Episode Title: South Will Rise Again
Originally Aired: June 26th 2016
Preacher as a series is doing an amazing burnout with how well it is spinning its wheels. In this episode, Jesse is doing his best to be a good preacher and is not always successful. Emily is pining for Jesse but she was incapable of voicing her affection for the trouble man of faith. Tulip is still trying to pull Jesse back to her and the life they had together before it was ruined by Carlos, going as far to try and embarrass him in front of his flock instead of just seducing him. Cassidy is seemingly content to stay in the small town at this point no longer concerned with the return of the vampire hunters and making money to flee to his unspecified destination. His life has dissolved in to a relentless pursuit of drugs and women.
The joke of the angels being unable to answer the ringing phone in this episode is a perfect example of how the season has gone. It was great once and not too bad a second time but the returns continue to diminish to the point I wanted to yell at them to answer the phone and get on with it. Another thing about this episode is that I am sure that no animals were harmed during the making of it but that it is PETA’s least favorite of the season. A horse is shot and there was a story about killing and possibly eating a Komodo dragon on top of the usual meat processing plant references to killing cows.
Jesse seems to have gained full control of his abilities and is using them at such a rapid pace that if the law of unintended consequences comes to Annville, it will tear the town to shreds. When Jesse tells someone what to do for some it appears to be a eureka moment and that a big weight has been lifted, others like Donnie and Mrs. Loach do as they are told but you can see they are fighting it and not enjoying the experience. Now that he is going to learn more about his powers will Jesse want to let it go, will he fight to keep it, and if he does, will he continue to use it the way he has or become more cautious? Was he truly chosen by God to possess this ability and help others, was it an accident or something else completely? Once he knows, the show will either continue to stall here or they will be forced to push forward and maybe Jesse will finally hit the road for an adventure outside of small town politics.
The show continues to be well shot and acted; Tulip is actually growing on me, my favorite scene of the night was her questioning of Cassidy. Color is used very well in the show, from the dark and dusty opening sequence to the brightness of any scene involving Jesse and the muted greens when Odin Quincannon is the focus. The opening sequence differs not only in look but by its score, which is more metallic and harsh, which I feel fits the bleak setting. As someone who has not read the comic the opening scenes with the cowboy and Ratwater, feel really disjointed. How will the cowboy’s story impact what is happening over 100 years in the future is not very apparent and with only five episodes left this season I’m not sure they will be able to tie it in to the main story in a satisfying way. The plotting is what is letting the show down if they do not begin to write with an end goal in mind for our characters no level of likability will keep viewers coming back. This show is not Seinfeld it needs to be about something more than some quirky people and the shenanigans of the day.
Channel: Superhero 