Was there a problem with AMC's Preacher? I didn't see any. However, apparently, many of the fans of the Garth Ennis comic book were displeased with how the season progressed and ended. But what else can you expect from a comic book adaptation, especially when the first season is, basically, a sort-of prequel of the comic book?
The first season boasted great moments, great lines and great characters – Jackie Earle Haley's Odin Quincannon was, by far, my favorite. And then it all ended - basically the first season of Preacher was one long movie, one that can be binged in a single day. And this is something I'll do on the 4th of October, when the Blu-ray arrives. Check out the announcement below!
Own the complete first season of #Preacher, loaded with extra features, on Blu-ray! https://t.co/1N2qx5YoKAhttps://t.co/zH13fwnmMe
"” PREACHER (@PreacherAMC) August 3, 2016
So now, that the first season is over, which moments were its best? It's a hard choice; there are so many - but I'll do it! Check it out!
Obviously, if you haven't seen the first season yet, here are some huge spoilers!
Meet Cassidy (Pilot)
So, we are on a private plane. Everybody's having fun, playing gold, snorting some drugs, and whatnot. And, as always, the attention falls on the bartender. He is Irish and he is having the time of his life - apparently. However, despite the laughter, he soon realizes that something is wrong - the Bible he finds in the bathroom is filled with scribbles.
The bartender is on to something.
What follows is a mix of spears, crossbows, stakes, axes, fire, golf clubs, and all around mayhem. This is Cassidy, one of the central characters of Preacher. And he is a vampire - but a rather lovable one, once you get to know him.
Obviously, he kills everybody on the plane, jumps with an umbrella, and gets on with his hedonistic life (or, at least, that was the plan).
Who knew a broken bottle could be used that way?
Meet God (Call and Response)
One other great moment in which we are introduced to a character is in the season finale. Jesse Custer, after escaping and returning to his church, intends to call God. For this, he uses the phone he stole from the angels and an angel hand, courtesy of Cassidy.
And, to everybody's surprise (even mine, considering how the first season went), God answers the video-call. And to say that he is a caricature is an understatement. So, after God answers some of the questions (questions that reveal the perspective people have on the afterlife), Jesse realizes that there is something wrong. Beyond the thunders and the wind and the light, God seems to be hiding something.
Using Genesis, he reveals that the being everybody believes to be God is something else. What? Maybe an angel - though this doesn't explain the two other characters who come and pick him up. As if he were insane. So everybody loses their minds.
Literally. Goodbye, Annville!
The Saint of Killers (Finish the Song)
Throughout the season, we caught glimpses of the cowboy who would later become the Saint of Killers. However, I didn't really think that Preacher would go as far as to show him in hell. I actually believed that it would inflate the budget too much. I was wrong - and the hell from Preacher looks way better than I expected!
Obviously, there is a departure from the comics - the Saint of Killers is forced to relive the same moment again and again. And that moment is his failure the save those he loves. So he bursts into the saloon, and kills everybody.
However, the entire scene is memorable. From the fierce-looking Chinese guy who just sings, to the kid greeting the Saint of Killers (the kid is tainted and not without sin, as revealed), the preacher accepting the cowboy, and the cowboy's final answer (there is something weirdly funny about his answer). And the shootout begins, with the Chinese guy singing.
Until his head falls off.
And the scene is repeated and repeated and repeated, until the angels arrive in hell.
Speaking of the angels"¦
Angel Brawl (Sundowner)
If you were to choose to make a violent TV show, it wouldn't be more appreciated than in this time and age. And the hotel fight between Jesse, Deblanc, and Fiore and Jenny is all about that. And it is a very violent violence.
Which ends abruptly when Cassidy saves the day and shoots Jenny in the head.
Except it doesn't end here. Just like the other two angels in the show, she comes back to life again and again, until she is dismembered.
Here, the frantic action is paired masterfully with dark comedy and the supernatural. And it is easily one of the best action scenes (at this scale, of course) of the entire year. Not only does Jesse learn more about Genesis, but he also learns more about Heaven and the beings that populate it.
Thus, in a way, there is no discernable difference in the way Earth and Heaven are governed. And since Hell is Earth put on repeat"¦
Quincannon Becomes a True Believer (South Will Rise Again)
How great is that scene? It’s perfect, especially since Odin Quincannon had pissed (literally) on the Green Acre contract earlier.
