The summer television desert is well upon us but one show emerges to pull viewers through the sultry season and keep them on the couch in front of the air conditioner – Preacher. Season three returns to bring sexy back to Southern Gothic drama and to keep us all from going outside to enjoy the sunlight.
In the episode “The Coffin Review,” we finally get something that fans of the comic have long desired – a glimpse at the legendary coffin in which Gran’ma and TC used to lock Jesse in before he was submerged in the swamp for several days at a time. This glimpse of punishment on the L’Angell property is more of the DC world than we’ve seen in awhile but doesn’t seem to live up to the horror that the comics created with the imagery.
In another scene that played “Hail to the – Ahem, Comic” Gran’Ma finally appears the way she does in the comics, as elderly and strung out as any old southern granny can be, though she suddenly seem to has the power to walk and fight that hasn’t been evident until now. We discover that Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy are going to have a harder time escaping than they thought. Gran’ma and Tulip’s lives are inexorably linked and in order to unlink them Gran is going to need a soul.
The episode includes an excellent fight scene and some high comedy as Cassidy interacts with a coven of vampires that he might try to enlist to fight for Jesse and Tulip when the time comes. There is the appearance of a famous friend that Jesse leans on a lot more in the comic, and other antics that make this episode fun, but another step in the long dance that will take Jesse and the crew away from Gran’ma and back out into the world.
The Game of Nerds coverage of season three of Preacher started a little late this season so next week I’ll review episode 6 and keep at it until we catch up with the really real world.
