Preacher
Episode 2.5 “Dallas”
Directed by Michael Morris
Written by Philip Buiser
Created by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Gianna LePera, Graham McTavish, Tom Brooke, Ian Colletti, Julie Ann Emery
AMC
Air date: Monday, July 17th, 2017, 9pm

Spoilers below for last night’s episode of Preacher!

Previously on AMC’s Preacher, the search for God carried our three heroes to New Orleans. Jesse (Dominic Cooper) cruised jazz clubs, running into sultry blonde Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery). He rescued her from a van full of white clad goons, and rescued himself from her advances. Tulip’s past caught up to her via an army of henchmen that brought her to Viktor (Paul Ben-Victor). Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) finally caved and revealed to Jesse that Tulip (Ruth Negga) was missing, which set Jesse off on a crusade. He unleashed the power of Genesis to save Tulip from Viktor… her husband. Meanwhile, Jesse’s jealousy, fear, and rage all distracted him from the fact that The Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) tracked Genesis, and he was quickly approaching.

Spoilers below for last’s night episode of Preacher.

Dominic Cooper has been set on “kick-ass” mode now for three weeks straight as he opens the episode by dragging Viktor around, and setting him for torture despite Tulip’s pleas to stop. She is forced out by Genesis, as Jesse is in a blind rage. We flashback to the titular city, where Jesse and Tulip’s former life was. That was until they were betrayed on a job, leading to Tulip’s miscarriage. A former employer tries to recruit them back into the business, but Jesse looks more like Cassidy at this point… not a compliment.

Tulip takes Allie (Stella Allen), her step daughter, away to Cassidy. “Her boyfriend is killing my dad,” the girl says with a deadpan stare. We get prolonged flashbacks to Jesse and Tulip in Dallas. The monotony of their lives is depressing, hit home by the montage of Jesse’s trips to the mini mart to get beer and pregnancy tests, which are failing each and every time. There is a moment where Jesse kneels and prays, before checking the results and it’s genuinely heartbreaking. Even worse, we find that Tulip was sneaking out to old jobs, and hiding the money and birth control pills. Suffice to say, this does not go over well, and soon Jesse is resolved to go back to Annville. For a show that puts jaw-dropping action/comedy sequences into each episode, this one reminds you how capable these actors are.

Cassidy finds Jesse at Viktor’s and they go back and forth and again, the dialogue and writing control the screen. Gilgun is shockingly great at emoting for a drunken vampire. Finally, it seems everything is okay. Jesse fights through his jealousy and chooses not to kill Viktor, which allows a happy reunion for him and Tulip. Unfortunately, there’s another reunion coming. The Saint of Killers blasts into Viktor’s as he shares a tender moment with his daughter. I found myself really upset for Viktor, another compliment to the acting on the show. Allie though, knows where Preacher is…

I, like most of humankind, tuned in to Game of Thrones‘ season 7 premiere. After the first few minutes, I felt the episode dragged as characters meandered around, and were set up to forward plot points. On this episode of Preacher, nothing much happened plot wise, but I’m so invested in these characters that just their interactions are enough. There was a thick layer of sadness in this episode. Jesse and Tulip’s flashbacks were heartbreaking, as we watched the two drift apart. It comes as no shock with Ruth Negga, coming off an Oscar nomination (Loving), but Cooper and Gilgun held their own this week. The acting and writing for this show are second to none. And because there is a giant cowboy from hell blowing people away, and so much crazy stuff, you sometimes overlook it.

Preacher returns to AMC next Monday at 9:00pm ET.

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Preacher: ‘You Can’t Do This!’ Sneak Peek Ep. 205

Tulip has a very one-sided argument with Jesse about hurting Viktor. Don’t miss the next episode of Preacher, Monday, July 17 at 9/8c.

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