Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
The season finale of Preacher Season 2 begins with a younger Jesse enjoying a beer outside of Angelville. His job is to be the gatekeeper of Angelville, gathering parking money and informing guests of where to go. He even directs away feds who want to try and bust shadier businesses that the L’Angelles participate in. Two of his grandmother’s henchmen, Jody and T.C., arrive to the entrance to give Jesse some food and take the money he’s earned since the morning. He only gives them the amount that was actually required and not some that he stole from a wallet, but they don’t fall for it and silently demand he hand over that cash too. After they depart, Jesse takes his anger out on a chicken that had been annoying him all morning, accidentally killing it. He sticks the chicken into his backpack and takes off to his grandma, asking if she is able to bring it back. She replies that everything has a price, to which Jesse agrees and then places the chicken on the table.
In the present, Jesse is at a Sunday School with Herr Starr, preparing to give a speech to the first witnesses of the new Messiah. Starr explains that Jesse will need to start gaining a name for himself and this is the small first step. Jesse heads into the room full of children and attempts to read the speech that Starr provided for him, but Armenian Human Traffickers arrive to take the children and nuns. Jesse tries to use Genesis on them, but his voice becomes distorted and it doesn’t work, so he has no choice but to beat the shit out of the Armenians instead in order to stop them. He does notice after taking one of them guns and firing it that they were supplied with blanks and that Starr is noticeably filming the entire thing. After beating back all of them, Herr Starr informs Jesse that the clip he recorded has gone viral and they’ll be off to L.A. to be on Jimmy Kimmel, but Jesse pins Starr against the wall and demands to know why he set this stunt up. Starr explains once again that Jesse needs to make a name for himself as Messiah and tell him to come on as the jet is waiting, which causes Jesse to ponder just what he signed up for.
Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Pip Torrens as Herr Starr – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
At Denis’ apartment, the Grail camera has still gone unnoticed, while Lara and Hoover are packing things up and preparing to depart as their mission is complete. Cassidy is doing Denis’ laundry and begins to notice that blood is on a lot of Denis’ clothes. He can’t help but look into Denis’ laptop to see what is going on and learns that Denis has been participating in a vampire nightclub known as the Children of Blood, in which he fulfills his sexual and vampire needs. Cassidy tries to forget about it, but continues to find more items in the laundry that reminds him of it. Meanwhile, Tulip is at a convenience store store getting ready for their vacation to Bimini. The clerk tries to make a joke at her excessive purchasing of sunblock, which begins to irritate her. To follow this, she notices on a nearby TV a news report about Jesse stopping the Armenians, adding to her anger. She then proceeds to take her anger out on the clerk and steal some cash from him, trying to offer it to a woman she noticed stealing from the store earlier, but she runs off, leaving Tulip to herself.
Back at Denis’, Cassidy is still struggling over the revelation he learned about Denis and has resorted to smoking crack to calm himself. Tulip enters and reassures him that everything will be alright once they get to Bimini, so they just enjoy theirselves and have fun now that the God hunt is over. She also mentions that with Jesse gone, anything could happen between the two of them. This causes Cassidy and Tulip to begin having sex, but Cassidy suddenly bites into Tulip’s neck when he begins to think of the Denis situation again. This is all revealed to be a daydream that Cassidy was having and he snaps out of it as Tulip actually enters the room. He admits he’s smoking crack this time, unlike in his daydream and Tulip simply replies that she’s gonna pack, while Cassidy sits by himself debating what to do about Denis.
In Hell, Eugene and Hitler have finally escaped onto land from the back door and make sure to seal the vault behind them, but it is shown to start reopening as they head out. They travel for some time, before finally coming across the River Styx. Hitler explains that all Eugene has to do is inform the Ferryman that he doesn’t belong there and since he’ll sense that Eugene actually doesn’t, he’ll summon the ferry to take him off back to Earth. Eugene realizes that it means Hitler won’t be able to come with him, so they exchange goodbyes and Eugene approaches the Ferryman. He does exactly what Hitler told him to and while it doesn’t look like it works at first, the Ferryman eventually blows the horn to bring the ferry. Before Eugene can escape though, the Warden arrives and demands that the Ferryman give Eugene to her. The Ferryman states the River Styx is his domain to decide what happens, but the Warden say that with God missing, the rules have changed. She shoots the Ferryman in the head with a harpoon, but Hitler returns and knocks her out, allowing Eugene to escape. Hitler is satisfied to stay behind, having finally done a good thing in his life, but Eugene asks for him to come with as well.