So Jesse Custer makes a deal with Quincannon - if Odin is convinced that God exists and becomes a true believer, then Jesse gets to keep his church. Using the power of Genesis, Jesse becomes somewhat like a superstar in Annville, and he actually believes that Odin has become a Christian.
And then Odin agrees to meet with the Green Acre representatives. And he agrees to make a deal with them. It seems too perfect for the mayor, if I may say so. Odin actually has a change of heart, which fell in line with his newfound faith.
So you can guess the surprise when he guns down the Green Acre guys. It seems only natural to him. And that is because he has found faith. Not in the Christian god, but in the Meat God.
Jackie Earle Haley plays that scene to perfection! And Odin reveals that Genesis is like a genie in a bottle - you must always be careful (and specify exactly) what you wish for.
Arseface Goes to Hell (Sundowner)
As said, there are many great moments in the first season of Preacher, moments in which the characters are revealed in their entirety. This is one of them.
A stressed out Jesse Custer welcomes Arseface once again. Only this time he seems to have lost his patience. So you can imagine his wonder when he hears that the boy wants everything to be like it was before (when everybody hated him). Why? Because using Genesis is cheating. Not only that, it’s downright anti-Christian, since it robbed everybody of their free will.
Obviously, Jesse doesn't want that. Even if he’s found out what Genesis is, he still believes that it was God's will (or, as I believe, he wants to believe it was God's will). And here, the roles are switched.
If before Genesis the Preacher was the one advising Arseface, now it is the boy being right and trying to make Jesse see the error of his ways. But all he does is make him lose his control. And so Jesse shouts, “Go to hell!” And poof! Arseface is gone!
Is he really gone? Can he come back? There is no point in asking that now. As it is later revealed, one can come back from hell. However, can that erase the entire experience from someone’s mind? Not really. And Jesse knows it.
Odin's Daughter (Call and Response)
Of course, once Odin's beliefs are revealed, this shouldn't have been a surprise. However, everything from Call and Response has led to this. And even if this scene lasts just a couple of moments, it’s still one of the most emotional moments of the season.
Thus, when people realize that God is gone, they lose their minds. There are suicides all over the place, a mother tries to ensure her children that nothing has changed, another kills her daughter, and a kid takes a selfie, and so on and so forth.
However, I doubt that Odin has lost his mind. As a matter of fact, with his belief, he’s the sanest of them all. Thus, just as the entire town is about to explode and the Christian God is revealed to be a fraud, he’s finally found his daughter. His Meat God is the only real god and, as such, Meat is the only in which he could be reunited with her.
And then everything goes to hell. Or stays on Earth, as implied before.
Meet Tulip (Pilot)
Whenever a comic book movie or a TV show based on a comic book is released, everybody expects to see superheroes with superpowers. For those who don't know the comic book, Preacher could have been all about that.
And Tulip's introduction does everything to make the casual audience believe that. How can a woman her size fight like that? I still don't know. However, just like with Cassidy's introduction, the first time we meet Tulip she kicks all sorts of ass.
I don't know how she ends up in that situation. However, to a certain degree, her fight in the car reminds me of the Raid 2 fight in the car. The difference is that in Preacher the choreography is chaotic and it isn't a single long shot.
A Conversation (He Gone)
Here's another example of great character building. Jesse, Tulip, Cassidy, and Emily have a pretty awkward dinner, especially since in the previous episode the Preacher sent Arseface to Hell. Emily stings Tulip, Tulip does her best to impress with her cooking skills, Cassidy talks about The Big Lebowski, and Jesse is just there.
You can actually feel the tension in the room. And it gets even more suffocating when the sheriff drops by and asks about his son. Jesse lies, just like Emily does.
And it all ends up in flames. Basically, everything about everybody (well, almost) is revealed in this episode, with a single meal.
Be Quiet (Pilot)
And we're back to the Pilot, with what may be the best opening scene of any comic book TV show. We see a comet heading straight to Earth (in Outer Space, as we are ironically told). But it's not a comet. We arrive in Africa, in some kind of church. The pastor is talking when suddenly he is hit - the comet was actually Genesis.
Everybody screams in panic. However, he recovers and silences everybody, revealing the power bestowed upon him. He realizes that - but he wasn't the chosen one. So he explodes!
And before Genesis found Jesse, she tried again and again, with all sorts of religions. And yes - Tom Cruise wasn't too happy when he found out that Genesis made him explode in Preacher.
Eventually, we reach Jesse. And we find out the kind of comedy this show will present.
And it is great. I can't wait for Season 2!
