Preacher: Call and Response – Road Trip (Review)

So long Annville. It has, as the saying goes, been fun, just not real fun… But that is a lie really. Preacher has been a great rollicking action packed giggle from episode one. In fact episode one outshone most of the series.  The build up to the season finale was a steady ride that ended in a “Wizard of Oz” meeting with “God.” At the end of  “Call and Response” our heroes, like a truncated Dorothy and her friends, go on  a road trip.

A lot was answered. What Carlos did and, more importantly, why he did it. It is learned that while Sheriff Root may be  a redneck law official, he is not a stupid one. Root works out quite quickly that Cassidy is a vampire, not bad for a one-horse town lawman.

Apparently if an angel  is shot in Hell by the  demon “Saint of Killers” he does not “rejuvenate” on Earth. Fiore looks to be a singleton now he has returned from Hell.  Ruth, it turns out, did not really want Jesse to kill Carlos, just to make the offer. “It is,” she says, “the thought that counts.”

(A bit like the choosing of a gift, presumably.)

Going back to “The Cowboy” it seems that the seraphim is down for the count as well. After  blowing a hole in her chest one could throw a cat through, she drops immediately and there is no rejuvenation for her either.  (Of course her demise and DeBlanc’s could be down to the sheer deadly effectiveness of the killer who almost replaced the Angel of Death.)

Last week’s episode saw the Saint of Killers re-living his last days in a never-ending loop.  Now he is searching for the preacher while he and his traveling companions search for God.  “And what are you going to do when you find him,” asks Tulip.

“Well,” says Jesse, ” God wants our help, we’ll help him.  If he doesn’t… We’re gonna kick his ass.”

As the preacher and the townspeople speak with “God” Jesse realized the white haired gent is an imposter. The faux God tells the assembly that  the real deal is missing and that no one can find him. It appears the angels are in charge now and they are not necessarily benevolent.

The denizens of Annville are, for the most pat, distraught to learn that God is gone. Cue a riot of destruction in the church and the town exploding as the Methane pit it sets over goes critical.  Sadly it appears that even Emily and her children  are gone.

“Call and Response” finishes with the dead seraphim and the Saint of Killers growling one word: “Preacher.”

This was a quirky end to a foregone conclusion. Anyone who is remotely familiar with the graphic novels knows that Jesse Custer “leaves’ Annville. It is written in the cards, so to speak.

There were a few downright “odd” stand out moments:

Quincannon holding his “hamburger” daughter.

Donnie laying on his bed with his wife dressed as Dorothy, complete with spangly ruby red shoes. (Another allusion to the The Wizard of Oz.)

Jesse telling Eugene, as the missing boy rings up his order, that he will get him out of Hell.

Cassidy reiterating why he hates The Big Lebowski.

Sheriff Root shooting Cassidy and then handing him paper cups of blood to heal himself. He then shoots the vampire six times. Root opens the cell door and tells Cassidy he is free to go.

The size of that hole through the seraphim’s chest.

Final Thoughts:

The clear nod and wink to “Oz” was a brilliant end point.  The final shot of the three protagonists following their metaphorical yellow brick road will segue brilliantly into season two.

If fans of Preacher are not already excited to think of a second season they should be. Full marks to Seth Rogen and his fellow creators on this excellent series.  The idea of the Saint of Killers murdering his way to Jesse makes the wait for season two almost unbearable.

MAIN CAST:

• Dominic Cooper – Jesse Custer
• Ruth Negga – Tulip
• Joseph Gilgun – Cassidy
• Jackie Earle Haley – Quincannon
• Lucy Griffiths – Emily 
• Tom Brooke – Fiore
• Anatol Yusef – DeBlanc 

Guest starring Graham McTavish as The Cowboy – Saint of Killers

Rating is for mature audiences only due to content.