For a full recap of the episode, visit the Preacher Wiki here.
SPOILERS may occur so read at your own risk.
As an avid fan of the graphic series Preacher is based on, I don’t believe I’ve ever stopped to think about how viciously bizarre Preacher actually is. Watching it with people who have no idea what’s going on has been enlightening; they ask questions, they pay close attention, and they react to the insanity with nervous laughter and enthusiastic proclamations of, “What?”
Showrunners Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin have taken the intrinsic weirdness of Preacher and played up the mystery of it all. By the end of “See,” we are no closer to knowing who those two guys that Cassidy chopped up are, but we are given a shocking reveal that seems to indicate these two can’t be killed. The entire cold open (scroll down to the “Best Moments” section to read my extended thoughts about that) feels completely disconnected from anything going on in the story, especially since it isn’t revisited at any point later in the episode. It’s easy for new viewers to feel Lost flashbacks — symptoms include unfathomable mysteries that lead to ravenous theorizing — but Preacher has answers in the bank. This is not a show that’s baffling just to be baffling. Everything will make sense, I promise.
In the meantime, “See” continues to give us a cast of characters that are worming their way into our hearts. Eugene is still as sweet as ever, and his prosthetic makeup looks even better than it did in the pilot. We even got some drool! And I don’t know how you can’t love drunken Jesse and Cassidy. Let the shipping commence! We’re also getting a better sense of what Annville is like, and this week really begins to explore some of the darkness that lurks in the small Texas town’s inhabitants. Jesse’s main drive in “See” is his anger towards Linus, a school bus driver who confesses to Jesse about the “urges” he feels towards one of the girls on his bus. Jesse’s decision to give Linus a forceful baptism results in Jesse’s realization that he can command people with his words alone. The episode ends with Jesse deciding to test what the limits of this new power may be, and the results could very well be world-changing.
There was some anxiety that Preacher could be a little wobbly after such a confident first episode, but those fears have been put to rest. It may seem impenetrable in its current state but all this oddness is going to pay off in delightful ways. Until then, sit back and soak in the gleeful depravity and unashamed badassery Preacher has already mastered. This is going to be a hell of a ride.
Best Moments of the Episode:
The cold open with the enigmatic Cowboy. With these few minutes, the showrunners have proven that Preacher can craft effective dread and horror exactly as well as they do comedy and thrills. The entire sequence gave me shivers. Graham McTavish is introduced in spine-chilling silhouette, and we learn so much about this man from purely visual information. The accompanying music from Dave Porter announces the on-screen date of 1881 with an oppressive, scream-like static. Even though we won’t know the fate of this character by episode’s end, we know it can’t be good. That title shot with the tree full of hung and scalped Native Americans is as portentous as you can get.
Our introduction to Odin Quincannon (Jackie Earle Haley). The way he trails off as he starts to talk about butchers tells us that something’s off with this guy. Believe me, that’s an understatement.
Tulip‘s deceptive kidnapping of Jesse. Not only is Ruth Negga on fire — I may have fanned myself a bit from how hot that scene got — but we also get another example of her twisted sense of humor. “You used to like our little roleplaying games.”
Cassidy’s realization of how he’s going to get rid of Fiore and DeBlanc’s remains. Joseph Gilgun does so much with a quick facial expression.
“Open. Your. Eyes.”
Next Week: “The Possibilities”
