TV Show Recap & Review 024 Preacher s01e01 (amc)

“We are who we are, Jesse Custer.”

Preacher s01e01 Pilot [052216] 4.5/5

1.  Season One Episode One  

1. Jesse's past slowly catches up to him and he struggles to escape it; a mysterious entity arrives on Earth, causing a wave of destruction.

- coming from Outer Space -

An unknown force coming through the solar system and going straight into a congregation in session somewhere in Africa, seeping into the body of a preacher whom then unfortunately spontaneously exploded into a shower of blood after a false claim.

(Highlights: the weird opening card of  the Outer Space represents the out-of-the-world nature of this particular story & the shocking splash of violence that foreshadowed appropriately the tone of the series)
[Scenes + the throwback opening card & the spiritual and bizarre scene in the church]

- I Promise -

A son of a preacher, Jesse Custer, tried to fill in the shoes of his father, dealing with a juvenile vandalism and delivering a sermon that was rather ill-prepared but with good intentions. The proceeding communal barbecue and picnic brought the main preacher of this series closer to the community, dealing with one petty family problem to another that's more serious in nature. His prediction of what might happen surprised the boy and even himself but he reverted back behind this false persona of the man of God, his faith dwindling by the second. An optimistic politically-charged change of the Anvil's sport mascot was not welcomed gracefully by the citizens, showing how much they hated change and even the sheriff wouldn't go the extra mile to help the preacher when he brought up the domestic abuse issue to him, bringing up Jesse's past life again in retaliation.

(Highlights: the appropriate accompanying song of the title character that showed the tone of the show & the glimpse of Jesse Custer''s dark past)

[Scenes + the slow motion look of the panic]

- 30,000 feet up -

A quick change of scenery and then tone into a plane in flight and the passengers on board having the time of their life while being served and entertained by a certain Iris server, Cassidy, whom gotten off his groove when he found some disturbing writings in a Bible. Playing to the crowd, he caught them by surprise by landing the first blow which started a hectic fight between him against all the others with wooden and silver weaponry aplenty as he came on top unscathed with his wit and charm intact although the aftermath forced him to quickly eject himself off but before fetching himself a pint of blood, a shade and an umbrella for good measure. Back again with Custer who was enjoying his lunch with his part time assistant, Emily, at her other work of place, with the same person from the morning asking for help from the preacher and getting the same answer again while an uneventful drop by by the mayor was brushed away by her which was brought up by the preacher that was oblivious to her predicament. Back in Africa, a jeep just arrived at the church in the opening as two shady characters came out and straight into the abandoned compound as the background music swelled.

(Highlights: the charismatic Joseph Gilgun's perfect portrayal of Cassidy & the fast paced and gory fight sequence)
[Scenes + the quick edits of heroins consumption, the delightfully violent clash & the joyful unveiling suited to the character & the smart cut from scene to scene with i.e. the splash of the ketchup and the transitioning sound effect in sync with her expression]

- an alarming finding -

The preacher's rather routine checkup on the sick worker, Walter, turned sour for him when he figured out the other company in the house and he ran off as she looked from the window. A car strolling by veered off the road with a bang of a pistol, starting a tense fight in the car as the driver tried to execute the remaining passenger while they careening through a corn field. They appeared to be fighting over a map as the man had the upper hand before the woman had to fight dirtier to subdue him, stop the out of control car and finished the deed after the car safely came to a halt. Since she accidentally stopped in front of the corn owner’s house, she had to play nice with the children who witnessed the whole thing and coerced them nicely to help her craft a makeshift bazooka in disguise of playing arts and crafts although the older girl knew better and she replied it with an advice on love. To keep them safe, she played hide and go seek with them as she confronted the reinforcement with the implication that she came out on top, which the children confirmed when they came out of the cellar to see a downed helicopter and its pilot suffered the same fate. Priscilla Jean Henrietta O’Hare or Tulip apologized to them for the mess and went her way, leaving an inspired fan girl behind.

(Highlights: the change in expressions of Jesse from shock to anger because of her, the charming lead actress who played to each situation perfectly, ruthless when necessary and friendly with the kids when she had to, the implied imagery of the confrontation between her and the incoming helicopter)
[Scenes + the unnerving and rather sexy unveiling suited to the character, the tense fight in the moving car, the endearing conversation during arts and crafts & the flashes of light and sound from the confrontation that left it to your imagination]

- the confrontation -

Another flashback of his father kept haunting Jesse Custer just before he tried to confront the case as the scene panned to a crater in someone’s backyard created by the remnants of Cassidy who miraculously survived the fall but not without any casualties i.e. his whole lower half and the blood-filled whiskey bottle which both were destroyed upon landing. His attack on the passing by adult cow despite his condition showed just how powerful he is as the scene changed back to the preacher making a small talk with the wife of the wife-beater before going straight to the point but although she seemed to be confessing all the abuses he inflicted upon her, she snapped back when the authority was mentioned and instead insisting her affinity for all that pain she felt by his hands. In Russia of all places, a car pulled over in a crime scene whereby it was revealed to another religious house with eerily identical incident revolving the magister and the same two people came closer in tracking this being or force. A discreet meeting in the dark of the night between Father Custer and Tulip revealed their ties with Walter, her uncle, their previous works together away from their childhood place and how they coped with the repercussions with Jesse tried to honor his father’s memory while Priscilla was still at it and even tried to get him to work together again unsuccessfully.

