Preacher
Episode 2.12 “On Your Knees”
Written by Sam Catlin & Rachel Wagner
Directed by Michael Slovis
Created by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Graham McTavish, Tom Brooke, Ian Colletti, Julie Ann Emery
AMC
Air date: Monday, September 4, 2017

We’ve reached the penultimate episode of Preacher Season 2 on AMC and what a long strange trip it’s been. Our heroes were stalked by The Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) from the opening scenes, dealt with fallen angels in the Mumbai Sky Tower, and are dealing with an organization bound to preserve Christ’s lineage, The Grail. Jesse (Dominic Cooper) faces a difficult question, should he continue his fruitless search for God”¦ or use Genesis to become God himself. Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), leader of The Grail wants him to do that, especially after introducing him to the Messiah “Humperdoo.” Jesse’s quest has put distance between him and Tulip (Ruth Negga) who is getting closer and closer to Jenny, aka Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery) of The Grail. Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) isn’t around to help the “Padre” either, dealing with a newly turned vampire son. Meanwhile, Eugene (Ian Colletti) and Hitler (Noah Taylor) are trying to find a backdoor out of Hell”¦

Spoilers for this week’s Preacher below:

This week, Eugene and nice guy Hitler end up in Eugene’s Hell-scape, watching Tracy shoot herself again, but this time he plays the game the right way, and somehow, he and Hitler escape. I need to reiterate how crazy it is that I, a Jewish reviewer, is rooting for Hitler now. Damn you, Preacher! We look back at The Saint as human father and husband and wow, it’s hard to see Graham McTavish as anything but a cowboy from hell, but he’s so charming given the barest of lines. It’s great to see him back and killing it again after a few episodes away. The Grail, specifically Hoover (Malcolm Barrett) rescue him from his swampy grave, on the condition he works with them, but that takes a long time of convincing.

Jesse is stuck. He was face to face with God episodes ago, and missed him. To be fair, he was wearing a dog out in a sex dungeon, but still. Cass and Tulip are also stuck. They both want to leave, but feel obligated in some way to stay for Jesse. The Grail watches on, bored to death. The facial expressions Julie Ann Emery has as Lara are fantastic. Things go from boring to life threateningly crazy in an instant as The Saint arrives not too long after Jesse. What follows is an epic battle as Genesis ain’t working on The Saint”¦ maybe The Grail removed his soul. Tulip, Cass, and Jesse take a shit kicking!

The Saint has Jesse right where he wants him, but agents of Hell show up to retrieve him. Herr Starr apparently not only knows the Pope and the Messiah, but also has connections straight to Hell, too. Speaking of Herr Starr, the ambulance transporting Tulip and Cassidy to the hospital ends up at The Grail and they are seated with Starr. “He did not take you into his confidence,” great line, better delivery by Torrens. He owns this role. The pair confront Jesse and come out with questions about his plans on becoming the new God. Who would ever believe Cassidy as the voice of reason? They don’t foresee a role for them alongside Lord Jesse.

Whew! One episode to go and Jesse is about to become the new Messiah. For all the great stuff in this episode, this was about the grand return of Graham McTavish to the show. His sheer presence dominates the screen. McTavish is listed at 6’2” on IMDb, but is shot to look near 7-feet tall here. His slow methodical line deliveries and movements add emphasis to his character and make him constantly intimidating. I like that they also refocused on the three central figures and their continuing arc. They all love one another, but sometimes it’s better for all involved to be apart from those you love. This is also bittersweet because next week is the finale and that means saying goodbye to another of my favorite shows of 2017. The season finale of Preacher‘s sophomore season hits AMC next Monday night at 9:00.

Video

Preacher: ‘Miracles 101’ Season 2 Finale Sneak Peek

At Herr Starr’s request, Jesse prepares to show some school children a miracle. Don’t miss the season finale of Preacher, Monday, September 11 at 9/8c.

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