Creepy Child: The Man's "brides", who are mindlessly devoted to him and are implied to be Dead All Along.
- Double Entendre: When John compares his gun to Jim's.
- John: Mine's bigger.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Part of the reason Papa Midnite wants John dead is to help his sister.
- Evil All Along: Manny, who has the Brujeria working for him (and burned John's map in a previous episode).
- Faux Affably Evil: The Man, who has a cheerful, talkative demeanor and killed his first wife because she wasn't the virgin he "deserved".
- Hollywood Satanism: What The Man practices.
- Knight in Sour Armor: What John ultimately is; he'll complain, but he's still out to save everyone.
- Mundanger: The Man is this, having no super powers or a magical arsenal to speak of.
- Although given as his "brides" appear to have been Dead All Along he is some flavour of Necromancer, but lacking any combat ready magic.
- No Name Given: The Man, which results in Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep".
- Old Man Marrying a Child: The Man has three brides, all of whom are in their early teens.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Downplayed; while John and Jim shooting the Man is by no means treated as an evil act, they decide that it's better to just shoot him rather than risk him breaking out of prison.
- Ragin' Cajun: The Man.
- Undead Child: The Man's "brides", who have a living appearance (but can't hide the smell).
- Wham Line: When Papa Midnite asks Manny if he works for the Brujeria.Manny: No. The Brujeria work for me.