(Highlights: the humorous Cassidy despite his circumstances, the twisted mindset of the troubled victim, the leftover ‘shwarma’, a glimpse into their troubled yet close relationship)
[Scenes + the gory yet funny moment with Cassidy, the parallel of the new building project against the preacher’s humble request & the quick scene in Russia]

- Eugene -

The late visit by the preacher of the sheriff’s son was not welcomed after the last altercation between them but the reluctant father allowed him to enter and sent him up with the kid’s blended dinner filled with a variety of protein, carbs and a healthy dose of tabasco sauce. Except how his face looked, Eugene seemed like a normal person and Jesse wouldn’t treat him any other way, supporting him despite of what he did even though his dad wouldn’t. When faith was again brought into question, Jesse had to try hard to push away his own shaky faith and convince the boy as much as he tried to convince himself with his optimism pulled him through. While he tried to wallow in his sorrow in the local bar, he was joined by the now fully recovered Cassidy who took to him immediately and inquire on where exactly did he landed in but his accent forced him to get his information elsewhere. Meanwhile, the reenactors came in with the abuser front and center and followed a quick greeting with a punch to the face of the preacher because of his involvement and while the latter would not retaliate against the former’s instigation, it was too far when he threatened to beat his son who told on him and Jesse had to stand up against him. Since he left him with no other choice, Jesse gave a last warning to Donnie who didn’t believe the hearsay about him and he did have a front row seat to see what he really capable of as the preacher swept the floor with the wife-beaters and the other five friends. Despite the sheriff’s warning, he had to make good on his words as he disfigured Donnie’s hand that he appeared to be regretting just as soon as the deed was done.

(Highlights: the cheery and awkward Eugene despite his condition, the now domestic casualty of the force in the form of Tom Cruise in Scientology just at the background, the swift way the Preacher handled the lopsided fight, the little help by Cassidy & the internal turmoil of Jesse)
[Scenes + Mrs. Root, the eerie entrance into the typical teenager’s room, the tactile hand to hand fight & the brutal end the Preacher handed out]

- in Jail in Annville, Texas -

With both Father Custer and Cassidy in jail for the fight, Jesse tried to put down his current run as a preacher while the newcomer countered his argument with his own bizarre and humorous reasoning as the conversation somehow turned to promises and faith in religion with the former tried to hang on to it while the latter had just given up entirely. The bailed out preacher thanked the foreigner for the help as he was driven down to the church by Emily in her suburban van with her children onboard, giving her the news of him quitting the job because of his former self and he just couldn’t make the situation work. Since he was too oblivious to it, she put upon a careless attitude in front of him as an attempt to brush him away but her outburst later proved otherwise. Jesse’s attention turned to the call of Ted’s continuous problem with his mother but he had to turn him away when the church caught his attention with the blinking lights and the left ajar door. When he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary aside from the now non-functioning light, he had a sincere last gasp attempt to speak to the God and when it amounted to nothing, he accepted his fate but he didn’t count to the fact of the force to literally come through his doorstep and came face to face to him, and before he could snap out of it and react, the inevitable happen as it forced itself into him.

(Highlights: the actress’s subtle performance & the haunting reveal of the force with its bending of the sound and space)
[Scenes + the suspenseful and scary sequence in the church]

- the Turnaround -

With the promise to his dad just before his execution played fully in his mind, he jolted back to consciousness with Emily at his feet and Cassidy heard audibly fixing the air conditioner after he discovered him unconscious three days ago. She tried to apologize for her behavior the other day in the car but he had to quickly prepare for the Sunday sermon and then announcing his earlier plan to quit. He was again being harassed by Ted and by repeating the same advice to him, Jesse’s words this time appeared to have more weight behind them and had an effect on him who walked off straight away while the aftereffect of his encounter with the ‘force’ came to the surface if only for a while. He waited for his turn with a lot on his mind as his friends old and new sat in the church to hear his announcement that was first full of self-reflection and public confession which was not followed by his resignation but rather his proclamation to be a good preacher and would tried his darnedest to speak the words of God and try to save them all. The scene then changed to follow Ted who was repeating the words uttered by Preacher Custer as he traveled all the way to meet his mother by “being brave, telling her the truth and open his heart.” Just like a spell, he did the first two wonderfully by spilling his pent up feelings onto his mother but he dishearteningly did the last one, literally. The episode ended on the aforementioned two shady figures who successfully tracked the ‘force’ and arrived at the front door of where it resided now.

(Highlights: the spell being casted for the first time, the change of heart by the Preacher, the quick scenes of his friends with Cassidy’s allergy to sunlight as the highlight & the opening of the heart)
[Scenes + The successful and fatal first 'spell' by the Preacher]

8.7/10, 92%/89%, series' wiki, comic's wiki, official site

(Running Time 1hr 4mns, Rating TV-MA, Genre Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural)

A shocking and dreary first look into this adept adaptation of the cult comic franchise that is having fun with its out of the world concept and the literal manifestation of faith that interconnected the diverse and varied cast.

“Be brave. Tell her the truth. Open your heart.”