Ian Colletti as Eugene, Amy Hill as Mannering – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Jesse and Herr Starr are in a car where Starr informs Jesse that Kimmel wanted to put him after Kylie Jenner tonight. He asks Jesse why he didn’t use Genesis in dealing with the Armenians, to which Jesse lies and says it wasn’t necessary. Starr then informs him that what comes next will deem it necessary. At Denis’ apartment, Tulip is heading out to pack the car, but finally notices the camera that fell in the kitchen. She informs Cassidy of this and they locate some more throughout the apartment. Cassidy says they should tell Jesse about it, but Tulip believes it’s too late for that as the Grail already got what they wanted. Cassidy goes to get Denis and notices him browsing the Children of Blood site again and pleads with him to behave himself. Denis notices the Tulip’s panties that Cassidy had kept from the laundry earlier and asks his father if he can behave as well. Cassidy realizes that as long as Denis is around, his urges are stronger, so he has no choice but to push Denis out a window and allow his son to burn to death in the sun.
Eugene and Hitler have made it back to Earth and are dropped off by the bus that took them out of Hell. Eugene offers for Hitler to come with him back to Annville, but Hitler instead realizes he’s now free and takes off in the opposite direction. Eugene realizes the error that he made allowing Hitler to return to Earth, but shrugs it off and departs. In New Orleans, Tulip and Cassidy are all packed and ready to go, but Tulip realizes she forgot to say goodbye to Jenny and tells Cassidy to wait for her. Upon arriving to Jenny’s room, Tulip notices instruction booklets about soul extraction and then a screwdriver that has the glue that held the cameras up in Denis’ apartment, finally confirming to Tulip that Jenny works for the Grail and is really not who she says she is. They have a tense standoff, but Hoover accidentally arrives out of the bathroom in this moment, fully blowing Lara’s cover as Jenny. Tulip attempts to throw the screwdriver at Lara, just as Lara fires a shot at Tulip.
Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare, Julie Ann Emery as Jennie, Malcolm Barrett as Hoover – Preacher _ Season 2, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Michele K. Short/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Jesse and Herr Starr are about to depart to L.A. when Jesse gets a voicemail from Cassidy. Starr tries to stop Jesse from taking it, but it doesn’t work and Jesse immediately decides he needs to leave after hearing the contents of it. Starr tells Jesse he’s allowing to go to his friends, but he’ll need to return if he wants the 1% of his soul back, showing Jesse that Starr took it out of the Saint, explaining not only how Genesis didn’t work on the Saint anymore, but also why Genesis doesn’t work period now. Jesse arrives at Denis’ apartment to see Tulip had been shot and is bleeding out. Cassidy and Jesse attempt everything they can to keep her alive, but when Cassidy realizes the only option left is to turn her into a vampire, Jesse starts to fight with him. The fight continues on with Cassidy pleading that it’s the only way, but Jesse tells Cassidy to just let her die. They finally depart New Orleans and head towards Angelville, with Tulip’s body in tow. As they head into the entrance that we saw younger Jesse at in the beginning of the episode, the chicken that Jesse previously killed crosses the street.
This scene is then shown to be playing in the eyes of the Dog suit that God was wearing as a disguise. He is in the bathroom urinating and upon finishing up and opening the door, the room is blinded in light.
“The End of the Road” did a great job at resolution most of the lingering plot treads that took place during all of Season 2. We got more info on Angelville, the Denis plot was resolved in a way that I think actually made Cassidy grow as a character, Tulip’s stint at the Hurt Locker didn’t prepare her for an actual bullet to the chest, and we now know as long as Jesse doesn’t cooperate with Herr Starr, Genesis will be useless. I would’ve liked to see more of God at the ending, but I’m sure they haven’t decided on an actor to portray him yet, so I’m sure more will come in Season 3. Count me as one who is excited to see the Angelville arc from the graphic novels adapted to television, though as with the rest of Preacher thus far, I’m sure it won’t go 100% the way it did before.
The End of the Road – 4 out of 5
Pros:
- Left off at a good starting point for Season 3.
- The Denis situation actually ended in a way I liked.
- Hopefully Jesse becomes more cautious thanks to losing Tulip and Genesis.
Cons:
- I now definitely want Lara dead.
- Glad that Tulip/Cassidy scene was just a daydream.
