Preacher Season 3 Episode 9
Well, I never thought I’d write the following, but such is Preacher: The vial containing the missing bit of Jesse Custer’s soul slithers its way out of The Allfather’s disemboweled sphincter. Which is quickly followed by Jesse trying to strangle Starr with the Allfather’s entrails as “Joy to the World” blares on the soundtrack. Yes, on paper it seems impossible that we’d ever witness such gruesome moments on a TV show, and yet here we are—sacrilege in hourly installments, courtesy of AMC. Preacher is staring down endings on two fronts. One is all-out Armageddon, courtesy of The Grail’s centuries-long machinations. The other is next week’s season finale, courtesy of Preacher’s months-long machinations. You can’t have either one without spilling some blood. And given the copious amount of viscera spilled in “Schwanzkopf” you have to imagine the finale is going to be an absolute bloodbath. Truly, AMC is pushing the envelope for gore in ways that even stalwart zombie fare like The Walking Dead doesn’t. But there’s more to this episode than its sheer amount of violence. Through a random act of kindness, Tulip finds herself bound for Hell along with Eugene and Hitler. And I do mean random. Tulip is already tempting fate by going after the briefcase containing the stolen souls earmarked for Gran’ma. She’s lucky enough to actually get them back. But I suppose it’s more of that O’Hare bad luck that leads to Tulip’s true identity being revealed. I just wish this moment with Eugene “suddenly” recognizing Tulip hadn’t been so contrived. I do find it interesting that Satan’s “errand boy” would question the morality of taking living souls to the underworld. Which earns him another slight—this time being called “Pollyanna” by the Angel of Death. While I appreciate that someone as unforgiving as the Saint of Killers still harbors a conscience, I wish Graham McTavish’s formidable presence was being used to better effect. An upside to these scenes on the transport? At least we get to see Tulip’s street smarts put to the test as she devises not one but two plans to escape the transport. It’s great to see how Tulip’s mind works, with her schemes brought to life by crude line animation. Her thinking is so sound and so foolproof, there’s no way they can fail. Except both plans come to naught, ending in a trippy, stylish slow-motion sequence as the bus crashes to a halt. Which leads me to another line I never thought I’d write in a review: Enter Hitler’s latter-day Nazis to save our heroes from Hell. Which brings us back to Jesse—the only character that’s not in need of saving. And I have to say, it’s about time. Returning to Angelville hasn’t been kind to Jesse or to Preacher. Indeed, the show has floundered a bit with this storyline. But now that Jesse has regained the Voice of God, next week’s finale promises catharsis and closure in equal measure. Some closing thoughts: As always, this episode has its share of inspired dialogue. Like Starr’s list of various and sundry undesirables: “Hipsters. Presbyterians. Trade unionists. The Danes.” The Allfather has a great line as well. Upon learning of Starr’s treachery, he tells Jesse, “He shall know my buttocks as few men ever have.” Only in a show like Preacher would such a line carry so much weight. I expected Jesse to do terrible things to Starr with the Voice of God. Instead he issues the terse command, “No more hats!” Wigs, on the other hand, are okay.
