Another flashback begins this week’s episode! The mysterious, murderous cowboy has made his way through to the town of Ratwater, gathering medicine for an ailing child. There, noticing the filth and ravaging souls that plague the dilapidating western town, he attempts to take action only for his horse to be shot dead and he himself, left alone. Embarking back to his cottage three episodes earlier, the child and mother are found dead, picked and eaten at by scavenger crows. Blood in his eyes, the cowboy gears up and prepares for something gruesome. Oh Preacher, you crazy.
Preacher Custer, embodying his powers for celebrity and adoration amongst Annville County, also uses his powers when preaching to his newly adored followers. The following he ever so wanted is now at his disposal, to the dismay of both Emily and Tulip. Meanwhile, following a night of debauchery to the highest extreme, Tulip and Cassidy strike a potential romance. With each character still unaware of who the other is, Tulip informs Cassidy of a “boyfriend,” despite Custer’s own reservations, and that “boyfriend” remains the crux of why she remains in Annville.
A wide-sprawling episode, we return to the household of the Roots. Mean-spirited and troubled, Sheriff Root is all the more bitter when Eugene, aka Arseface, finds his room defaced and laden with graffiti: “FINISH THE JOB,” with an arrow pointed to a shotgun.
Meanwhile, Donnie has fallen into a depression. Shocked and scarred by Custer’s abused powers, he is bewildered to find Quincannon is now following God after attending one of Custer’s sermons. Quincannon, whose life is now altered, decides to re-evaluate his relationship with the Mayor and the people of Green Acre in the hopes of negotiating a business deal. This deal is immediately thrown out the window when Quincannon blasts his potential investors with a shotgun. Custer has really done it this time.
In lieu of the last episode’s brilliant cliffhanger, Fiore and DeBlanc sit nervously, attempting to conjure a potential response as the phone rings. The duo have quickly becoming the show’s comedic strong suit, firing one-liners riddled with anxiety and remorse, adding to the comedic value and the intrigue surrounding their fates.
In the hopes of rectifying his public perception, Arseface returns to Custer for assistance, and Custer heads to the home of Tracey Loach. Noticing Eugene in Custer’s pick-up truck, Loach’s mother, with great fervour, attacks Custer’s car as Eugene powerlessly whimpers. Custer approaches the disinterested mother and asks her to forgive Eugene. Guess what happens next?
Custer’s powers and newly claimed adoration pours through Annville, to the dismay of Fiore and DeBlanc. Time is no longer an option for the two as they finally approach Preacher.
“Where exactly are you from?” Preacher asks.
“We’re from heaven,” they reply.
“Heaven, as in the sky above?”
“Is there another?”
Confused yet intrigued by the powers he possesses, Custer may soon realise the enormity of the chaos that will rise up, for himself, his church and the very town of Annville.
The season’s halfway mark, this week’s episode slowly revealed the wide-open narrative that is set to follow. While the episode did not revolutionise or change the game of the series, it remained a solid, entertaining romp that followed the show’s entire ensemble cast. Sure, Cassidy was sidelined, but Preacher’s predicament remained centre stage as Custer slowly realised that his reign and celebrity among the town will be short-lived.
THE REEL SCORE: 7/10
Next time–
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGRHw65TLVo&spfreload=10
