TV Review: Preacher (Season 3, Episode 5)

“I’m one of the good ones, there’s too many of the bad ones.”

In 'Coffin', Tulip gets down to business, Jesse gets a pep talk from a hero and finally takes action, the Grail grow more grotesque than ever before and Cassidy has a run in with them while being frankly used badly.

Magic is an unfair son of a bitch, so Tulip learns after beating everyone in her way to free Jesse.

When Cassidy’s escape is discovered at the start, TC and Jody decide a brawl against Jesse and Tulip is needed. Despite TC using “found object-Bathroom weaponry”, Tulip is able to take him down unlike Jesse, who is easily overpowered by Jody and locked away in the underwater coffin that has triggered and traumatised him since he was a boy.

Jody who then guards her is also overcome despite Jesse being unable to beat him. Halfway through she gets to Gran’ma Marie and they go at each other before Tulip finally kills Marie. Tulip gets shit done. Too bad that when resurrecting her, Marie made Tulip’s life contingent on her own life continuing.

She immediately collapses dead too. Damn it. Madame Boyd who’d said this was the way to free him just wanted to hunt Jesse, the worst man she ever loved. So Jesse has to save his evil grandmother, who's finally shown up once both women are dead.

WARNING: the scenes with the Grail might kill you from laughter and shock. Humperdoo is being prepped for the announcement of him as messiah to the world.

Bedecked in gold and white, he attempts to bless actor versions of world leaders and fails. Then the All-Father, the Grail’s head, FaceTimes. His transition from comic to screen is pitch perfect and due to that horrifically grotesque and comical.

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A Prince Regent Punch print and living fatberg of a man. Despite this he is utterly terrifying, scary enough that Starr, who kills easily and feels bored doing so, decides to hide that Custer is alive and a plan B Messiah.

The hilarity of the Grail scenes also include an interrupted musical cue when Featherstone says she has a plan to get Jesse via Cassidy and the funniest Preacher scene ever. Asked about Humberdoo’s divine skills, Herr Starr states he has only one talent without relevancy to Messiah-ship. All-Father wants to see it.

Think of a scene in Young Frankenstein. I won’t spoil it, as it’s so perfect. It’s enough to make All-Father command that, as Starr describes him, the “feral half-wit”, should have his public debut brought forward.

There are two tiny downsides to the episode. The song choice for the fight,“Werewolves of London”, is a song that is so Preacheresque and expected that it’s not. Contrast to the use of "Come On Eileen" in Season 2 which was used in a funny and interesting way.

Likewise, Cassidy’s segments aren’t great. While Cassidy is often the comedy centre of the episodes, this week his storyline is a bit stale or “bollock” like he ends the episode saying. Hopefully the Children of Blood will better his storyline.

In the coffin Jesse fantasises, finally introducing an important comic character. Jesse’s imaginary friend and mentor, John Wayne. Wayne says stop sitting around “like a ninny” and to get off his “backside” as Tulip needs help. Act. Have agency.

Jesse uses his Chekhov's gun lighter to escape and although he’s too late to stop the mutual killing of Marie and Tulip, by bringing back Marie, he makes sure Tulip is safe. For now. Marie needs souls though and desperately. Cue Tulip, Jesse, Jody and TC brawling again.

Throughout characters aren’t living up to expectations, from Cassidy’s date and Humperdoo to Jesse and Tulip, who are both lectured by Wayne and God in turn. Jesse takes on board Wayne’s advice and is now set on action. He won’t be what his grandmother wants. As he tells his cowboy hero, “I’m one of the good ones, there’s too many of the bad ones”. Here’s hoping Sheriff Jesse can restore order and get rid of Angelville, the Grail and Hell’s many bad ones.

New episodes of Preacher are available on Amazon Prime every Monday.

TV Review: Preacher (Season 3, Episode 5)

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