One of the best new series of the summer was AMC’s Preacher, the adaptation of Garth Ennis’ beloved comic series from Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg, and Sam Catlin. A non-stop blast from beginning to end, Preacher‘s first season served, essentially, as a prequel to the source material, ending at the point that the comic more or less begins. Because of this, most of the moments from the season were new to both fans and newcomers alike, and I think the series benefited greatly from this uncertainty.
Now that the first season of Preacher is over, let’s take a look at the top 5 moments from the series’ first ten episodes.
5. Tulip and Emily’s Heart-to-Heart
Unlike what you’ll see on the rest of this list, our first entry isn’t based in the series’ trademark dark comedy. Instead, this one is a character moment.
The sixth episode of the season finally placed Jesse Custer’s two women together. After seeing what’s become of her boyfriend after his time back in Annville, Tulip (Ruth Negga) decides that she’s had just about enough of everything, and she heads over to Emily Woodrow’s (Lucy Griffiths) house to take it out on her. What results is an absolutely perfect scene in which the two women in the preacher’s life place their emotions on the table and learn to get along. The scene is one of the best-acted on all of television so far this year, and it’s an absolute treat that we got something like this so early on in Preacher‘s run.
To hear more from Lucy Griffiths on this scene and the first season of Preacher in general, check out my interview with her that I did before the season finale!
4. Introducing Cassidy
One of the most well-received characters from the Preacher comics is Jesse’s Irish vampire best friend Cassidy, and that reception followed the character onto the television series as well. Joseph Gilgun’s portrayal of the vampire was one of the most intense aspects of the first season, and it was shown in the best way during the character’s introduction in the pilot episode.
The first time we see Cassidy, he’s in the middle of partying on an airplane in the most hedonistic way possible. Things take a turn, though, when he realizes that the other occupants of the aircraft are really there to hunt him down, and the scene concludes with a totally bombastic and crazy fight scene that gives us our first real look at just how bonkers Preacher can be. It was a fantastic moment for the show’s first episode, and it felt like the perfect introduction to the character.
3. “Finish the Song”
Throughout the season, we were given very brief glimpses into Graham McTavish’s mysterious cowboy character, and it was often assumed from these scenes that we were looking at a flashback that would eventually connect to the main story taking place in Annville.
Well, that ended up not being quite the case, as it turns out we were really watching the personal Hell experience of The Saint of Killers, the character played by McTavish. We find out in the season’s penultimate episode that the cowboy is forced to live the worst experience of his life over-and-over through eternity as his punishment, and it ends up being a surprisingly tragic story that actually makes you feel for the character. Included in the tragedy is a brutal shootout in a saloon, underscored by the singing of a man The Saint orders to “finish the song.” He ultimately makes it out after agreeing to do a job for some angels, but that’s something we’ll have to wait until next season to explore.
2. The Hotel Brawl
The sixth episode of the season, “Sundowner,” was easily one of Preacher‘s best, and its place in the show’s history was present from the very beginning.
Not long after the episode’s open, an extended fight sequence takes place in a hotel between Jesse, the angels DeBlanc and Fiore, and another heavenly entity sent to get back Genesis, the being possessing our preacher. Just like Cassidy’s introduction, the sequence is absolutely insane, and it’s the perfect way to really introduce us to the supernatural side of Preacher‘s world, something we finally started getting some explanation for in this episode. The dark comedy pairs great with the action of the fight, and it’s easily one of the most memorable moments of the series so far.
1. Annville Meets “God”
Could there really be anything else at the top of the list?
All season, Annville (a modern-day Sodom/Gomorrah) had been getting further and further away from the values Jesse was trying to instill, and the final couple of episodes saw the preacher putting into action a plan to bring God to town. We finally got that major moment in the season finale, and it did not at all disappoint. The scene was exactly the kind of dark comedy that made me fall in love with Preacher, and the ramifications from the scene propelled the series forward in a huge way that allowed it to sync up more with the comic series for season 2. It also allowed for the perfect montage of the citizens of Annville reflecting on their new knowledge afterword, creating one of the best and most somber moments in the series.
Preacher returns for season 2 on AMC in 2017. What were your favorite moments from the first season that didn’t make the list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: AMC]
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