The first episode of Preacher on AMC was absolutely outstanding (check out my review of the series premiere here), and I’ve been waiting on the edge of my seat for two weeks for the follow-up. Let’s jump right on in and take a look at what happened in this week’s new episode, “See.”
The episode begins with a cold open (in all meanings of the phrase) set in 1881 that introduces us to a cowboy traversing the wild. The musical score accompanying the man is extremely dark and disturbing, so it’s clear from the outset that we’re in for something new. Sent to set his affairs in order, the man runs across a party of travelers who have recently left St. Louis for a more peaceful life. Without spoiling the conclusion to the scene, I’ll say that it doesn’t look like anyone on Preacher is going to get to be a part of a “more peaceful life” anytime soon. With this open set so far in the past, it’s hard to tell exactly how this man will connect to Jesse Custer and our events in the present (and, as I’ve mentioned before, I haven’t read the Preacher comic series), but it seems like we’re going to be getting some flashbacks throughout the season that tie into the story in a huge way (a la Breaking Bad season 2), so I can’t wait to find out this connection.
Back in the present, Jesse is performing baptisms on his parishioners (including Eugene), determined now to be a good preacher. He’s watched throughout by the two strangers that entered town at the end of the pilot, but it still isn’t very clear what role they’re going to serve. Meanwhile, Cassidy keeps trying to adapt to his new life as a church employee. I have to point out that I absolutely love the way that it’s showing his vampiric tendencies in a very subtle way (such as avoiding the very bright sunlight in the kitchen). His work may not be going perfectly, but the growing connection and friendship between him and Jesse is incredible to see play out. The writers are doing a great job with relationships only two episodes in, and these two characters in particular have a really wonderful chemistry. Even without knowing the source material for the show, I can see that this friendship is going to be one of the strongest dynamics of the series as we move forward. They also share a pretty deep conversation in the church about their natures and Jesse’s past, and it also serves as our first real knowledge of Cassidy’s life as a vampire.
At the end of the series premiere, Jesse was affected by some sort of supernatural force that gave him the power to make people follow his commands (ending with some pretty gruesome results), and the exploration of what this really entails receives a major focus in “See.” Whenever he uses this power, the sound of his voice (from an artistic perspective) is amplified in order to tell the audience what’s going on, but it’s done in the exact perfect way that it never feels either too subtle or too intrusive. It’s a good balance that still gets the point across.
“See” also gives us our first introduction to Odin Quinncannon (played by recurring guest star Jackie Earle Haley), and he seems to be yet another character that’s going to be incredibly fun to watch. Odin is the chief employer for the town, and he is a man with the (non-supernatural) power to bend people to his will (as we see in his first scene). Coincidentally, one of his enforcers is the wife-beating Donny that played a big part in Jesse’s fight last week, so it seems like the “strong” characters will be gravitating around one another for the time being.
Looking back to the two strangers in town, we find out that they are really around for the being that’s now inside of Jesse (leading to a humorous interaction with Cassidy due to a misunderstanding). This is another scene that I’m not going to spoil, but it’s one of the more outrageous ones (and quite possibly my favorite) that we’ve gotten on Preacher so far. Man, this show is fun as hell.
Something that I am absolutely loving about Preacher so far is the soundtrack. Whoever’s in charge of that for the series is doing a great job of picking the right tracks for the scenes, and it’s definitely helping to give the show a feel quite unlike any other on television. In many different ways, Preacher is extremely unique, and the uniqueness in the soundtrack and score plays into that very well.
“See” was quite a bit slower than Preacher‘s first episode, but the pacing was still very strong. The best thing that it did (aside from continuing the plot) was further develop the characters while beginning to grow some important relationships. The character work on this show is absolutely outstanding, and I’d be perfectly willing to watch a lesser-made show with characters this great. Luckily for all of us, the show itself is wonderful. I absolutely cannot wait for next week’s episode already, and I think Preacher may be the show of the summer.
What did you think of “See?” Has Preacher managed to hook you yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: AMC]
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