Preacher
Episode 2.6 “Sokosha”
Directed by David Evans
Written by Mary Laws
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 24th, 2017, 9pm

Spoilers below for last night’s episode of Preacher!

Last week on AMC’s Preacher, our three motley heroes faced different challenges. There was no dodging unkillable cowboys from Hell or hunting down God. Last week was about Jesse (Dominic Cooper) making a decision whether or not to kill Viktor (Paul Ben-Victor) aka Tulip’s husband. Jesse was fueled by jealousy and revenge. Tulip (Ruth Negga) could only stay back and hope Jesse didn’t cross the line and as usual, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) was stuck between his rock and her hard place. Jesse made the right call, letting Viktor live after signing divorce papers, and the trio appeared back on track. Unfortunately for everyone involved, especially Viktor, The Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) made it to New Orleans and is one step closer to getting his Preacher once and for all.

Check out my review of last night’s Preacher below.

A technician (James Kyson) visits a poor family and extracts some glowing substance out of the husband in exchange for $150,000. He then takes that to a rich plantation style home and sells it to a man to aid his sick wife for $2.7 million. The mysterious technician travels locked in the back of a white armored truck surrounded by specimens he’s taken… weird.

Breakfast for the trio is like old times, only with Cassidy basically begging for an apology from Jesse after their uncomfortable interaction last week. They laugh, they joke, they are completely unprepared for The Saint of Killers, led to them by Viktor’s daughter Allie (Stella Allen). Oh, and he has a sword now too. Jesse senses it and by the time the Saint is done slaughtering everyone on the floor, they’ve fled. Where to go when you need information? The library, of course! What follows is one of the best expository scenes I can remember seeing. The story of the Saint of Killers told by blending animation, old bound books, trashy romance novels, and graphic novels (nyuk, nyuk) all put soothingly together to an audiobook soundtrack was just fantastic. It reminded me of both Tarantino’s anime flashback in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and the Deathly Hallows animation sequence in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

When Cass remembers that Dennis is walking into an ambush, Jesse uses Genesis to arrange a one on one meeting with the Saint. Dominic Cooper and Graham McTavish have a ferocious back and forth, and intense dialogue that doesn’t need any of the bloodletting and gore that usually surrounds these characters. McTavish uses such little dialogue at all to convey such complex ideas and emotions. Long story short, the Saint wants to get into Heaven, but has no soul, so God won’t let him in. They strike a tenuous deal where Jesse has an hour to find his soul and must leave Tulip, Cassidy, and Dennis behind. McTavish lurks over everyone like a figure from a horror film. His large frame and cowboy digs evoke memories of WWE’s The Undertaker.

Where else to go in New Orleans to find a soul than a voodoo shop? Jesse is informed that the soul market has been wiped out by the Japanese… making the opening scene make all the more sense. Sure enough, who do you think is parked outside getting their boudin lunch? As he uses Genesis to acquire a soul close enough to the Saint’s, Tulip and Cass watch as Dennis nears death and Cassidy is not reacting well. When they reveal why, I was a sopping mess. Never did I think Preacher would be making me cry on a Monday night.

Jesse returns and manages to turn the tide on the Saint. By the end of this episode, Jesse Custer is a different person. Tulip seems to sense it as well, and it’s going to be very interesting how far Jesse goes in his pursuit of God, and whether he manages to finally cross that line of no return with Tulip. The acting on this show is so underrated. Lost in the crazy gore and violence is some serious acting chops being demonstrated here. Cooper and McTavish shined tonight, but Joseph Gilgun had me in tears at one point, and Ruth Negga is so good at conveying thoughts with her eyes and facial expressions, it’s no wonder she’s an Oscar nominated actress. This was the episode that had it all; the gore and bloodshed, the great acting and writing, plot advancement, subtle reveals, and an amazing mid-episode exposition sequence. I know, shocking, but yet another amazing Preacher episode.

Preacher returns to AMC next Monday night at 9:00 EST.

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Preacher: ‘Which One?’ Sneak Peek Ep. 206

The Saint of Killers tries to get the drop on Jesse during breakfast. Don’t miss the next episode of Preacher, Monday, July 24 at 9/8c.

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