PREACHER - Ep. 8 - El Valero - A TV Review

Well, a lot of stuff definitely happened in this week's episode of 'Preacher'. The pieces moved for sure, just not very far. Let's break it down, ok?

Jesse goes all Butch Cassidy on your ass

Spoiler Warning - not just for the show, but for the comic it's based on, too. You be warned.

Last week I opined that despite episode seven ending with the promise of a violent altercation between the Quincannon faction and the Preacher, episode eight would somehow find a way to underwhelm. And to an extent, I was wrong. But also...not. For once, though, 'Preacher' didn't do much meandering this week. The story was pretty straightforward (if a little underwhelming), and the couple of subplots tied directly into other things we've seen this season. 

Nice day to assault a church in front of law enforcement

In the church, Jesse fends off Quincannon's goons like he's holding down the Alamo. When some men breach the inside of the church, in the aftermath we're told (no, we don't actually see) that Jesse quickly, efficiently, and brutally disarms them. I know the 'Preacher' production has a relatively limited budget, but sometimes it feels like we're not shown the action because they can't afford it. And even if that's the case, it should never feel that way. (The shark didn't work, but 'Jaws' sure as fuck did, because Spielberg knows how to tell a fluid story. My point is, even if the budget is the reason for not showing something, the not-showing-whatever shouldn't feel so jarring). But a lot is going on inside the church, even as Quincannon and his mean regroup outside and come up with ways to drag Jesse out. I mean, those boys need a food court, amirite?

Sidenote - I did love Donny's pretty clever, yet totally batshit crazy, plan to render himself immune to Jesse's powers. Given all we've seen of Donny this season, and they way they made it seem like he was suicidal, it was a pretty good payoff for an inconsistent subplot. Kudos.

While Jesse holds off the not-Mexican Army, he's interrupted by a few guests. The first is Eugene, who crawls up through the dirt and the hole in the floor Jesse tore open last week. These scenes were awkward, though one could argue it's deliberate. Jesse's words seem stiff, and his apologies feel a bit ham-fisted. But then you notice that Eugene's behavior is a little off, too. At first, he claims that Jesse's order compelled him to start climbing up (straight-up chill-inducing exchange: Jesse: You dug your way up from Hell?/Eugene: "it's not that far"), but when he mentions the angels he'd have no way of knowing existed, Jesse realizes Eugene is just a hallucination. (At first, given Eugene's insatiable desire for water, I thought maybe it was a demon making a play to sieze Genesis, but I guess I was wrong). But Eugene's question gives him an idea, and Jesse sends for DeBlanc and Fiore.

DeBlanc throws some withering shade at the Preacher

Trying to barter for Eugene's release from Hell, Jesse goes back and forth with the angels, desperate for an actual plan. This shows us, for the first time, despite all his talk about "doing good" and "saving the town", Jesse is just a man, fumbling in the dark, pretending to know what God wants. And this leads to him being confronted by perhaps the most pointed question in this young show's history.

With withering judgment, DeBlanc asks him, "Genesis, the greatest power ever known, and you've had it all this time, right there at the tip of your tongue. And what good have you done with it?" It's a question that leaves Jesse speechless, yet I feel like it can be applied to the show itself.

Catlin/Rogen/Goldberg have one of the most revered comic series of the last twenty years at their disposal, great actors, a great concept...and what have they done with it? I have an idea what they're aiming at, but I don't want to explicitly state it. But if I'm right...they'll be doing about as much "good" as Jesse's done.

And so, by the end of this week's story, despite the assaults, the violence, the gunfire and the one-man-against-an-army odds, the meaningful conversations and revelations not much has really changed. Jesse's in custody, but in the midst of talking his way out of it. Quincannon has ownership of the church, but looks like he might grant Jesse one last hail mary. Genesis is pulled out of Jesse but literally spends about a minute in the coffee can before bursting free again, leading DeBlanc and Fiore to simply walk away. And Cassidy and Tulip are just chillin' and eating a dog.

Wait, what??

RIP Brewski - the other kind of drink

This is, for me anyways, Ruth Negga's best episode both as a showcase of her abilities as an actress, and for her character. Her subplot is a great example of the writers doing exactly what I asked for last week - showing a character through actions, not words. Tulip shows herself as a loyal friend, an animal lover, capable of warmth and kindness and a certain bloody pragmatism. She spends the entire episode bonding with Brewski the dog, giving him one final glorious dog day before feeding him to what we assume is a convalescent Cassidy. Tulip has three good scenes with Brewski and though they don't make sense at first, they're short so they don't feel like they're derailing the main plot. But the way the final reveal that Brewski is just food for a vampire makes all that has come before it make sense is very well done. So I gotta tip my hat to the writers for that very excellent way of showing us that Cassidy is, in fact, still alive, and Tulip is capable of genuinely caring for someone, or something other than herself
.

And it also serves to keep the two of them away from the church...for now.

I have a dread feeling that I know what this entire season is building to -- and if you've read the comics, it's likely an event that honestly should have been in the pilot. And if not the pilot, then maybe like, the fourth episode. It's my theory that a good drama usually takes around four episodes to properly world-build and kick-off the story. The pilot gives you an overview of your main characters and the world they inhabit. Episodes two and three develop all characters a little bit more and offer you a deeper insight into your protagonist. Episode four should have a turning point of some sort that throws your season's main story arc into gear; some good examples of this are 'The Sopranos' episode "Meadowlands". 'Deadwood', "Here was a Man", and 'The Shield' which did it in episode five with "Blowback"

As for 'Preacher' if things pan out the way I suspect, then I think it has the potential to turn a lot of people off. And given the way the audience responded to 'The Walking Dead' fucking with them one too many times, I fear for the long-term fate of 'Preacher' if they do this. Second season renewals aren't set in stone. Just ask the producers of 'Vinyl'.

FINAL SCORE - 6.5/10

Preacher airs on AMC, Sunday nights at 9/8c