GayTV Recap: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Episode 4x7)

This week's episode of the DC comics series Legends of Tomorrow put some focus on John Constantine's past. John (played by Matt Ryan) began the episode with an erotic dream with a male lover, only to be awakened by his Legends colleague and enemy Charlie, still blaming him for the loss of her shapeshifting powers, which she discovers may still be deep within her. He urges her to leave him alone, as he clutches a medallion bearing some major importance to him.

A mission to 1856 New Orleans triggers memories of the mystery man for John, who is soon targeted by voodoo Priestess Mary Laveau. He is captured and brought to her as she demands he tell her how he came into possession of her family medallion. She uses her magic to dig into John's head, leading to memories of his relationship with Desmond (played by Christian Keyes), a descendant of Laveau, who gave John the medallion to protect him after learning of a demon looking to punish John. He is seen urging Desmond to leave New Orleans. Back in the past, Laveau returned the medallion to John, realizing that her descendant Desmond truly loved him.

Back in the present, John remained haunted by his lost love Desmond, and enlisted Charlie's help to change history in exchange for restoring her shape-shifting power. Charlie agreed and the two went back in time by six months, to the night that John met Desmond. He got Charlie to lure his past self out of the restaurant where Desmond worked, preventing their meeting. However, when Charlie realized her powers were not fully restored, John got another flash of a new memory, showing him meeting Desmond by chance on a later night.

Having failed in their efforts, the duo was also chastised by fellow Legend, Zari, for trying to change history. She told them that Desmond & John meeting was clearly a point in time that could not be avoided. It was then that John explained to them how Desmond became a pawn for the demon Neron who was after John and learned of their love. Neron used Desmond and he was dragged to hell.

Though Zari agreed to look for another way to save Desmond without hurting the greater timeline, John refused to wait and returned to the past, waiting for his past self to leave his apartment. He then entered the apartment with the intention of convincing Desmond to break things off with him before it was too late. With Charlie in tow, Zari called him and tried to convince him that changing history could have a catastrophic effect on the present. John then told them the truth about his past. He explained how Desmond went behind his back and bargained with Neron to spare John, requiring Desmond to bond his soul to the demon. John was forced to destroy his love, sending Desmond to hell along with Neron.

Refusing to listen to Zari's warnings, John threw away the phone as Desmond emerged from a shower. Holding back his emotion, John lied to Desmond, telling him that he was only using him for sex and that he didn't have any real feelings for him. Desmond didn't seem to believe him, but John held strong, telling him that this relationship was all a lie. An angry Desmond left, and John then saw the medallion disappear, signaling that it was never given to him by Desmond for protection. While he was successful in his effort to save his love, the rest of the Legends were left in precarious positions as the timeline shifted, changing the present around them.