Spoiler warning - for the show and for the comic.
This week's episode was kind of a mixed bag, with most of the episode focusing on a group of men trying to rewrite their own nature. There were things to like about it, to be sure, but ultimately it felt a little aimless and like it created more questions than it answered. There are threads of stories that I can see stretching out, but I have no idea where they're headed, how they're related, and not even a whiff of how they can be resolved. Sometimes, we're not even sure they need to be resolved.
'South Will Rise Again' opened with an extended sequence about the Cowboy (The Saint of Killers, to the comic-readers). Even though it was exciting, I'm still not sure how this all relates to the main story. The scenes all certainly looked cool, and Graham McTavish certainly exudes the dangerous not-to-be-fucked-with attitude that the Saint stood for, but despite that excitement, my mind kept wandering. More than once, I found myself distracted by his unhurried pace, even as ultimate resolution of the scene became obvious.
When last we saw, the Cowboy was riding to Ratwater for medicine for his dying daughter. When he's told he must wait until morning for the medicine, it seems to be too long for him. Yet when it's time to go, he rides his horse slowly - cinematically. When things go bad for the Cowboy, and he loses his horse, he simply walks home - again, very slowly. So, of course, when he finally arrives home, his daughter and his wife are both dead. He grabs up his gunbelts and rifle and, we assume, heads back to Ratwater to take vengeance on...his own unrushed pace? I'm not sure. But in a subplot that is completely separate (for now) from the main storyline, 'Preacher' can't afford distractions, and this sequence was loaded with them.In present day Annville, Jesse holds court in the local diner. With word having spread about the sudden conversion of Odin Quincannon, Jesse enjoys a sort of celebrity, and takes the opportunity to preach to people away from his usual pulpit, and his parishioners seem to be paying closer attention. What makes it interesting though, is that Jesse comes across as almost drunk with power. He uses the Word to settle disputes and dispense advice on matters as trivial as parents bickering over when bedtime should be for the kids, and something as serious as forcing Mrs. Loach to forgive Eugene Root for his role in what happened to her comatose daughter. It may seem like he's doing good, but Jesse's actions are enough to give Emily pause, to raise Tulip's ire, and to bring DeBlanc and Fiore calling.
It seems pretty clear at this point that Tulip is just straight-up not a good person. She does not care at all about what Jesse wants, and seems bound and determined to undermine his status within the community in a way that paints her spiteful and petulant much moreso than loving girlfriend she claims to be. This, of course, becomes even more apparent after she revenge-bangs Cassidy, who has no idea that the boyfriend she's been going on about is Jesse.
Emily's role seems to be clarifying, too. It's obvious that she has feelings for Jesse that are only growing more complicated as he explores his new powers and keeps them a secret from her. But when even something as innocuous as her using Jesse's bathroom is enough to make Tulip jealous, then Emily's position as a corner in this evolving love triangle is cemented.Mostly separate from the events in Annville this week, Odin Quincannon had a hilarious and shocking storyline. Having seemingly adopted a new Christian outlook on life, Jackie Earle Haley rendered Quincannon nearly unrecognizable behind his smile and downright friendly demeanor. His genuine earnestness, when juxtaposed with his previous laconic style made for some pretty successful humor, and I have to give props to Haley for just going all-in with Quincannon this week. It worked on multiple levels, but most effectively with Quincannon's solution to his business problem. After welcoming his competitors into his office with smiles and drinks all around, Quincannon quickly pulls out a shotgun and mows them all down in seconds.
Well, a man can't be expected to change his nature overnight can he?
Despite Jesse's advice in the pilot episode causing his parishioner to literally "open his heart", Jesse hasn't seemed to learn yet that simply telling someone what to do isn't the end of his work. He can't rewrite who a person is, deep down inside, just by giving orders. Quincannon proves that. Jesse telling that rotten old bastard to "serve God" doesn't make him a Christian, and people die because of Jesse's shortsightedness. So while the Preacher's intentions might be mostly noble, he's going to have to learn to be more careful with not only what he says, but to whom he's saying it; enter DeBlanc and Fiore.
Tom Brooke and Anatol Yusef provide a spot of comic relief this week, as they desperately plot their course before they answer the relentlessly ringing divine phone. For most of the episode, they are cowering in their hotel room, going over what to say and exactly how to say it - the proper inflections being of paramount importance. And when the phone stops ringing a brief moment before Fiore answers it, their hands are forced and they go to meet with Jesse and discuss Genesis. I'm growing pretty used to the serialized nature of TV these days, but the sudden shift from their conversation to Quincannon's office and then the end credits felt jarring and unsatisfying.
With this week's story, showrunners Catlin and Rogen/Goldberg have shown that they can tell a complex and multi-layered tale. But as we near the halfway point of the season, there are still so many threads that appear to be heading in diverging directions that it makes me worry a bit for the actual plot. Not enough to say "I'm out" or even to discourage others from watching - we're not even near that crisis point yet. But I am getting a little bit concerned. So we'll see where things head next week.
FINAL SCORE 7/10
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