Title: Preacher “The Serve”
Network: AMC
Air Date: June 19th, 2016
Genre: Black Comedy, Horror
Preacher has just wrapped up its fourth episode titled “The Serve” and while it has… served up some interesting things, it ultimately was a change of pace for the series so far. Cassidy did continue to bring much of the comedic element to this episode but as a whole, this was more of an informative episode than anything. Despite the change in pace, Preacher did give us much more story to ponder and sink our teeth into. Aside from the opening sequence, there really weren’t any of the intense action moments like we’ve seen in previous episodes. Instead, we find a number of the characters we’ve been introduced to so far each getting their piece of the pie in terms of story. Despite the slower tone, the new info certainly does provide some more depth to our characters.
I feel one of the biggest things for me in this episode of Preacher, was getting more of the back story of Jesse, his Father, and Odin. We see Jesse’s father wake him in the middle of the night to go see Odin for some type of meeting. What went down in that meeting is unclear but something caught Jesse’s eye as he saw through the door when they left. Perhaps it was Odin’s deformed body or maybe something else? One thing is clear – the meeting was heated and it ended with Odin shouting, “Denounce him!” I wonder if this anger coming from Odin is what ultimately led to the death of Jesse’s father. If you recall, we saw flashbacks in a previous episode where he was shot. If that is the case, Jesse is certainly unaware as we see him spending time with Odin later in his office as they painted a miniature war set.
I’ve been noticing that when I tune in to watch Preacher, my first general interest is to see what Cassidy will wind up doing this week. While his scenes in “The Serve” provide a bit less than the previous episodes, they are still some of the stands out moments of the episode. Joe Gilgun is just fantastic as the character with the energy and humor he puts into the character coming right through the screen. Cassidy is also that character that as much as you love him, he’s the one that ends up complicating things more. Emily was given a little more color in this episode finally and she certainly seems to have a thing for Jesse, but at the same time has a very casual thing going on with the mayor.
We also began to find out much more about Fiore and Deblanc, who may very well be in a whole heap of trouble. This entity in Jesse has seemingly escaped under their watch in Heaven and outside of them, no one else is aware. They are trying to capture it and place it back where it belongs before anyone else upstairs finds out it’s gone. What I found most intriguing about this is the human element that’s shown here, even with them being of such a higher power. They’re in a way like kids who have made a mess and are desperate to clean it up before anyone finds out and they get in trouble.
Tulip had no interaction with Jesse this episode but there was a big reveal when it came to her and Cassidy. Tulip most certainly understands at this point that Cassidy isn’t just anyone. It’ll be interesting to see how this relationship moves forward. In the last episode, Tulip was trying to get Jesse to embark on a quest for revenge with her against “Carlos.” Jesse, of course, changed his mind leaving Tulip fuming. Now she knows Jesse is the guy you want on your side in a fight but perhaps now she might enlist the help of Cassidy given what he is able to do. It wouldn’t be hard to persuade him I’m sure.
The episode finished with a powerful sermon from Jesse which ultimately led Odin and Jesse face to face again per the deal they made earlier. While Jesse did use his power on Odin to make him “serve god” the real treat from this was the performance by Dominic Cooper. His words not only had an impact on his congregation but us as well. Not necessarily in terms of content but the manner in which he spoke them, you could feel the emotion coming through the words. While the church was full due to the raffle of a TV, it became much more than that for those in the church. I certainly am interested to see how the possibility of telling Odin to “Serve God” could backfire in the future but only time will tell.
Did you catch this week’s episode of Preacher? If so, what did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and check back next week for our review of “South will Rise Again.”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD_iDqc09BA[/embedyt]
- Characters: More story on Odin and Jesse’s father. Tulip finds out about Cassidy
- Story: More depth is given to our characters and Jesse uses his power on Odin
- Cinematography: Fun opening sequence
- Acting: Dominic Cooper stands out in his sermon
[review]
