Did the finale of Preacher hold water?

AMC

It was necessary to take a little time and mull over the finale of Preacher before posting about it. I needed to determine if it did enough for me to want to come back for more. Because over the course of the last couple weeks my interest in the show has certainly been waning.

So … did it? Did it leave enough of an impact to tune in when it returns? Tell you what … I’ll come back to that question.

I’ll start off with this: At least some of the silliness of last week got toned down. That was a plus. We got back to a little more storytelling on the show and not simply the fantastical situations seemingly used either for a laugh or a gut punch. Even then, viewers’ believabilities were still tested.

And, yes, one of the things I’m talking about is Sheriff Root’s interrogation methods.

AMC

Now … I understand they do things a little differently in Texas. Sometimes a lot differently. And that “sometimes” can stretch that “a lot” to an extreme when you’re talking about a little shit-kicking town such as Annville with its interesting collection of residents.

But incarcerating someone against his will and without cause as Root did with Cassidy? (Why was Cassidy being held again?) The casual manner in which the sheriff not only “healed” him (Where did that blood come from exactly?) but the matter-of-fact manner in which he explained his knowledge (via the internet) of what Cassidy was? Yeah … again, with these items the writers continued stretching credibility from the previous week.

Granted: You have to put things in context when it comes to the likes of Preacher; after all, we’re watching a show about a man of the cloth (and I use the term loosely) permeated with a seemingly magical power of command, his often off-the-rails girlfriend and a Cockney-talking incubus who seems to defy many common vampirical tenets. But Preacher has laid that road from the get-go, right? Yes it has.

But there are all those loose ends and dopey little anomalies I’ve touched on time and again. Those things that keep the story loosey-goosey and don’t pull it into a tighter, sleeker tale. And that’s something I think the show should have already come to grips with to this point, given the 10 episodes beneath its belt.

But maybe I’m picking nits. Maybe I’m being overly concerned with the crossing of the “t”s and the dotting of the “i”s when, in the grand scheme of things, the show asks you to toss common sense out the window and suspend belief. (It has from the beginning, there’s no question there.)

So I’ll be the bigger person and forget those little niggling things. Instead, I’ll focus on a few of the grander features that should make real world sense.

AMC

Like the destruction resulting from the Quincannon plant explosion. (Don’t analyze it, Michael – you’ve already said you were willing to suspend belief … remember?) And the further result of the church being decimated. Here’s the thing: That church was a big deal to Jesse Custer, something he was fighting tooth and nail with Quincannon about, right? Now, Custer is off on a quest to find God and give him what-for. Forget the congregation, forget his commitment to bettering his flock. That fake “talk with God” during his last sermon was obviously a pivotal turning point in his decision to move in a different direction.

But wait. Does he even know the church went kablooey? (Nope. He missed that announcement at the diner while paying his tab.) More importantly, now that his source of income is kaput (again, unbeknownst to him), what’s he going to use to finance his little trip? Did he and Tulip get back the money “due” them from Carlos? Are the two (along with Cassidy) simply going to allow fate to determine how they’ll put gas in the car and food in their bellies? Did I miss that explanation in the finale? Or is it a “TBD” sort of situation? Inquiring minds, y’unnerstan’.

AMC

Maybe Cassidy’s response to Jesse’s “The plan is simple: Find God” is a big, fat clue:

“… like a road trip? With buckets of guns, sex and drugs and shady characters dressed in bikinis?” – Cassidy tweet

“Yeah. I imagine there’ll be a bit of that.” – Custer tweet

“I’m in. Done.” – Cassidy tweet

These are a few of the pain in the ass things running through my mind in the aftermath of the finale.

AMC

The thing that soured me the most about the episode though were the direct consequences of Annville’s “God” revelation. They were horrific. Emily’s response was the most sane of all, discussing with her kids they didn’t really ever need God in their lives. (Yes … this was the least caustic item.) The Annville feuding mascots committed suicide, hanging themselves side by side from a tree. Terry Loach smothered the life out of her brain-dead daughter Tracy. (I commented “Really?” out loud when this happened … and then again when her son shot the selfie.) Those kids who killed the bus driver? Wow. Insanely despicable, not to mention way over the top and unnecessary. As was the hosed, corseted and bare-assed gal who realized post sex there was a problem at Quincannon’s plant. Seriously … all these things were ridiculous, none were remotely comical. They added up to nothing but disposable side notes with nothing to like about them.

However …

Despite those things, there were several shining bright spots in the season ender (“Call And Response”) I enjoyed immensely.

AMC

• The music used in the episode, for example. Blind Melon’s “No Rain” was perfect as a background to all the scenarios played out during the “God” aftermath as were Johnny Cash’s cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus,” Question Mark And The Mysterians’ “96 Tears,” The Stones’ “Let It Bleed” and The Shirelles’ “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” plus others. Each piece of music – whether an original, a cover or choral version – was used to terrific effect, punctuating each vignette superbly …
• Fiore’s return: Why is he back? I don’t know. But it was intriguing to see him fresh off the bus once more and I’m curious about it. His partner, DeBlanc, was killed off by The Cowboy (Saint Of Killers) remember.
• Cassidy’s analysis of The Big Lebowski (of which I agree with him; it was a craptastic, dopey, dumb movie) along with Custer’s “find God” discussion was not only satisfying but funny, too. (I think Joseph Gilgun plays Cassidy with a special kind of love for the character, complete with all the necessary inflections and emotiveness.)
• I didn’t mention it in my last post but there was one thing I really wanted out of the finale: Something, anything, to do with Eugene and his “situation.” And I got it in an unexpected way – with him behind the cash register at the diner. Was it conclusive? No, not in the least. But it was a nice, quick, surprising nod I wasn’t expecting and I tip my hat at the writers for it. (I’ve ragged on them enough over the course of the season. They deserve a back slap here and there so I don’t look so curmudgeonly.)
• The Tom Cruise snippets that have popped up throughout the show have continued to be amusing. This episode, sending his ashes to their final resting place? Brilliant.
• The return of the Seraph who DeBlanc, Fiore and Custer fought previously was nifty. But niftier still was the Saint Of Killers real time appearance, killing her for good. What that dude shoots at stays shot.

So … back to the question I originally posed: Did the finale do a sufficient job for me to engage in season 2 when that rears its head? Barely. The writers tipped the scales just enough to leave me wondering. And only on the merits of those positive bullet points. I’m certain they have plenty of wild cards up their sleeves, the ones I dislike most.

We’ll see …

Was the Preacher finale satisfying? Will you be back for season two? Start a conversation in the comments section below!