Preacher Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Call and Response
Lisa Babick
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So that was it, huh? Meh.
Although there were parts that were highly enjoyable, most of Preacher Season 1 Episode 9 was quite disappointing.
Sure, many things were tied up nicely by the end of the hour, but was it really enough?
We learned that Jesse still hasn't forgotten about Eugene, which is a good thing, though it's unclear how exactly he's going to get the boy out of hell. Maybe when he finds God?
DeBlanc is apparently dead. The Seraphim is still alive and kicking. Emily has no guilt about what she did to Miles. The mascots are gone. The pedophile bus driver met the kind of nasty fate he deserved. Tom Cruise's ashes were sent to space. And, most importantly, The Cowboy is in Annville looking for Jesse.
But, even though much was answered, we were still left with questions.
The biggest being why, exactly, is Jesse and the gang going after God? Why does Jesse think God needs his help? Because he went missing?
I'm having a hard time buying into this premise. It's definitely not enough to make me want to tune in next season.
I'm also more than a little curious as to why Genesis, who is supposed to be this big deal, hardly played a part in this finale.
Sure, Genesis forced "God" to tell the truth about God, but Genesis has been pretty much absent for the past few episodes. For an entity that came on so strong at the beginning of the season, it doesn't really make sense for it to be so quiet at the end.
God certainly made quite the entrance, but what did you expect? He's God, after all. The entire scene from beginning to end was the best thing about this hour.
God shows up just as everyone is about to give up on the idea. He appears with bright lights and thunder. He looks exactly as one might expect (thanks, Tulip) with white hair and beard and a booming voice. I absolutely loved each time God laughed and clapped, amused by his worshippers.
It kind of reminded me of Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention with the balloons. That's how goofy, but fun, it was.
It was no surprise to find out "God" wasn't really God. That would have made everything too easy and wouldn't have created a goal for Preacher Season 2. I'm just not getting what the big deal is, though, about God being missing. It's not like Annville is a town of God-fearing people, though they like to think they are, and maybe that's the point.
But still.
Speaking about things that just didn't fit, what exactly happened to Tulip?
After all the drama surrounding Tulip's need to exact revenge on Carlos, I was highly disappointed when she changed her mind and prevented Jesse from killing him. It was pure manipulation on her part, not only of Jesse, but of the audience as well.
Sure, they ended up beating him to a pulp as his punishment, but it wasn't satisfactory. This man caused all sorts of angst and all he gets is an ass kicking?
It's not like this show has a conscience, so why spare Carlos? Tulip killed a dog, for crying out loud, after playing with it like it was part of the family. So, if this is an attempt to show compassion, it failed big time.
Why give Tulip all this badassness only for her to fail to follow through with the goal she's had since the beginning of the series? Tulip has lost all her credibility. As far as I'm concerned, she might as well be dead.
It was surprising to find out that Sheriff Root realized Cassidy was a vampire. I'm not understanding what the whole purpose of that scene was other than it compelled Root not to arrest Jesse at church.
Don't get me wrong, it was a great scene, and I especially enjoyed how Cassidy pushed Root regarding Eugene. We all know Root despises his son, but deep down I think he blames himself for his son's failings. Like many parents do.
It's apparent that Odin blamed God for the demise of his family. Probably why he only believes in the God of Meat, which is so out there, but also incredibly amusing.
Odin has been the most despicable character on this show but also one of the most entertaining. After learning God wasn't God at all and that what he said about Odin's daughter wasn't true, Odin sought comfort in the only thing he could: his god, the god of meat.
He created a little girl out of hamburger meat (complete with the same clothing the girl wore when she died, I guess) to hold and cuddle. It was so odd, but really showed how far down the crazy path Odin has gone.
Finally, we learned what the sludge guy was monitoring. All that cow manure reached a boiling point when the sludge man had to resort to a hooker for some action and died in the process. The hooker tried desperately to control the methane gas gauges but failed.
The gas blew and took the town with it if you listened to the news reports. But while we saw the church get blown to smithereens, the rest of the town seemed fine.
It makes you wonder if Annville is now the new hell. It was very confusing.
Overall, the season finale moved some pieces around, answered some questions and set a course for next season, but really lacked the punch you'd expect for a finale.
Did "Call and Response" meet your expectations? Will you be tuning in for Season 2? Hit the comments, and let us know.
If you want to find out what all the fuss is about you can watch Preacher online and catch up.
