The Pilot Of AMC’s ‘Preacher’ Set The Table With Some Intriguing Mysteries

Preacher premiered last night on AMC with a spectacular, thrilling, violent, grotesquely hilarious and engaging first episode, one that should have put to bed for most comics fans any concerns that the series would not do Garth Ennis’ source material justice (though some purists, undoubtedly, will have difficulties with the changes). Dominic Cooper, despite his shorter stature, makes for an excellent Jesse Custer; Tulip is an exciting, progressive departure from her comics counterpart; and Joseph Gilgun is a perfect representation of Cassidy. Showrunner Sam Catlin has also reassured comics fans expecting to see certain set pieces in the opening episode they’ll get what they want if they don’t mind waiting a bit. The iconic moments from the comics will eventually make their way in. In other words, fans of the comic should stick around, but don’t expect a recreation of so much as a translation of theme and spirit of Ennis’ source material.

For the purposes of these weekly rundowns, however, we’ll assume little-to-no knowledge of the comics, in part because — according to Dominic Cooper — the first season of Preacher almost ends where the comics begin. There’s going to be a lot of setup early on so the show can establish the characters before they set off. Many of the questions posited below may be answered by consulting Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon’s source material, but we do not yet know how closely the series will follow the comics or what departures lay ahead (aside from the obvious ones from the pilot, namely that the characters will remain in Anvil, Texas). We will therefore treat the series as a standalone entity.

The pilot episode, of course, is crucial to setting up any series, and here, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg provided just enough information about the characters to allow us to invest in them while still presenting a number of open-ended storylines the series can explore through the first season and beyond.

Let’s get right to the questions presented by the pilot.

What was that comet-like streak of energy that killed poor Tom Cruise?

The fact that the episode opened with the comet hurtling to Earth from outer space might suggest that it’s of alien origins, but the religious people it sought to possess suggests more of a spiritual energy. The comet is called Genesis. Whatever it was exactly, it was definitely searching for the right spiritual leader to possess, and the African preacher, the Russian magister, and Tom Cruise clearly were not the “prophet.” Why did Genesis eventually choose Jesse, how did he survive it, and is he the prophet?

Who were the two men following the Genesis around

After each religious figure exploded, two menacing men arrived on the scene. Their names are Fiore and DeBlanc (played by Tom Brooke and Anatol Yusef, respectively). The fact they were able to travel so quickly, have knowledge of where Genesis was heading, and apparently enjoy eating teabags suggests that they are probably not of this world. Are they angels? Demons? Aliens? Or assassins? They seem less interested in Jesse than in the power transferred to him by Genesis. Do they want to use Jesse, kill Jesse, separate him from the supernatural energy, or simply keep an eye on him?

What powers has Jesse been given by Genesis?

We don’t know the full extent of Jesse’s powers, but we can deduce from the fact that Ted (Brian Huskey) opened his heart for his mother that Jesse has the ability to command others to do whatever he wants them to do, even unintentionally. His powers apparently do not yet understand metaphors. His power, however, will certainly come in handy as a Texas preacher.

Note that Ted’s full name is Ted Ryerson, which I assume is a nod to Stephen Tobolowsky’s Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, given the physical and annoying similarities between the two characters.

Who killed Jesse’s father?

We know Jesse’s father died a violent death in front of Jesse when Jesse was quite young. We do not understand the circumstances yet. However, if a man’s father is killed in the pilot episode of a television series — especially a Western — there’s every reason to believe that revenge will eventually be sought. That should be fun.

Who is Cassidy?

Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) is Irish, and based on what we know from the series — he drinks blood, he can survive falls from airplanes, and he devours cows — he’s some form of a vampire vagabond. However, some of the normal rules of vampirism do not apply to Cassidy. Holy water is ineffective, and he can hang out in the sun (with sunglasses), although the sun does burn his skin. He also appears to have a deep fondness for drugs and alcohol.

Meanwhile, the people on the plane, we can assume, were vampire hunters of some sort, working under the direction of their God, perhaps. (The reward mentioned in the Bible Cassidy finds is less likely a monetary one than a spiritual one.) Cassidy also seems to be working for someone. He made a phone call to a man who promised to look into the vampire hunters and ordered Cassidy to lay low. Alternatively, it could be another vampire or a family member, from whom Cassidy was trying to extract some money.

Who is Tulip?

We know, so far, that Tulip (Ruth Negga) is an ex-girlfriend of Jesse, and that they used to engage in criminal behavior together. Tulip is clearly in love with Jesse, and she also wants to involve him in a heist of some sort. She has a map, which others were willing to kill her to retrieve. They went so far as bring in a helicopter, so it must be a really huge heist. We can also surmise that Tulip and Jesse grew up together, because Tulip’s father lives in Anvil.

Why did Jesse and Tulip break up?

Good question. They have great chemistry together, but it seems that Jesse has moral restrictions Tulip does not share. Tulip did something that spooked Jesse, provoking him to run back to Texas. All we know is that they are both sorry that “being who they are” is why they are no longer together.

Also, Tulip’s joke about Jesse cutting his hair was a nod to the Preacher in the comics.

Who is Emily?

I have no idea. Emily (Lucy Griffiths) is a creation of the television series, and she’s perhaps designed to split Jesse’s romantic affections. She also seems to be guiding Jesse’s moral compass. She’s clearly smitten with Jesse, and her husband died three years before. His death will undoubtedly come back into play at some point in the series. (He’s Chekhov’s dead husband.)

Who is Arseface?

We don’t know much about Eugene, aka, Arseface (Ian Colletti) yet, beyond the fact that he looks up to Jesse and that he’s a big believer in God. He did something that disappointed God, something that also resulted in a face that looks like an ass. Given the catatonic state of his mother, I am also guessing that his father, Sheriff Root (W. Earl Brown), is not a particularly good person. The state of Arseface’s mouth may be attributed to Sheriff Root. (Note, also, that Arseface’s mouth is not CGI. It’s a prosthetic, so the poor actor who plays him has to wear that on his face the whole time.)

Was that Lucas Neff in the pews?

Yes, yes it was Lucas Neff from Raising Hope on the right. He’s playing a character named J.J. Quincannon (I assume J.J. is the comics equivalent of Conan Quincannon). He is the brother of Odin Quincannon, who will be played by Jackie Earle Haley. Odin is a big deal in the comics. Lucan Neff’s character may be a Brother Chuck, since he’s not listed as a cast member on IMDb, and he’s seen only once in the pilot in a wide shot.

×