AMC’s Preacher
Season 2, Episode 1: “On the Road”
Directed by Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen
Written by Sam Catlin

* For a recap & review of the Season 1 finale, “Call and Response” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Mumbai Sky Tower” – click here
YEEHAW, WE’RE BACK IN THE SADDLE! One of my favourite new shows in its initial season. Here we go again. Thus begins the Search for God.
Away from that shit hole speed our friends – Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga), and that handsome vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), who’s particularly worried about “foreskin in face creams” and other horrific repercussions of circumcision. They slag off “Come on Eileen” and then the cops flash their lights, pulling them over.
Instead of pulling over, Jesse dares Tulip to go for a nice car chase. Along with a singalong of “Come on Eileen” to boot. Love how it switches into a classic film look with a bit of the green screen and the scratchy-looking screen. Almost out of The Dukes of Hazzard. Things are fine, until they run out of gas. When the cops try arresting Cassidy they figure out he really needs that umbrella he’s carrying around, too. Preacher Custer uses his unearthly power, Genesis, to stop the cops in their tracks. “Mace your balls,” he tells one of them, who promptly follows instructions. He makes another couple hold hands. Too perfect. At the same time, Tulip doesn’t like this power of his, that it can make her do things she doesn’t necessarily want to do.
Out of nowhere, gunfire erupts. A sniper in the distance. Poor Cassidy can’t catch a break after the vehicles start getting blown to bits. The gunfire keeps on coming. They’ve either got to stay and fight, or get the car gassed up. That means using a length of intestinal tract to siphon some gas. They manage. And once the smoke clears, we see it is indeed the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) tracking them.
Cassidy: “Sure we all got sides. Me, I got tons of ‘em.”
They stop for a few things, Cassidy finds a cat to munch, but not for long. It’s on the road again. Hot on their tail is the Saint of Killers, never stopping. He’s a terrifying fella.
Of course the vamp is still in love with Tulip, he feels bad for falling for her and all that entailed, having sex together. She says there’s no need to tell Jesse about any of it. But Cassidy actually feels guilt, he wants to be honest with the man who’s saved his life “more than once.”
When they stop to find the preacher’s friend Mike, a supposed religious scholar, Tulip and Cassidy find a woman in a cage. They agree not to do anything about it, as she wails from the garage and they head inside. Apparently she’s a parishioner who needs to curb a few urges. Jesse’s there to talk about God and his recent disappearance. So, where’d he go? Most of all, we see our preacher’s resentment towards the Lord. He doesn’t want an absent creator, one who walks away from responsibility. He wants him held accountable for the world, and His people.
Well, Mike says one of his parishioners named Tammy (Jeanette O’Connor) spoke of meeting God. He thought it was an alcoholic’s nonsense. Now, he believes different. That perhaps the big guy’s out there, somewhere. When they leave, Mike gets a visit from the Saint. He chooses to dig a knife in his chest rather than be made to talk. Fucking hardcore, dude.
The trio head to a place called She She’s where there’s jazz playing and nearly naked women. Perfect place for the vampire to shag around. Jesse and Tulip find Tammy out back, she doesn’t exactly want to talk. Although after a moment she gives up the story – God came into the club “a couple times” to sit in the back, requested “Walk to the Peak” from the band. But all ain’t rosy, Tammy says there are no answers, only a cold and horrible feeling. The two debate whether to beat the answers out of Tammy, or use Genesis.
Then all hell breaks loose. Tammy gets shot by a bullet from Cassidy wrestling with security. Before dying, she says God “came for the jazz” and not for any girls. Anyways, it’s on again for our trio of renegades. They stay in a motel for the night and plan for the next step of their journey. We see a bit of the fiery relationship between Tulip and Jesse, as well. They’re kinky, in a strange, wild way. Definitely two people quite in love. Intense, hot love. Shitty for Cassidy, in love with Tulip, having to listen to the noise next door.
Can’t stay put for too long. Right out in the street, Jesse sees the Saint headed for them. He commands him to STOP. But those tricks don’t work on this man. He draws his gun. A showdown.
What a perfect fucking episode! Solid Season 2 start, I couldn’t have hoped for better. A lot of the stuff we love about the characters, a tad bit of development, and new stories to open up. “Mumbai Sky Tower” is next, stemming from those commercials we see on the motel TV sets.