Episode Title: The Possibilities
Originally Aired: June 12th 2016
Everything is a possibility when you are Jesse Custer and have the ability to make anyone do anything that is physically possible. Unfortunately, Jesse was not in charge of writing this episode or maybe he could have made them write a script where more happens. Other than the fact that not much happens in this episode the writers should be disciplined for not adding in a Coming to America reference in the scene where Jesse is testing out his control over Cassidy.The episode opens up in Houston with Tulip meeting with the previously mentioned Danni who wants the map and for Tulip to kill her husband. Which for some reason Tulip refuses to do. We know she has killed in the past, that she was prepared to kill the cop that pulled her over if need be, so why won’t she kill Danni’s husband? Maybe the person has to be doing something to Tulip for her to think they deserve to die. The two men in episode one wanted the map and were willing to kill her to get it, and the cop was going to give her a ticket. We finally learn why Tulip is so insistent on getting Jesse to join her for this job, it is because it is not a job at all, it is a mission of revenge. The information she got for the map was the last known address for a man named Carlos. Through a couple of flash backs and a few lines here and there it appears that Carlos, Tulip and Jesse may have been a team and that Carlos betrayed them. He stole all of the money from a job, or bank robbery, killing a kid in the process unintentionally or not, we do not know yet; but we do know his treachery is enough for Tulip to consider breaking every bone in his body before finally killing him. I really want to like Tulip, but I just cannot so far. I hear from people who know the comics better than I do, that she is the most faithful character in the show, and it is not really the character I am having a hard time with, it is solely about Ruth Negi. She is a good, not great, actor and I just do not think she can pull of this role after three episodes.
After testing his power of suggestion out on the comatose Loach girl Jesse decides to learn what his level of control over a fully functioning adult is. We learn a few more interesting tidbits about Cassidy such as his poor taste in music and the fact that he cannot fly. This is the first episode that we do not see Jesse drinking heavily but it also keeps the trend of him being drunk just the source changed. When he is overwhelmed by possibilities, it appears that hurting someone is the only thing that can break him out of the maniacal state brought on by all of this power. It starts with Cassidy slamming into a wall that breaks the first spell and almost killing a man that ends the second. While out on the revenge mission with Tulip if he had killed the man would he have fully reverted to the old Jesse that she wants him to be and that we know nothing about. If he did go back to his old ways what would he do next and who could stop him at this point? The clones from “the government” who are trying to remove the power from Jesse might be able to stop him but they are going to need some help from one of Jesse’s friends to do so.
The worst or most useless scene of the season was the meeting of the government men with the town’s sheriff. After his disappointment of not being able to join in the possible manhunt for an escaped prisoner or lunatic the sheriff decides to share a dark story about a family vacation at an amusement park. Maybe there is a message in the story if you look hard enough but looking for that moral and then finding the corresponding plot line in the episode is too much work for any viewer to be expected to do. The show is starting to lose its goodwill with me, the interesting core of characters is beginning to be overwhelmed by oddities that seeming have no purpose. The scene of Jackie Earl Haley’s character sitting and listening to cows being killed at a processing plant serves no purpose other than showing us he is twisted. Eventually the show has to be more than a collection of sideshow characters and events and give us a compelling story that we want to come back for.
If I were watching this show just for my own personal pleasure, it would only get another episode maybe two for it to push the plot forward or to make Cassidy the main character or I would move on. Cassidy is easily my favorite character, his response to being controlled by Jesse is a mixture of joy because he has met another supernatural person, and concern for his friend and how he is handling the transformation. He is lazy and mostly out for himself but he cares about Jesse and he is without a doubt the funniest character in the show making me smile every time he is on screen. I hope the next episode will share some of his backstory with us.
Channel: Superhero 