The title of this week’s episode of Preacher, “He’s Gone,” refers to the missing Eugene, who is currently residing in hell. However, it could also refer to Cassidy, whose fate is unknown, or Tulip, who got up and walked out on Jesse at the end of the episode. Eugene, Cassidy, and Tulip may all be missing when next week’s episode begins, but what’s really missing right now is Jesse Custer’s moral compass, which is why everyone else’s whereabouts are uncertain.
What is going on with Jesse? His erratic behavior of late could be a product of genetics. His father, while a good man, could also occasionally be an asshole, such as when he spanked Jesse for not setting a good example, or when he sent Tulip away when Jesse was 10. I am not altogether certain, however, that John Custer sent Tulip away because of a lack of resources, or because she was an O’Hare. I suspect that John Custer knew his life was in danger, and he didn’t want to endanger the life of Tulip. Of course, Jesse’s behavior could also be a product of environment: Jesse spent some time with “a mean woman,” and he does have a history of violence and crime.
More likely, however, is what Cassidy pointed to: Genesis is f*cking with Jesse’s brain. He sent Eugene to hell and showed very little in the way of remorse. He stood and watched his best friend Cassidy go up in flames and didn’t act to save him. His only reaction was to display anger with Tulip afterward for not telling him that Cassidy was a vampire. He also crapped all over Tulip’s cooking (vanilla extract in the hash browns, really?) and chased away the woman with whom he vowed to go to “the end of the world.” He also threw Emily’s faith in him back in her face, which may have been the cruelest twist, given Emily’s fragility.
Jesse’s messed up in the head right now, and seeing as how he’s unlikely to rid himself of Genesis (because it would effectively end the series), he’s going to have to find a way to adjust to the power inside of him. On the bright side, by the episode’s end at least Jesse had begun to feel enough guilt to try and call Eugene back from hell. If he’s going to dig himself into hell through the floorboard of his church, however, he’s going to need a bigger shovel.
We did get some answers this week, though. Specifically, we found out Eugene’s relationship to Tracy Loach. Eugene fell in love with her, and after she rejected him, Eugene got a shotgun and blew half her head off and then turned the gun on himself. It doesn’t answer all the questions, however. Shooting Tracy seems wildly out of character for Eugene, so there has to be more to the story. Plus, why didn’t he end up in jail? Having a father as a Sheriff could not have kept him out of prison for attempted murder. There must have been mitigating factors.
We can safely guess that Cassidy is not dead (because the show would badly suffer without Joseph Gilgun), but we don’t yet know how they bring him back from what looks like a burnt crisp in next week’s episode. There may be a hint of that in the preview for next week’s episode, which also shows that Jesse will be enrolling Fiore and DeBlanc in his efforts to bring Eugene back from hell.
Additionally, we see that Odin not only has plans on taking Jesse’s church, but he wants to turn it into a food court. What we don’t yet understand is how he managed to resist Jesse’s command, unless Jesse’s commands wear off after time. Or maybe Odin’s evil is so strong that he overcame the command.
There are three episodes left and a lot of ground to cover before the series arrives at the point in which the comics began, as promised by Dominic Cooper. The slow burn has given way to faster movement and everything is coming to a head.
Random Notes:
— Nothing on this show is creepier than watching Odin Quincannon quietly get off on the sounds of cows being slaughtered. Jackie Earle Haley is doing a hell of a job.
— It was good to see that one of the cornerstones of the comics, John Wayne, was finally mentioned in the series. We also saw a poster of John Wayne on young Jesse Custer’s wall.
— As I wrote last night, the tattoo on the arm of the man who killed John Custer matches the tattoo on the back of Jesse. There is significance to that, but it may not come into play until next season.
— While Carlos has been put on pause, I will say that after a rewatch of the season, I can confirm that Carlos is responsible for the death of Tulip’s baby (in an earlier episode, Tulip called him a “baby killer.”) Given Jesse’s stake in the death of Carlos, we can also assume the baby was his.
— When asked by John Custer as a child where her uncle is, Tulip said, “Drunk.” Thirty years later, nothing has changed.
— Cassidy really doesn’t like The Big Lebowski. He also put Ladykillers into the positive column for the Coen Brothers, so his opinion is clearly suspect.
— For those keeping score, the Prairie Dog mascot showed up again this week, keeping our Prairie Dog/Pink Teddy Bear theory alive.
