Preacher has, without a doubt, become my favorite new show of the summer, and I can’t wait to see how the series grows and evolves over its (hopefully) long, long life. Let’s take a look at what happened in this week’s new episode, “Monster Swamp.”
The episode opens with a woman running away from a truck that’s following her. She isn’t fully dressed, leading you to wonder exactly what’s going on. She finds more girls in a similar situation, throwing a wrench into things, before she’s finally found my a man with a gun. As it turns out, the group was just playing a weird game of paintball, but it ends dangerously when the girl falls into a hidden pit behind her. We (and Tulip) find out that this took place on Quinncannon’s property, and Tulip is, predictably, not okay with any of this. Her anger over the situation winds up getting her involved with Cassady in a big way, kicking off a relationship that is sure to be fun to watch between the two. Ruth Negga is an absolute joy to watch, and her story in “Monster Swamp” gives her plenty of great material to work with.
As it should be, Cassady and Jessie’s friendship and growing relationship takes a huge focus once again in “Monster Swamp.” Just like always, I am absolutely blown away at the portrayal of both of these characters, and I love every single moment that the two share the screen. Dominic Cooper in particular is delivering an award-worthy performance week in and week out, and it would be a shame for voters to not recognize his work here in a few months. Of course, at the same time, Cassady is one of the best characters currently on TV, and this week’s episode gives us even more of his journey, particularly through his dealings with Fiore and DeBlanc. These three characters, for now, serve as the more “supernatural” aspects of Preacher, and it’s a nice way to slowly introduce this to the audience while the rest of the in-show universe is, more of less, “normal.”
One of the best aspects of “Monster Swamp” was the use of flashbacks to explore some of Jessie’s childhood in Annville. It’s sometimes difficult to understand how Jessie got to where he is in life, and this exploration of his past goes a long way to reconcile that. The connections also serve to bring Jessie and Quinncannon together in a way beneficial to the narrative, potentially bridging the gap between the seasons “heroes” and “big bad” (if that’s, indeed, what Quinncannon will be).
“Monster Swamp” was a very fun episode of Preacher that starting bringing characters together in new ways while furthering the plot in typical Preacher manner. The episode’s conclusion (both with the scenes between Jessie and Quinncannon and between DeBlanc, Fiore, and their phone) open up new mysteries that will be explored soon, and I can’t wait to see how things play out.
What did you think of “Monster Swamp?” What are your thoughts on Preacher as a whole? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo Credit: AMC]
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