In which the Sundowner fight redeems everything.
Shawn: I certainly felt that there was a pacing shift here from the slight slow down of the past couple episodes. We were just about back to the craziness of the “Pilot” episode. I have a few observations that don’t relate to men in underwear that I’m sure you will cover in detail.
1.) EVIL NOT DEAD. The fight in the Sundowner Motel to start the episode was easily the best fight since Cassidy brought down a plane and Tulip fought her way through the cornfield in the first episode. Killing characters that can’t be killed and the bodies starting to stack up in the hotel room felt totally out of a Sam Raimi film. This scene could have been lifted from Evil Dead or Army of Darkness. The camera work and timing technique are unique for the TV shows that I watch. The copious amounts of blood became hilarious like in Kill Bill. The killing of the Seraphim by Cassidy tightens the plot. It’s a huge mistake that will put him and Jesse even closer together. (Not mentioning the underwear hang out afterwards.) That seems to be the point of these last few episodes – tying Jesse and Cassidy and Tulip to each other on multiple levels. Each twosome is connected in so many ways that it felt natural and yet weird to see all three together. Also we got my second favorite line of the episode – when Cassidy hears about Genesis “Like the bloody band?”
2.) “YOU BROKE MY KID’S ART THING” was my favorite line of the episode. I don’t know what we are getting in the long run from seeing so much of Emily and Tulip start to get along. I think their natural rivalry was made clear earlier. Then seeing Tulip loosen up a little and bond with another female felt a little unnatural to what we’ve seen to this point. It almost feels like the illustration of a country song lyrics. And I don’t care what kind of errands Emily has to run; you don’t leave your child with Tulip. Ever. Both of these women have been wounded by men, and Jesse specifically. I just don’t get that they are both on the same level. Tulip is in need of some direction here but she is never going to lose a man to Emily. Ever.
3.) GO TO HELL. I didn’t love Eugene being sent to Hell. It illustrates the power that Jesse is wielding. We’ve seen it amping up each week to get to this point. It’s a crazy use of the power and we are certainly meant to be shocked by the remains left behind. I just felt that the disappearance didn’t have the shock value I wanted it to have upon the reveal. I don’t know how to fix that. The Sundowner fight was intense. There was so much blood involved. I know you have to play the two things against each other. Maybe I want the complete opposite – Nothing. Just let him disappear and let us fill in the details.
4.) SEASON TWO. I am relieved to read that we’re getting a second season and all of those Game of Thrones fans now have ten months to catch up on this first season before we start again. I predict a much larger audience the second time around. This show so far plays out as the best binge-watch since Daredevil and Jessica Jones.
5.) THE MINOR MAYOR. Truthfully, I only just now remembered that we are still trying to figure out what to do with the bodies and the murder spree. I don’t really care anymore. We’ve moved on to more spiritual matters and this feels out of the league of angels battling in hotel rooms. I worry that once you unlock issues of Heaven and Hell that the other stories just won’t matter.
Everything feels headed in the right direction – I hope you are pointed that way too.
Kim: The title of this one should be, “Well, that escalated quickly!”
I think that the most fun action scene I’ve seen in this series yet was the opener of this episode. The seraphim that just respawns when her body dies, along with Fiore and DeBlanc who do the same, made the first ten minutes of this episode something I’ve been craving – wild. Add to that Jesse and toss in Cassidy, and it was just the perfect mix of “whoa!”
Now, I’m well aware that Fiore and DeBlanc are not seraphim. I will openly admit that I discussed this a little bit with someone who is very familiar with the comics, but I didn’t let him tell me much about anything, other than answer my question if they were angels. I now know that there are several types of angels, of which they’re one. But alas, no, not seraphim.
Shortly after what proved to be the most fantastic action scene thus far, Jesse and Cassidy spent nearly three full minutes in their underwear on camera. While doing laundry. I have to tell you, this is the closest thing to porn for me that you could put on TV. It lasted near three minutes. I watched it four times. I have no idea what they talked about. In fact, I was eating some watermelon at the time I watched it. The watermelon was really ripe and sweet and I totally felt okay just biting into it, letting the juice run down my chin while watching the screen, totally oblivious to anything going on around me, other than the eye sex I was having with the TV and my watermelon. I’m not sorry.
So then a bunch of interpersonal things happen with Tulip & Emily, Tulip & Cassidy, and Tulip & Jesse; a bunch of moments that are going to add up and pay off eventually, I hope. I keep saying that Tulip needs to thrive. This slower pace is slowly choking her out and I need her to be the complete badass that she is. The mayor is a mess and he can’t even figure out what to do about Odin; Jesse is of zero help to him. He just seems to be digging his own grave, if we’re being honest. And then, there is Eugene.
Eugene got the forgiveness he so wanted. He has a kid being friendly to him. He isn’t being picked on as much. However, he isn’t very happy about it. I think from a religious standpoint, Eugene is the perfect repentant sinner. If anyone on this show deserves forgiveness from anyone at all, it’s Eugene. He just gets that this forgiveness was too easy; it wasn’t right. He feels he should have to do more, prove more, be more, in order to get that kind of pass from the community. He served as the conscience of Jesse Custer in the closing moments of the show – and it was a pretty powerful. Eugene, who perhaps has committed one of the greatest and most unforgivable sins in this town. He desperately wants forgiveness, but wants to work at it and arrive at that endpoint in the way he believes it should happen – through pain, suffering, agony, repenting, begging for mercy, and hitting rock bottom. After all that, perhaps, forgiveness.
His reminder to Jesse that this isn’t right, it’s cheating; the new dedicated congregation isn’t right, it’s cheating. This chastisement is biting and obviously gets under our beloved preacher’s skin (once it made its way through those underwear), and the result is the most basic lesson in human existence – be careful what you wish for. Oh, Jesse. I hope you can undo this mess.
