I just finished watching the episode, and the way the story unfolded gave me a very "Haven"-esque vibe, which is good since Haven just so happens to be one of my favorite things on TV right now even though I'm not sufficiently caught up to be watching it live.
Even though I liked Liv and would've liked to have seen her stick around, Zed brings something to the table that Liv wouldn't have been able to: she's clearly older and more world-wise/world-weary than Liv, which makes her a better match for the equally world-wise/world-weary John as far as a working partnership is concerned.
The Entertainment Weekly recap mentioned the complete lack of Manny and Chas not having anything other than a brief scene at the start of the episode, but while the reviewer said that their absence felt like things had changed a little bit from the Pilot, I personally like that we're not going to see characters - even if they are series regulars - unless it makes sense for them to be involved narratively. I also liked that we see John actively seeking to make a difference rather than just reacting, as it establishes a subtle change in terms of how he views himself and the world, and is a nice way to callback to the Pilot and his interactions with both Liv and Manny, even if he'll never admit that openly and even if we don't get another open reference to Liv at all going forward.
With its very "Haven"-esque vibe and its introduction of Zed, this episode turned out be better than the Pilot (which I thought was very good despite being basically unfamiliar with the Constantine/Hellblazer characters and mythology), and I'm definitely tuning in again next week.
