AMC’s Preacher
Season 4, Episode 6: “The Lost Apostle”
Directed by Jonathan Watson
Written by Gary Tieche

* For a recap & review of the previous episode, “Bleak City” – click here
* For a recap & review of the next episode, “Messiahs” – click here
We get a look at Abraham, preparing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He lays the kid on a rock and hauls out a knife. God (Mark Harelik) appears, telling him to stop. This gesture was enough for his little test. He requires utter devotion, to the point of infanticide. He’s watching it now on tape, rewinding to the old days when he was worshipped without question. Not like modern times with Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) defying him. He calls Herr Starr (Pip Torrens) to begin “Phase 2.” He also wants to know how Humperdoo (Tyson Ritter) is doing, requiring a bit of bullshitting from the Allfather.

In New Zealand, a bloody box with the remains of the Deputy Prime Minister is left outside the Prime Minister’s home by a vehicle marked with the Australia coat of arms. Is this part of God and Starr’s big plan? Oh, yes. A war is brewing. God’s got lots of stuff in store for the preacher. He’s keeping his eye on the Lost Apostle in Australia, and he’s got a cute little toy— a nuclear warhead— that could do some damage.
In Melbourne, Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) are roleplaying as a pair of detectives, “the Americans.” They’re seeking info about Jesse. Official word is he’s dead. Eugene (Ian Colletti) is in custody for his murder. In reality, the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) has the preacher someplace else. Tulip questions Arseface, trying to find out the truth. But he won’t say a word.
Jesse’s at the the edge of a searing blade, being cut open then cauterised by the Saint. The preacher attempts using Genesis again, which doesn’t work on his nemesis. They’re on the road together. To where? “To kill God.” Custer refuses to keep walking. He’s equally as pissed off at God, unsure why he remains alive while his family, and his unborn child, died. He and the Saint have suffering in common. He’d like to know its purpose, rather than just snuff God out. “I need to know what it means,” the preacher says.

Herr Starr has to oversee Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor) and Christ arguing over what the apocalypse will look like— who’ll go to Heaven v. who’ll go to Hell. He doesn’t like their bickering, forcing them to work together as they bicker over the Rapture that Jesus envisions and the nasty Hell that Adolf is curating.

At a crime scene, Tulip and Cassidy find a family hanged. This is where the Saint of Killers was headed. Jesse clearly wasn’t able to stop him from doing horrific evil. The pretend detectives are hot on the pair’s tail, soon coming to a dead end where the Outback takes over. They have no idea where to go. Plenty of treacherous terrain ahead. At the same time, things are heating up between New Zealand and Australia— a nuclear warhead’s being moved onto the Lost Apostle site.
Tulip never read the letter Jesse left behind. She lets Cassidy read. The vamp tries to “skim past the personal stuff” to look for any clues as to where the preacher went. He reads every last bit, though can’t find anything to help, nor anything that’ll do Tulip any good to read, either. Only makes their journey all the more complicated. Tulip winds up stumbling onto an RV where she hears jazz music playing. Inside is God’s workshop with all his game pieces on the map. She sees a postcard with the Lost Apostle on it. She leaves, with no idea the Lord himself is lurking in the shadows.

Tulip and Cass have a road trip to go on now. Great homage to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre when the vamp tells Ms. O’Hare: “We don‘t need no stinkin‘ roads.” They’ll take to the sky instead of driving this time. They steal a small plane to scoop their preacher pal right out of the desert, away from the Saint of Killers using flame retardant as cover instead of solely to get Cass high. The friends are reunited and Cass is already back to bitching about The Big Lebowski, demanding an explanation from God himself for the movie he hates most.

Soundtrack note: “New Sensation” by INXS plays before Starr meets God
In the desert, Starr and God wait at the Lost Apostle. More questions about “the Christ Child.” God already knows the Messiah’s been lost, they’ve only got those copies kicking around. The Allfather gets his dick bitten by an angry dingo for his transgressions, leaving him, yet again, scarred irreparably.

Up in the air, things go shitty on the plane. This is how Jesse winds up where we saw him at the beginning of the season— falling from the sky. Cass tries to hold on, burning in the sunlight. Jesse makes him let go, ordering him with Genesis. God allows the plane to right itself again as the preacher plummets to the ground. Tulip and Cassidy assume they’ve lost him for good this time.

And here we are, once more, at the start of Season 4.
But where do we go from here?
What a ride! This season is proving to be a great swan song for the series. Still four episodes left. No telling what may happen.

“Messiahs” is next time.