Preacher review: ‘The Lost Apostle’ is season four’s best episode yet
After a shaky first half of the season, it looks like Preacher may have finally regained its footing. “The Lost Apostle” is a perfectly paced culmination of the events thus far that leaves us wanting much, much more.
Praise be! We’ll always be fans of Preacher, but over the past few weeks, we’ve had a love-hate relationship with AMC’s most unorthodox series. Up until this point, the plot of season four has felt circular and pointless, and although there have certainly been some explosive moments, it’s been lacking the ‘oomph’ that makes Preacher such a one-of-a-kind show. We’re happy to report, however, that “The Lost Apostle” proved that Preacher hasn’t lost its magic: Last night’s episode was our favorite of the season thus far.
One of the driving forces that has made Preacher such a joy to watch has always been its characters, and “The Lost Apostle” only goes to show just how strong those characters are. The dynamic duo of Cassidy and Tulip are finally back in action, flying down the streets of Australia in Tulip’s Chevelle.
The stylized editing and music made the first few scenes feel like some sort of pulpy ’70s buddy-cop movie in the best way possible — a testament to how well Preacher knows how to hop between genres. The duo makes up for lost time by quickly strong-arming their way through crime scenes, and after a brief pitstop to talk with Eugene, they end up hot on Jesse’s trail.
Although it wasn’t featured prominently in tonight’s episode, the scenes between Tulip and Cassidy also continued the undercurrent of the love triangle that’s been brewing since season one. There’s an unspoken tension between the two of them, but you can see it in Cassidy’s eyes, and hear it in Tulip’s curt tone: They’re not exactly sure where their relationship is going next.
While it would be gratifying to see them sit down and talk it out, watching the two of them struggle with it in their own way is much more Preacher-esque; while Cass resorts to some household drugs, Tulip finds herself (yet again) stumbling onto a trail of breadcrumbs left by God. Joe Gilgun and Ruth Negga both sell the relationship beautifully. When it comes to Cass and Tulip, what isn’t said is just as important as what is.
Then there’s the man of the hour: Jesse. “The Lost Apostle” sees the introduction of a dynamic that’s fairly unexplored thus far in the series, the one between Jesse and the Saint. The two haven’t really seen each other since season two, and even then, they weren’t talking so much as they were shooting. Here, (although it’s brief) we get some insight into what the two of them together are like, and we can’t help but feel like Eugene has rubbed off on the Saint a little bit.
He’s still a stoic, terrifying beast of a man, but he feels distinctively chattier than the man we met in season one. Jesse also seems to be in a much quippier mood. It’s refreshing to see him mouthing off and making snarky remarks again after spending so much of the season on his solemn, dreary hunt for God.
The brief scenes with Jesus and Hitler were also a strong point of the episode. Although the whole “apocalypse” plot doesn’t feel all that pressing in relation to the main trio’s storyline, Tyson Ritter and Noah Taylor have remarkable chemistry and play off of each other very well.
We can’t talk about “The Lost Apostle,” though, without talking about that ending. We got a glimpse of Jesse’s fate via flashforward in the season premiere, but until now, how exactly Jesse would end up seemingly dead in a ditch was unknown. It looks like Preacher is taking a similar approach to Jesse’s death in the comics, so we can’t wait to see how the rest plays out.
“The Lost Apostle” is a rare hour of television that somehow manages to be action-packed and full of great character moments while not feeling overstuffed or bloated. It’s a perfect signature blend that makes Preacher so great.
Outfit of the episode: It’s a tie between Cass and Tulip’s ass-kicking buddy-cop outfits.
WTF moment: Herr Starr getting his groin chewed off by one of God’s creations. That’s what happens when you don’t look after Humperdoo.
Standout scene: Jesse and Cassidy’s exchange when the plane is going down. We’re still not over it.
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