'Preacher' Recap: 'Backdoors'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When we last left Jesse Custer on Preacher, he was facing quite the powerful decision; continue the search for God without any help, likely drawing out his search for an extended period of time. Or…he could take Herr Starr’s offer and abandon his quest for the Almighty altogether and use his power to ascend to the top of well, everything and bring order to a world that so desperately needs it.
 
So, which path would Jesse take? That’s really the question that was on all of our minds when we settled in to watch last night’s episode, ‘Backdoors’ and thankfully, this story would waste no time in getting us to that decision and as it turns out…Jesse would make his choice not based upon some heroic moment. Oh no, instead Jesse would follow his gut and quite frankly his moral compass, in a tense episode that brought forth plenty of consequences for his actions thus far…
 
But before we get too deep into Jesse’s tale, we do need to take a few moments and talk about the fascinating events that transpired in Hell last night. Because at long last, the show followed up on a storyline that it set aside for a bit, in that we finally saw what Hitler’s worst memory is in life, and for this legendary monster…being reminded of the last day he was a good man is what has tortured him in the depths of Hell. If anything, showing us that speaks volumes to the fact that Hitler is still one evil man because if being good is his worst memory, he’s clearly stewing internally and that makes me incredibly nervous over the fact that he’s working hard to help Eugene walk out of Hell…

---

​However, despite the fascinating nature of that storyline, it’s time we get back to Jesse and the consequences he’s now facing for his actions. Because now that it’s known that Jesse didn’t kill the Saint, and that the monstrous Cowboy escaped his watery grave since the truck was empty when it was pulled from the swamp…his friends are beginning to challenge his intentions and his actions. We’ve simply never seen Tulip and Cassidy this angry with Jesse and well, Jesse isn’t exactly setting that particular wrong, right, since he’s sinking deeper and deeper into his quest rather than try and make peace with his best mate and his love.
 
But perhaps that is in fact the most powerful and fascinating part of Jesse’s story arc this year. That he is so obsessed with salvation on his terms that he will stop at nothing to achieve it, which brings us of course to the big decision of the night, would Jesse give in to Herr Starr’s temping offer? Because Starr went all out to close the deal, even going so far as to bring up Jesse’s prayers and sorted past to try and convince him to work with the Grail in order to find the salvation he so desperately seeks and thankfully, Jesse saw such an act as an absolute insult and he turned his back on Starr’s offer, opting instead to find God on his own, a decision that will endanger Jesse’s life.
 
After all, the Saint of Killers is back on Jesse’s trail thanks to the Grail and well, this is another episode that left me impressed with how much stuff was packed into it, and I love the fact that every single moment in this season is slowly coming together, including the whole wild occasion when the crew arrived in New Orleans and inadvertently met God by way the dude in the Dalmatian suit. If anything, this episode seems to add a sense of urgency to the season and it seems to hint that we are headed for a slam bang finale. One that may see the return of God to his throne and a grand showdown between Jesse and the Grail or, as this show is wont to do…something that will surprise us all regardless. Until next time.

---