AMC’s Preacher
Season 4, Episode 4: “Search and Rescue”
Directed by Kevin Hooks
Written by Mark Stegemann

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Deviant” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Bleak City” – click here
Herr Starr (Pip Torrens) tells God (Mark Harelik) about wanting to “carve a vagina” into the top of Jesse Custer’s (Dominic Cooper) head. He’s curious about the Lord and what he wants out of all this madness. The old man’s curious about his son, Humperdoo (Tyson Ritter). Starr has to dodge questions, given that God loves his son. The all-knowing entity does want to carve that vagina directly onto the preacher’s soul. He’s quite angry.

Speaking of Custer, he’s going down hard on that airplane.
We see him and his pilot land in the ocean, not hitting the Australian dirt like we’d previously seen. Jesse taunts the man in the sky, unafraid of a plane crash. It gets stormy on the water. Jesse uses Genesis to keep the pilot positive while they toss water overboard as fast as possible.

At Masada, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) goes on talking shit to Frankie Toscani (Lachy Hulme), who’s impressed when Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor) shows up from Hell. Frankie rambles about the Nazi war criminal’s methods until he realises his men aren’t behind him anymore. Our Irishman’s used a feather from the Archangel to get free, repaying Toscani with an ass kicking once he’s out of his Hannibal Lecter bonds.
Things get nastier with a gun + anal penetration. Cassidy kicks it up a notch with a full-on Silence of the Lambs reference— “The lambs are about to stop screaming“— as he finishes murdering his torturer. He all but gets to Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery) stops him at the elevator, gun to his head. Tulip gets taken away, assumed to be a Grail operative, by Hoover Two (Aleks Mikic), and the vamp’s tossed back in his cell again.
Of all places to end up, Tulip is taken to a room where she’s left with Christ himself. He’s kind of sexy, especially after getting out of the shower. Tulip exclaiming “Jesus” is the hilariously perfect line for such a moment. When they shake hands, he can tell she’s in trouble. They’re interrupted by Allfather Starr. He nearly recognises Tulip when she’s given help by the Messiah to distract him.

In the ocean, Pilot Steve is burning up. They remain stuck out there with no real hopes of being saved, unless a lucky ship passes by. All they can do is chat. Jesse claims it’s “just a test.” He’s underestimating God’s anger. Doesn’t change his determination.

Allfather Starr’s stressed about Grail having lost Humperdoo, now that Jesus is asking about his descendant child. He’s preparing for the big emissary meeting between Heaven and Hell. Hoover Two sets up the comically mundane business lounge, complete with a 2020 Apocalypse packet and sharpened pencils. Lovely use of a “My Way” piano composition here. Classy until Starr’s infected ear slides off.

“You don’t need to believe in Him,
just believe in me.”

Things are getting worse for Jesse, after Steve’s hand is chomped off by a shark and the pilot doesn’t notice because he’s under the Genesis spell. Naturally, God’s not answering the preacher when he calls for help. The inevitable death of Steve happens. A shark consumes the rest of his corpse when Jesse gives him a sea burial.
Shittier still? The preacher is right off the beaches of Australia.
God’s “an asshole.”

Tulip’s ready to look for Cassidy and Jesus offers his help. She insists it’ll get violent and too crazy for someone like him. Maybe Christ is a more radical dude than she expected. He runs into Lara, refusing to let him through to the cell where Cassidy’s kept. No matter— Cassidy is out of his chains, climbing up to feed off the Archangel, sick of his chatty mouth. The Archangel simply regenerates, out of his own chains, then takes Cass for a ride on those wings. Tulip and Jesus get to the cell in the aftermath. She’s going to look for the vamp, wherever he’s gone. Christ wonders if he can come, too.

Hitler finds one of the Humperdoo copies locked away in Masada. He bribes his way in with a Luger pistol and plays a tune on the piano to watch Humperdoo dance. Meanwhile, the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) and Arseface (Ian Colletti) are in the Gulf of Mexico, tracking the preacher on towards Australia. They’re getting there via Hell-power. The Saint puts a bullet right through to Australia, where he and Arseface emerge to beach-goer surprise.
And just like that, they’re hot on Jesse’s trail.

“Worship me”

Solid episode. Season 4 has been full of surprises, even for those who’ve read the comics extensively. Always interesting to see how certain events / characters are adapted. AMC’s surprising us plenty.

“Bleak City” is next time. Shit’s about to heat up!