'Preacher' Recap: 'The Coffin'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

When it comes to AMC’s Preacher, I’ve gotten used to the fact that the audience is either going to be treated to a slow burning story when they tune in, or one that suddenly vaults the plot forward in epic and powerful fashion. That’s not a bad thing by any means, it’s simply how this show does business and it’s made Jesse Custer’s story about as entertaining as can be over the past several years. So, imagine my surprise, when I settled in to enjoy last night’s episode, ‘The Coffin’, only to find that this series is evolving and learning how to create hybrid stories that retain the character focused slow burn style that the show is known for, while peppering in some big and juicy plot twists.
 
Because that’s precisely what last night’s episode featured through and through, starting with Cassidy’s journey in this tale, since he found himself looking for love in the Big Easy now that he was back home and well, it was just fascinating to know that really, Cassidy’s problem in life is that he’s desperate to be accepted and loved by someone and despite being fooled by a vampire dating app and finding himself alone once again, it would seem that his world is about to get a whole lot more interesting now that he’s been kidnapped by a secret order of vampire aficionados known as Les Enfants du Sang and well, the ebb and flow of Cassidy’s story, with moments of intimacy and pain followed by this little twist was just brilliant, and it didn’t end there.
 
For back in Angelville, it was time for something we’ve all been waiting for since Jesse and his troupe arrived in this musky and disgusting place…a showdown with Gran’Ma, and all of this was motivated by the fact that Cassidy had escaped the clutches of the Tombs and well, that discovery led to one of the funniest moments of the night as Jesse and Tulip found themselves in a fist fight with T.C. and Jody, one that they lost, which left Tulip locked up and Jesse, back in the coffin he so hates at the bottom of the swamp and therein lies the slow part of his story, because Jesse was forced to face his past and his fears while at the bottom of the water and eventually, he came to realize he had power over a great many things in life and escaped his watery tomb in creative and explosive fashion. 

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But while Jesse worked to figure out how to deal with his fears and escape the swamp, Tulip put quite the plan in motion. Because one way or another, Gran’Ma was going to pay for what she’s done to her and Jesse, with her life if necessary and Tulip spent a fair part of the hour demonstrating her incredible intellect as she outfoxed Jody, and escaped her chains, leading to the all-important confrontation with Gran’Ma, wherein she asked nicely to have the old bird release Jesse from the curse and let them leave before things got violent and that’s when the biggest twist of the night came into play since we discovered…that dear ol’ Gran’Ma and Tulip’s lives are tied together as an insurance policy for Gran’Ma and if the old lady dies, so does Tulip which means that the Custer matriarch is going to have to survive and thrive if Tulip wants to see another day.
 
Yet, while these storylines are dark in their own right, there was some lightheartedness to be found in this tale, thanks to Herr Starr and the Grail. Because this episode finally allowed for us to meet the Allfather, the supreme (and supremely starving) leader of the Grail, who wanted to know if the Messiah’s training had fully prepared him to be the Savior of mankind and, uh, yeah…Humperdoo was anything but ready. But…he did something of consequence, a beautiful song and dance number and watching the Messiah work it with his tap shoes on had to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen when it comes to this series and this little sequence was a welcome respite from the heavier moments present.
 
Because despite the laughs, Gran’Ma is still quite ill and in desperate need of a soul to feed upon and it would seem that’s going to be the focus for this plot line in the days to come, getting Gran’Ma back on her feet. As to whether or not that will get her to let Jesse and Tulip out of their soul binding contracts has yet to be seen but in the here and the now, what a magnificent episode. This one really highlighted why Preacher is such a unique series and I loved this new style of storytelling through and through since we learned plenty about our characters, all while getting some thrills and spills and I’m quite curious to see if this hybrid style is going to stick around in the weeks to come. Until next time.    

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