Preacher review: “Messiahs” is another strong entry for season 4

Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O'Hare - Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television
Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy, Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O'Hare - Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 7 - Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Following the mid-season cliffhanger of last week’s “The Lost Apostle,” last night’s episode of Preacher went full steam ahead for the back half of season four, with enough twists, turns, and character moments to keep us hooked.

After seasons worth of waiting, last week’s “The Lost Apostle” finally brought the Preacher comics’ most shocking twist to the small screen. Ending an episode by killing off your main character is a move straight out of the Game of Thrones playbook, but thankfully in the world of Preacher, nobody’s ever really gone.

The episode opened on a somber scene: Tulip and Cassidy burying Jesse’s corpse. Jesse’s death has been hinted at since the beginning of the season, but we weren’t sure as to how exactly it would fit in with the rest of the season’s plotline, given that having your lead MIA halfway through the final chapter makes things difficult from a storytelling perspective.

However, this is Preacher we’re talking about, so instead of a tear-jerking farewell episode, “Messiahs” instead wastes no time showing us that Jesse isn’t quite gone forever. After a brief fakeout scene in which he teaches a little girl (his and Tulip’s daughter?) to fish, we are greeted with the return of a familiar face, who comes bearing big news.

We’re huge fans of Tom Brooke as the ever-so-aloof Fiore, so it was a treat to see him back in his full angelic glory. Fiore tells Jesse that, yes, he is dead, but it’s not all bad. He wants to offer Jesse the chance of a lifetime: to fill in for God in Heaven and help avert the apocalypse. Jesse quickly shoots down the offer, of course, but this leads to another not-so-pleasant revelation: He didn’t actually make it to heaven.

We’ve been wondering for years now as to where Jesse would end up going when he dies, but now we have our answer. The murderous, lustful, foul-mouthed Texas preacher ended up in Hell after his death, and it looks like he won’t be going anywhere any time soon. Though especially perceptive viewers may have been able to see the twist coming, we were surprised to find out that, after all he’s done in the name of the lord, Jesse still ends up in Hell.

However, he’s not the only one whose story takes a sharp turn in this episode. Tulip and Cassidy begin “Messiahs” in sullen silence, driving to meet a friend of Tulip’s who may hold a key to getting Jesse back. Apparently, Cassidy fulfilled Jesse’s dying wish and told Tulip to read his letter, because we get a brief but still incredibly moving scene of a tearful Tulip reading the letter in silence. Although we aren’t shown the contents of the letter, we assume that, apart from telling Tulip how much he loves her, it also contained a pretty big revelation: Jesse knew where Humperdoo was.

We haven’t caught up with Jesus’ great-great-great-grandson in a while, given that he’s been missing ever since the season three finale. But after a meeting with Tulip’s old contact, it’s revealed that he’s been staying with a group of Hasidic Jews. With Humperdoo as leverage, Tulip plans to bargain his life for Jesse’s, although we’re not sure how well that will work out, given God’s tendency to be eight steps ahead of any of Tulip’s plans.

Also quite a few steps ahead is Featherstone, who makes a surprise return after killing Hooper 2 when it’s revealed that he was actually a police officer working to take down The Grail from the inside. If there’s anyone who can lead The Grail to victory, it’s Featherstone, so we’re excited (and a little worried) to see where the organization is headed with her in power.

“Messiahs” was certainly packed full of more plot than strong character moments, but given how slowly the first half of the season moved, we’re not particularly upset about that. The episode gave us the return of some of the show’s best recurring characters, as well as a few small but strong emotional beats courtesy of Ruth Negga and Joe Gilgun. Preacher is nearing the final stretch of its last season, and if “Messiahs” is any indication, it’s going to be one hell of a finish.

Outfit of the episode: Fiore’s heavenly robes. After seeing him in suits all throughout season one, it was a pleasant surprise to see him in more typically angelic attire.

WTF moment: The reveal that Jesse is actually in Hell. Didn’t see that one coming.

Standout scene: Tulip tearfully reading Jesse’s letter. Even without dialogue, Ruth Negga’s beautiful performance told us exactly what Tulip was feeling.

What did you think of “Messiahs”? Are you excited for next week’s episode of Preacher? Sound off in the comments below.