Praise Be To ‘Preacher’ (TV REVIEW)

[rating=8.00] “South Will Rise Again”

After a noteworthy slowdown in action over the last few weeks, Preacher picked up the pace once again to deliver an episode that was on par with the best the series has offered so far and portends great things for the series as a whole. That’s provided, of course, they can maintain the same level of action and intrigue. That’s a proposition that’s still somewhat shaky, but series seems to be finding its footing and coming into its own.

It was helped by an extended cold open, which once again brought us back to the old west, and the mysterious cowboy in search of medicine in the tiny Texas town of Ratwater. His efforts were waylaid by a confrontation with the over-the-top villain McReady, whose exploits include murder, rape, and mayhem. Our still unnamed Cowboy took issue with McReady and his boys, and got his horse killed in the process. This delayed him long enough for his wife and child to die on his return trip, leaving us with the image of the man arming himself to the teeth and heading back out towards Texas.

This part of the story so far has been the one to remain most faithful to the comics (albeit with some slight editing of events due to time constraints) which is as exciting for the comic readers as it is confusing for the newbies. Who is this cowboy, and what is his connection with Jesse and his newfound powers? It’ll be interesting to see how true to this subplot they remain (it gets wild, to say the least, in the books) but the mystery is compelling enough for right now.

Back in the present, Jesse has gotten comfortable with his powers as a means to improve the lives of his parishioners and his townsfolk. The local diner has turned into a makeshift confessional booth, where troubled souls can seek advice and absolution from their preacher. Jesse is getting a bit complacent with the implications of his powers, failing to see or recognize the potential to backfire that could come from not choosing his words more carefully. As we saw in the pilot with Ted, the nature of the voice can result in some unintentional consequences. This was reiterated once more with Odin Quincannon.

The town mogul at first seems to be taking his promise to serve God to heart, putting on a generally more cheerful demeanor and allowing those Austin liberals a chance to sell him on their green campaign for both the power company and the meat packing plant. This idea is shattered when, at the start of the meeting, Quincannon pulls out a shotgun and lays waste to the entire party in full view of the mayor.

rsz_quincannon

While coming seemingly out of nowhere, it represents the dangers Jesse is facing with unchecked use of his power. Telling Quincannon to serve God is all well and good, but what, in his mind, does that actually mean? Could it be that the preacher has inadvertently created a fundamental extremist who thinks he’s doing God’s work by mowing down the sinners on the left? How does that bode for the other denizens of Annville?

Which brings up a question of consent as it pertains to Jesse’s powers. Arseface has found himself in some troubled waters with both his father, Sheriff Root, and the rest of the town who continues to shun him. While superficially, his deformed look plays a huge part of this, there seems to be something else going on. The Sheriff has an angry breakdown after someone, probably the same kids who continue to bully Eugene, broke into his room and painted “Finish the job” in big letters on his wall, while also providing a rifle for his convenience.

Eugene reaches out to Jesse to help his father overcome his anger, and the preacher takes him to see Tracy, the girl in the coma whom Jesse has previously helped. Tracy’s mother, on seeing Eugene in Jesse’s truck, loses her mind, smashing the windshield and breaking the mirrors while screaming at about how she’s going to kill him. This seems to be a subtle indication about what happened with Tracy—perhaps she, too, is a victim of a failed suicide attempt; part of some pact, maybe? at the very least, Eugene is somehow involved. Jesse, uses his voice and commands the woman to forgive Eugene, and in an instant she goes from rage to hugging Eugene in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

But there was something in her eyes, something that suggested this was not what she wanted to do. She didn’t look happy as she hugged Eugene, she looked disgusted.

That’s the danger of Jesse’s power; people have to come to certain realizations and certain decisions on their own. Commanding them, even with a heavenly power, can cause more harm than good, a fact that our Jesse has yet to realize. It’s a truth he’s going to need to learn and to accept sooner or later, but the damage may already be done.

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That’s the fear of Fiore and DeBlanc, who spend most of the episode avoiding their phone like someone expecting a call from grandma. They’ve officially run out of patience, and presumably time if the sudden ominous silence of their direct line to heaven is any indication. For the first time, they confront Jesse themselves, having grown weary of waiting for Cassidy to come through with his promises—a gigantic grift, from the looks of things. The episode ends with the two angels and the preacher sitting in a diner booth, Jesse looking incredulous as the angels tell their tale.

Preacher continues to weave the disparate threads of its narrative together in interesting ways in a manner that stays true to the source material while telling an original story. I’m still somewhat on the fence about whether the series can maintain its momentum, but it was a marked improvement over last week and the week before that suggests the potential for further greatness as the series progresses. Things seem to be coming to a head quickly, and hopefully we can eventually chalk the initial low points as first season exposition blues. I may be skeptical, but Preacher is quickly winning my faith.

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