'Preacher' Recap: 'Dallas'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

It would truly seem that AMC's Preacher is on a mission in season two to correct all of the missteps that the series made in its inaugural year. After all, we've talked at length in these recaps as to how the plots are suddenly beefed up in incredible fashion and how the show seems to have thrown caution to the wind, allowing for wild and amazing moments to stand out on their own, and now it would seem the show is also poised to move on to its next enhancement for the series...character development. 

Now that's not a knock on the series by any means because every single person on this show is incredibly vibrant and entertaining, but let's be honest...we only know so much about these characters. We've never truly explored what makes them tick or what drives them to do the things they do and that's exactly what last night's episode, 'Dallas', fixed, since we learned just about everything there is to know about Jesse and Tulip and their storied relationship and in doing this, Preacher delivered unto us one of their most intimate and philosophical episodes to date, since this story also took the time to examine the power of loss and how some people simply cannot handle it. 

As it turns out, the person who couldn't deal with loss turned out to be Jesse, because this episode did work with flashbacks a plenty, taking us back to what happened shortly after Jesse's worst day ever; where Carlos double crossed he and Tulip shortly before his beloved lost the baby as well. In the days and weeks and months following that tragic day, Jesse was completely and utterly a shell of his former self and he internalized his pain to the point where he in essence created his own personal Hell, complete with ironic visuals showing us exactly how unnerving his life had become and to top it all off, his isolation and his pain pushed away the only person he's ever loved and in a desperate attempt to find salvation for his actions...and internal peace for that matter, he made the choice to return to Annville and become a Preacher like his father.  

But what made this little vignette so fascinating is the sheer fact that it revealed so much about these characters. It demonstrated just how much Jesse meant to Tulip and how shattered she was by the fact that he turned his back on her and their way of life. She was truly happy with what they had and not having an ounce of that anymore was more than she could bear and it drove her into Viktor's waiting arms and as for Jesse...well this story gave us incredible insight into how lost he's truly been all of his life, and how desperately he's wanted someone to love him unconditionally. The best example of this came from the subsequent fury he exhibited when he learned that Tulip was doing shady jobs behind his back, effectively shunning his notion of a simpler life and him for that matter, and perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Jesse's story last night is the fact that he believes he's being punished for his transgressions and the only way he can ever find salvation or forgiveness is by doing something good in this life...  

Which made the internal battle Jesse dealt with all night, as to whether or not he should kill Viktor all the more harrowing because crossing that line would have shattered all the work Jesse has put in over the past half season to be a better man and thankfully...he stayed true to this new heroic iteration of Jesse Custer and it seems he's won back Tulip and secured the divorce she needed so that they can finally be together. But alas, the joy from this happy-ish ending won't last for long. Because the Saint of Killers found Viktor and dealt out his own brand of Hellish justice and in order to set things right, Viktor's daughter is going to lead the Cowboy right to Jesse and his friends. When all is said and done however, I really enjoyed how this episode played out. It was nice to take a break from the wild and crazy storylines and give us an intimate character study and it was one that was worthwhile since we really know what Jesse and Tulip are all about now, and I'm betting taking the time to provide us with this kind of insight, is going to serve a purpose down the road as well. Until next time. 

---