Martin Carr reviews the fifth episode of Preacher season 2…
There is nothing like the sight of a sweat baked torture room for setting the tone of an episode. Retribution hangs in the air from a harness, suspending our man of the moment Viktor as an undecided Preacher selects his implement of impalement. Words of apology pepper each moment while our victim seem unconcerned, hard-nosed and business like in the face of extinction. Employing close up camera work and image judder to unsettle its audience, Preacher storms back in with a Hail Mary full of grace, blood soaked angst ridden and in your face.
Seismic revelations bookended last week mean that opening up and continuing on with the repercussions keeps momentum going. Character origins are expanded on, broadening our understanding and giving us an idea of Jesse Custer prior to redemption. His brutal capacity for violence, slovenly manner and mundane existence with Tulip is visually paraphrased and observed as they begin to fail in flashback. These moments are coupled with present day scenes keeping track of Viktor and Jesse while Cassidy and Tulip counterbalance things tonally.
If anything ‘Dallas’ proves how essential Cassidy is to maintaining the status quo. Morally bankrupt but sporting a heart of gold, Joseph Gilgun injects so much heart and soul into proceedings that an episode without him feels unthinkable. Bloodlessly ambivalent to anyone outside of his immediate circle Cassidy is the personification of loneliness, painfully aware of his shortcomings but slave to them nonetheless. Which only adds to the on-screen chemistry between these lost souls, making moments feel richer even though plots fail to progress massively week on week.
That aside things feel more cohesive this with each central character having reason and purpose, which helps retain a sense of excitement. Slowly but surely elements are slotting together without feeling humdrum or convoluted. Stylishly slick and purposely off kilter Preacher is definitely back in the room wiping blood from its vestments. Being in full possession of an unstoppable assassin in league with the almighty goes some way towards keeping this Rogen and Goldberg joint production original. While their ability to counterbalance character beats, outlandish scenarios and an element of distrust into the bargain always keeps people on their toes. Throw in some moral flexibility and scenario specific selfishness and you have yourself a cocktail.
Not above offering a helping hand or administering a narrative beating, Preacher has more or less assured itself of that coveted third season after only five episodes. As more back history is layered in and that fully formed world becomes evident, this show may begin appealing to the majority, rather than a switched on minority of Amazon Prime subscribers seeking salvation.
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