The Saint of Killers is ready for payback.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Last week's Preacher was another of those apparently obligatory episodes that come along every few weeks to crush the season's overall momentum. But if nothing else, "Backdoors" offered the promise of a an epic team-up between the two big villains of Season 2 - Herr Starr and the Saint of Killers. The latter character's return wasn't everything I hoped, but at least "On Your Knees" paved the way for a dramatic finale.
If nothing else, this episode was successful in highlighting the tragedy fueling the Saint. Granted, viewers were already plenty familiar with the character's origin story, but the emphasis this season has mainly been on the Saint as an unstoppable Terminator figure. But here, there was new flashback material offering a closer look at his life in that fleeting period where he tried his best to leave killing behind and become a good, decent man. You can't help but feel for a guy who wants only one thing from his miserable existence and knows that he'll never, ever have it. Accordingly, there was an added touch of sadness to Graham McTavish's performance this week. He was as terrifying as ever, sure, but that aura of tragedy was more pronounced than before.
That sense of tragedy helped offset some of the weaker elements of the Saint's storyline this week. Early on, this episode wasted a little too much time exploring how he escaped his imprisonment in the armored car. Those scenes didn't really tell us anything that wasn't already made obvious in the final moments of "Backdoors." More frustrating, though, is the abrupt way the rematch between the Saint and Jesse ended. The tension in that scene was palpable, as it really did seem as though Jesse was about to lose his scalp (which maybe wouldn't be a bad thing, as lousy as his hairstyle is). But instead, he was saved by a major case of diabolus ex machina. I understand the thinking with that sudden plot twist. Starr's goal in freeing the Saint was never to gain an ally or wipe Jesse Custer off the map, but merely to manipulate Jesse into viewing the Grail in a more favorable light. Regardless, this seemed a very sudden and unsatisfying resolution to a very brutal encounter.
At least the rematch itself was plenty entertaining. The writers managed to level the playing field ever so slightly, giving Jesse and friends at least the illusion of a chance against the Saint. In the process, Tulip finally conquered the PTSD she's been battling for most of the season, resulting in some of Ruth Negga's strongest scenes in a while. But even without his guns and blade, the Saint is an unkillable, super-strong demon, so there was an air of hopeless futility to this confrontation. As much as the abrupt resolution was frustrating, I'm not sure how many options there were that would have left Jesse alive and reasonably unharmed.
At this point, the Saint appears to be off the board for however long the writers choose. He could somehow be enlisted in Eugene and Hitler's escape attempt, or he could be gone for a full season or more. If there aren't immediate plans for the character, I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to simply keep him trapped in the bayou rather than dragging him back into and then out of the spotlight so quickly. But at least the Saint's brief return fueled the threat posed by Starr and the Grail. Starr truly emerged victorious this week. He played Jesse like a harp from Hell. He managed to drive a serious wedge between Jesse and his friends, shattering the friendship that's very much at the heart of the series. And he accomplished that second task merely by pointing out how much Jesse has been keeping from Tulip and Cassidy. Can you blame them for breaking ranks now?
Of course, it seems very unlikely that the two won't change their minds and try to rescue Jesse in the finale. The series seems to be wrapping up its own adaptation of the "Proud Americans" storyline from the comic, where Jesse fought to rescue Cassidy from the Grail's custody. Only here, the roles have been reversed, and Jesse is the one in need of rescuing. It's a fun wrinkle to the source material, and one that challenges the notion of Jesse as the John Wayne figure always rescuing others.
Finally, while this was another fairly Hell-heavy episode, those scenes played better than they have in recent weeks. Mostly that's due to the increased momentum of Eugene's storyline. After spending the entire season languishing in Hell, he's finally on the move again and getting closer to finally returning to the mortal world. And weirdly, this turned out to be a fairly upbeat episode for Eugene, as he was given the chance to reconcile with his father. It was certainly a nice treat seeing W. Earl Brown back on the show for a few minutes. And given what befell Annville in the Season 1 finale, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Eugene actually was speaking to his real father rather than a mere hologram.
Hopefully, we'll see Eugene finally make his escape in the finale next week. The whole point of his exile has been to explore the changed man he becomes afterward. Drawing things out any longer would be a huge mistake. Plus, I'd love to see what this show does with the idea of Hitler roaming the Earth again (assuming he also makes it out).
The Verdict
This episode didn't necessarily make full use of the Saint of Killers' return. By the end, it was clear that the villain was merely a means to an end for the true antagonist in Jesse Custer's life, Herr Starr. Still, "On Your KInees" delivered a brutal showdown while it lasted, one that resulted in some strong moments for Tulip and a more sympathetic portrayal of the Saint himself. Despite the abrupt resolution to this week's conflict, the season seems headed for a memorable finale next week.
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