[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: David Evans
Writer: Mary Laws
Starring: Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, James Kyson, Graham McTavish, Ronald Guttman
Summary
This week on AMC’s Preacher, Jesse finds a soul for the Saint of Killers but seems to be creeping closer to his own eternal damnation. As the power of Genesis corrodes the Preacher’s moral compass he turns to the old “family business” – trading mortal souls. Meanwhile, Cassidy rips the soul out of his fans in the usual, metaphorical way.
Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Positives
This week we get a lot of info on some of the most interesting characters in the show, as well as some previously unseen technology. First off, we get a library montage that retells the harrowing story of the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish), also known as the “Only living man without a soul.” The devil is in the details, and the terribly sad story of the Butcher of Gettysburg takes a new, morally grey dimension.
From one terribly sad story to another; Denis (Ronald Guttman) and Cassidy (Gilgun) finally expose the true nature of their relationship. Cassidy really isn’t a good person, even if he is a very nice vampire. Would it be greedy to hope we’ll find out who the hell he was calling in the first episode after landing in Texas? Probably. I still want answers.
Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Ronald Guttman as Denis – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
A new, fascinating aspect of this bizarre story is the soul-trading shenanigans that Jesse and his family supposedly have history in. The practice has changed since Jesse’s day, it has become more technical. “The Technician” (James Kyson) represents the industrious nature of the new soul-trading business, roving the streets of New Orleans surgically removing soul fragments from willing donors and pharmaceutically engineering those fragments into to patients in need. What could possibly be taking souls from so many people as to support such a prosperous business model? God knows…maybe.
Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Negatives
No Eugene and Hitler this week. Despite referencing Eugene quite often, especially this week in his negotiation with the Saint of Killers, Jesse doesn’t seem too interested in helping the boy he sent to Hell. Without trying to second-guess the showrunners here, it almost seemed like there was a golden opportunity in this episode to hatch a plan to save Eugene, which the Preacher did not take. Jesse might be turning away from the light these days, but the negligence over Eugene is quite heart-breaking.
Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Verdict
The episode this week was emotionally charged and incredibly interesting, shedding light on new elements of the show we thought we were becoming familiar with. Cooper’s Preacher is turning darker by the episode, as does his Vampiric mate and his performance can be chilling, the new weird-ass-tech-fitted-into-a-suitcase-thing is just as morbidly fascinating as the previous model belonging to the Angels in the first season.
