After an action packed episode 2, Preacher returns to its famed slow boil this week using this latest outing to unpack the characters and reward the audience with some startling revelations.
Spending the first two episodes tearing through Texas, we open with Tulip trading in the map she stole in the pilot – it turns out it was mere currency for the last known address of an ex-accomplice. Whilst we don’t see what the map contains, it’s great to finally see some light shed on Tulip and her quest. Speaking of her quest, Jesse seems to be struggling to keep on the straight and narrow after finally coming to terms with the arcane abilities he is now in possession of. This inner turmoil is brought to boiling point when Tulip tracks him down, revealing just what she’s been up to – obtaining information on the man who betrayed them both.
After an intense flashback revealing an apparent heist gone wrong, Jesse seems prepared to leave the life of the church behind, unable to avoid the insidious clutches of revenge. Up until this point we’d known that Jesse had a dodgy past life and the flashback confirms it, showing him responsible for the death of a seemingly innocent security guard. It’s no wonder he’s actively avoided Tulip and her call to arms.
Remember Donny the wife beating cretin that Jesse savagely beat until he squealed like a bunny? After being embarrassed in public, he decides to follow Jesse and Tulip armed with a revolver. Revenge is the theme of the episode and the consequences of Jesse’s actions can be found all over town. With Donny confronting him at gunpoint, Jesse nearly stumbles off the path of the righteous when using his newfound abilities to force Donny to eat the barrel of his own gun. Thankfully for the preacher this altercation galvanises his resolve and he yet again ditches Tulip for the church – determined to use his powers for good. How long will this last with Tulip finally revealing the whereabouts of their betrayer remains to be seen.
Whilst the episode is heavy with drama, Cassidy continues to prove welcome comedic relief, once again coming into contact with Fiore and DeBlanc. After dismembering them in the previous episode, he stumbles across the duo seemingly resurrected and preparing to storm the Preachers church – armed to the teeth with grenades and assault rifles. Cassidy prevents this in Monty Python-esque fashion, before having to confront them yet again mere minutes later. They reveal the nature of their powers in hilariously abrupt fashion to a Cassidy convinced that they’re government clones. Their recurring deaths along with the vandalising of the church message board make for great recurring comedy beats. Jesse also gets in on the laughs, testing his powers on an excitable Cassidy. If you’ve ever wanted to see a vampire hop on one leg and recite Johnny Cash lyrics – you’re in luck!
With episode three it seems Preacher has hit its stride, addressing criticisms surrounding it’s pacing. The reveals come thick and fast with a peppering of action and black comedy throughout to keep proceedings exciting. A minor gripe of mine to date has been the seeming reluctance on the writers’ part to tackle the source materials depictions of heaven and hell. However this latest instalment begins to hint at the heavenly nature of the weird goings on in Annville with the promise of a lot more to come. None of which will probably be good news for our heroes.
Catch Preacher every Sunday exclusively on Amazon Prime in the UK and AMC in the US
