Hell is other people.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
After spending the majority of Season 1 confined to the sleepy little town of Annville, Preacher sure is making up for lost time this season. "Viktor" was nothing if not a versatile little episode, dividing its time among Jesse Custer's ongoing search for God, Tulip facing her crime family past and Eugene coming to terms with his new lot as a resident of Hell. Not every one of these plot threads proved equally compelling, but at least the show never wastes an opportunity to be absurd.
Of the three, Eugene's storyline felt like the weak link this time around. There is a certain appeal in watching Eugene wander the halls of Hell and basically live out his own version of Orange Is the New Black. It's also fun seeing him form a bond with Hitler of all people (played by Peaky Blinders' Noah Taylor). There's something so simultaneously mundane and surreal about Preacher's take on Hell. But the joke starts to wear thin after a while. I don't particularly care about any of the other prisoners introduced in this episode. The on'y questions that really matter for Eugene right now are A) How will he escape Hell? and B) How changed will he be from this experience? zif we're not going to get those answers anytime soon, I'd just as soon have the show spend a little less time in Hell.
The other two portions of the episode didn't disappoint, though. Tulip has always been the most cocky and self-assured character on the show, so it's interesting to see her in this more vulnerable and uncertain state. Clearly, she's finally stumbled her way into a situation where she can't flatter, charm or manipulate her way to victory. This episode did a fine job of both building tension and dread as Tulip's situation became more dire and highlighting the question of just what Tulip's connection to Viktor really is. Why did she throw her lot in with this "family" in the first place? What did she do that would make Viktor's daughter spit in her face. And after all the build-up, learning the truth in the final moments of the episode felt like a worthy payoff for that particular mystery.
Meanwhile, Jesse's investigation took some weird, amusing turns this week as he turned his attention from hanging out in jazz clubs to hunting down the actor who impersonated God in Season 1's little video conference. This allowed Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen to toss in copious amounts of meta humor. Seeing Malcolm in the Middle's Frankie Muniz stop by to play himself was a fun little treat, one made all the more funny by the utter pointlessness of his role. I also got a kick out of seeing Cassidy play the role of HBO casting agent. This season may be downplaying Cassidy's in terms of character drama, but he's been at the heart of some of the funniest moments of these past several episodes.
I do wish "Viktor" focused a bit more on the Grail, following up their on their introduction last week. Other than a brief scene with Malcolm Barrett's Hoover working undercover, these characters were more an unseen, lurking threat this week. Another reason to devote less time to Eugene's Hell subplot. But hopefully, with the Saint of Killers on the outskirts of New Orleans, it won't be long before the main conflict heats up again.
Though the general momentum of the series continued to slow this week, we did get a pair of great action sequences as Tulip and Jesse each took their turn battling Viktor's henchmen. I'm really coming to admire Preacher's ability to deliver fight scenes that maintain a balance between brutality and absurdity. These aren't superhumanly skilled martial artists, but scrappy brawlers who aren't above fighting dirty and using whatever tools the environment has to offer to gain an upper hand. Jesse's battle with Viktor's torture artist might actually be my favorite hand-to-hand sequence in the show to date. Director Michael Slovis really stood out in this sequence, with the camera constantly moving and rotating and generally capturing the chaotic, deadly nature of that fight.
The Verdict
Preacher's second season has slowed down a bit from the first couple episodes. "Viktor" called into question whether Eugene's Hell subplot really deserves as much attention as it's receiving. Still, there was a nice balance of danger and hilarity to this week's conflict, and both Jesse and Tulip's storylines dovetailed in a satisfying way by the end. It's looking very likely that the series will regain its lost momentum soon.
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