From AMC, executive producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and showrunner Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad) comes the TV adaptation of Garth Ennis’ and Steve Dillon’s iconic DC: Vertigo comic series Preacher. Starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Graham McTavish, Pip Torrens, Ian Colletti, Graham McTavish and Noah Taylor – Season 3 debuts Summer, 2018 (tentatively).
After merging with a bizarre spiritual force called Genesis, Texan preacher Jesse Custer has become completely disillusioned with the beliefs to which he had dedicated his entire life. Now possessing the power of “the word,” an ability to make people do whatever he utters, Custer begins a violent and riotous journey across the country. Joined by his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and the hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, Custer loses faith in both God and man as he witnesses dark atrocities and improbable calamities during his exploration of America.
Preacher is my favourite comic series of all time. So I’ve been waiting anxiously to see more of the actual material adapted to the smallscreen and season 2 delivers that and more in spades. We get to see more of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy on the road getting into shenanigans, being chased by the terrifying Saint of Killers, being harassed by The Grail led by the hilariously dry Herr Starr and even more absurd plot twists than one can handle. The TV show might even be more outlandish in some ways than the comic book and that’s saying a lot. The search for God takes our trio to New Orleans where they believe the lord is hiding out due to his love for Jazz music. Yes this is real shit. Who knew that buying someone’s soul was a scientifically plausible plot point as well? The comic doubles down on the religious stuff by trying to make so many otherworldly elements seem just as real as anything else.
The violence, comedy and insanity is ramped up from what now feels like a relatively safe first season (and that season was weird as shit). Graham McTavish is unleashed as the Saint of Killers and he makes the Terminator seem tame in comparison. He rips out a man’s tongue, guns down several people and pursues Jesse (and the voice inside him – Genesis) with a brutal force unlike any other villain on television in 2017. Herr Starr (Pip Torrens) is another type of nemesis, who operates on a more shadow-level and he’s just as cool if not more entertaining simply for his disturbing leadership methods which you’ll quickly discover to be less than conventional as The Grail organisation begins to reveal itself. I never in a million years thought we’d see “Humperdoo” adapted for the smallscreen. But they did it and they went all the way. “It’s been real,” — Jesus.
If you’re a devout Christian, you may have some issues with how the story in Preacher season 2 unfolds. Noone is off limits from the perversion and that includes Jesus, God, angels and more… Garth Ennis, the creator of all this crazy shit must be floored at what Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and the team have created. There’s even an entire plotline with Eugene (Arseface) trying to escape Hell with the help from Adolf Hitler. Speaking of which, HITLER – played magnificently by Noah Taylor, is one of my favourite characters on the show. Hitler wasn’t in the comic from what I remember nor was any of this subplot, but I absolutely loved it.
Rogen always wanted to write something with a sympathetic Hitler in it and his dream has come true. By the end of the season, I was cheering for Hitler to escape Hell with Arseface while my wife was staring at me in bewilderment and questioning all of my entertainment choices in that moment. I don’t blame her. Preacher season 2 is weird, silly, ridiculous but it’s also awesome. There is literally nothing else that comes close to this kind of show on television aside from maybe American Gods (and that show carries a drastically different tone).
The flashbacks to Angelville have me incredibly excited for the third season, which looks like it will adapt the story arc in my favourite graphic novel of all time – Preacher Volume 2: Until The End of The World. We’ll uncover more of Jesse’s messed up childhood with his grandma and her goons, as well as hopefully meet God and much more chaotic crazy shit. Look for The Saint of Killers to have one helluva an adventure too considering his recent change of scenery… Preacher season 2 was a blast. I could’ve done without all of the PTSD subplot regarding Tulip and Cassidy although funny this season (that masturbation joke in the finale was hysterical), definitely goes down a darker path this season while Jesse turns into even a bigger asshole than he was in season 1. I may have fallen more in love with the villains and supporting characters than our main trio this year, but that’s part of the beauty that is Preacher — there are so many eccentric and fascinating characters that you can’t help but keep falling down the rabbit hole of madness and enjoying every minute of it.
Rating: [star rating=”4.5″]