Eugene learns how bad Hell can be.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
This week's installment of Preacher featured a moment where Jesse Custer finally broke down and became fed up with the lack of progress in his quest to to find God. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to sympathize with Jesse's plight at the moment. While there have been some very strong episodes this season so far, it's hard not to get the impression that the show is dragging its heels with this prolonged New Orleans storyline. Maybe it's time Jesse and the gang finally hit the road in search of greener pastures?
It's especially frustrating to see the show lose its momentum again considering how strong the previous two episodes were. "Sokosha" wrapped up the Saint of Killers conflict on a real high note. "Pig" dealt with the profound damage that battle left in its wake where Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy are concerned, while at the same time establishing a compelling new foe in the form of Herr Starr. "Holes," sadly, did little to keep building on that momentum. Whether set in New Orleans or the bowels of Hell, "Holes" seemed content to rehash familiar beats and emphasize the fruitless nature of Jesse's mission rather than try to push that mission forward.
The weird thing is that this seems to be a pretty intentional choice on the part of Sam Catlin and his writers. They clearly want us to empathize with the growing sense of aimless malaise plaguing Jesse as his New Orleans investigation repeatedly fails to yield results. In a way, I suppose the show is successful there, but the end result is still a growing sense of dissatisfaction. Jesse devoting an entire episode to hanging around a Brand X Circuit City does not make for particularly compelling television, especially with so little payoff in the end. Not for the first time, I find myself questioning whether this season's expanded episode count is actually doing the show any favors.
Tulip's subplot this week is a slightly trickier case. In general, the idea that she's dealing with some severe PTSD in the aftermath of the Saint's attack is intriguing, and it's good to see that the writers aren't simply seeing that plot point under the rug after one episode. But that doesn't change the fact that "Holes" hit pretty much the exact same beats as last week in terms of Tulip's almost suicidal behavior and desperate struggle to avoid sleeping or being alone with her thoughts. Hopefully her newfound friendship with the undercover Agent Featherstone will be the spark Tulip's story needs next week.
It didn't help that "Holes" focused so much attention on Eugene's ordeal in Hell. The Hell storyline had a certain amusing novelty to it early on this season, but now that it's basically devolved into the afterlife version of Orange Is the New Black, its lost much of its luster. The concept of a bleak, weirdly mundane version of the afterlife works better in small doses than it does as a recurring plot point. Even the fun of seeing Hitler cast as Hell's janitor is wearing thin.
That all being said, Eugene's story did take an interesting turn when he was tossed into the "Extrapolater" and forced to relive a new version of the worst moment in his life. There was a subtle sadness to seeing Eugene being given a second chance, as well as a touch of the absurd as he and Tracy broke out into an impromptu rendition of Semisonic's "Closing Time." Then the absurdity became dialed up several notches as Jesse wormed his way into this vision and drove Eugene to attempt suicide all over again. It seems pretty clear that the goal with this hell storyline is to return Eugene to Earth a much meaner and twisted version of his usual self, while giving him even further cause to despise Jesse Custer. In the comics, Eugene's feud with Jesse lasted all of a couple pages, but there's potential in playing up that rivalry here.
With most of this episode feeling drawn-out and underwhelming, at least Cassidy rose to the occasion. Joseph Gilgun delivered an excellent performance this week as his character wrestled with a terrible parenting dilemma. This is Cassidy at his most tender and sympathetic. The flashback scene was handled especially well, as it both showcased Cassidy's fatherly, affectionate side while simultaneously reminding us that he really just doesn't have it in him to be a good, dependable man. Cassidy's discussion with Tulip about the pitfalls of immortality also proved to be a standout moment, one made all the more poignant by the fact that the distracted Tulip barely gave his words a second thought. This season may have its issues with building and sustaining momentum, but it's really doing a terrific job of highlighting the tragic screw-up that is Proinsias Cassidy.
The Verdict
After two rock-solid episodes, Preacher fell back into bad habits this week. There was nothing especially bad about :Holes," but merely a nagging sense that the show is again losing momentum and rehashing familiar beats rather than pushing Jesse Custer's quest forward. Cassidy is rapidly emerging as the true MVP of the series, as his sad plight is the source of most of this episode's emotional weight.
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