In which Kim and Shawn are back in love with their Preacher.
Kim: There comes a time in every television series when you take a deep breath, look back on what you’ve just witnessed, and are grateful for the time you’ve invested in it. This, for me, is one of those times. There were some serious ‘Whoa!’ moments and a couple of ‘Awwwww!’ moments, and it ended just as the episode began – with a giant “Holy shit!”
Let me tell you about my favorite theme in this episode: Bromance! One of the more touching moments in this episode is when Fiore and DeBlanc are going to get on the bus, and the driver tells them that carry-ons aren’t allowed. Fiore is so heartbroken about having to leave his comics behind. DeBlanc doesn’t miss a beat and calls Fiore, “my dear,” and I just wanted them hugging right there in front of the bus to Hell. These two have such great chemistry together. It’s not just one of DeBlanc being the fatherly type to the more child-like Fiore. This is a closeness that develops when it’s you and another person against the world – literally.
Now, let’s not forget the reunion between Jesse and Cassidy. Those two were just made to be together. I enjoy the camaraderie between the two and having Jesse there to help hide the bodies like a good bro would is quite poetic. I know I’ve got friends who I fully expect will show up at my house with a shovel one day, claiming, “I need a favor,” and I’ll calmly say, “Let me grab some beer,” before heading off to do what great friends do. As an aside, when Cassidy nonchalantly mentioned he could get the angel hands for the phone, I was secretly hoping that was a sexual innuendo of the highest magnitude. Alas, it wasn’t.
The second theme in the episode was death, and quite shocking ones at that. The sheriff strangling the angel was such a powerful moment. The tears in his eyes as this man sworn to protect and serve dished out what he thought was a mercy killing was the perfect touch for our man of the law. The opening scene of the old-timey cowboy decimating that gathering of people, sparing no one, was all kinds of intriguing. The insinuation that Tulip is going to bludgeon Carlos with the meat cleaver was delicious. But the best, and I do mean the best, would have to be Emily. She’s finally had enough of the mayor and his crap. She didn’t see a way out. I think while she’s sitting there, watching TV, holding the bunny, she realized that she was the bunny, Miles was Cassidy, and her life was heading in a direction she had no control of. And in that moment, she made a plan, followed it through, and freed the critters while freeing herself from the life she didn’t want. Gosh, I’m deep today.
Not really. Jesse and Tulip are still super hot and I’m anxiously awaiting Cassidy growing back all of his hair. While I do think some bald men are hot, that transition period between bald and hairy can be sketchy. Also, I think a scene with all three of them in their underwear would be the icing on the cake. Can we start a petition for that?
A moment on the old cowboy – I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to define what Hell is in a way that makes sense to me. No devils, no pitchforks, no fires. Watching the cowboy (or the Saint of Killers) relive the most horrific parts of his life over and over again has to be what I imagine Hell is if it truly exists. All of your pain, anger, and angst played out repetitively for eternity. Or until someone offers you the chance to kill a preacher.
I’m so ready for this show to move forward. We’re just about done with the introductions that even the comic fans never had. We have our cast of characters. We know what drives them. We’ve got one more episode this season and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be all kinds of fire and brimstone shit, or at the very least, a lot of ass kicking.
In closing, this is still the best show currently airing and when it ends after next week, I’ll need to fill a void. Preacher has a tight grasp on me, and I’ll keep watching as long as they keep making them, or ‘til the end of the world.
Shawn: I was lucky enough to attend San Diego Comic-Con this year and hear this script read live by a majority of the cast and a few guest stars. Hearing the show before I actually saw it gave the episode a completely different focus. Without the visuals, the words mean even more. I heard the episode and visualized it in my head before watching it this week. That combination is the way I now want to experience each episode. If it’s not too difficult, I would ask that the full cast come over to my house on the Saturday before each episode and just read the script to me. In bed. Just because that would be more comfortable, I’m sure.
1.) HELL. I love the way the show portrayed Hell. There is as much conveyed in the scenes of the Saint as there are in most films. The start of the episode with the Chinese man singing among the killings juxtaposes beauty and death. The bloodiest scenes are early in the story. Then the story is repeated over and over in snippets until we get what is happening but the key parts are the gore. The Hell is the decisions. Repeating our bad decisions are what cause us our personal Hells. I want to go back and watch what we have seen of him this season. There’s that feeling that we are being rewarded for paying attention. The puzzle pieces were all laid out over the season and now they are all connected.
2.) GUINEA PIGS. Don’t eat the guinea pigs, Cassidy! Not that you want to feed him Miles either. The Emily choice was exciting but I’m not sure I followed her transition from doe-eyed innocent to cold-hearted killer. Was it because she was watching Psycho? Because I’ve watched that movie like twenty times. There’s a drastic change in the story because of this action that I didn’t anticipate and I’m not sure it makes the show stronger.
3.) KILL ME. The whole deal with Sheriff Root and the Angel without her arms or legs in the bathroom at the Sundowner Hotel was maybe the most disturbing scene which is saying something for this show. I love that we are tying up some loose ends so that we can move forward. I still am not sure that we needed this to be Sheriff Root to find her. I think it would have been interesting to put Tulip in this situation. She needs a connection to Fiore and DeBlanc. I’m glad he made the decision he did though because ultimately it shows a concern for humanity that will serve us in the future.
4.) THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR. I guess I assumed that it was Jesse that put out Cassidy when he was on fire. It was nice to get the little exchange between them to close up some plot points. Cassidy thanks Jesse and the bromance is back in full swing. Then the agreement to work together to get rid of the Mayor’s body is the final straw. These are friends like T&A – you do what it takes to support the other. This little moment has huge implications. Now we know that they each know each other’s secrets and powers and that they are going to have a special relationship as they leave town in the next season.
5.) WHAT ABOUT MY COMICS? The whole bus travel thing from the woman trying to sleep with them through the “my dear” I was happy that we got these scenes. It helped give us more of Fiore and DeBlanc. I have loved their dialogue all season. Their role seemed to be more like a Greek Chorus than as actual characters. I feel like their relationship gives them a little more depth and yet it was mostly comic relief this episode. The waiting for the bus was filmed beautifully and felt slightly different than the visual style we’ve become used to. We have seen the bright, hot brights and the darkest darks. This scene felt almost normal and lit like a regular day. Maybe that’s what we get in this show of odd occurrences, the most odd characters are the most normal of the bunch.
I certainly felt like the odd pieces have really started to fit together. Here’s your payoff about to happen next week in the finale. This is one of the best arcs on television in the past couple years and I’m hoping to be here praising it next week.
