Preacher 2.02: "Mumbai Sky Tower" - Review:
Directed by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, Written by Sam Catlin
So it's finally happened. After having full control over Genesis and the people on this Earth, Jesse Custer has finally run into someone who Genesis cannot stop. This very fact alone should tell you just how credible of a threat the Saint of Killers is, and combined with his intimidating on screen presence, his threat feels very real. Despite the fact that Jesse, Cassidy and Tulip are main characters, I felt scared for them whenever they were hunted by him. He's menacing, and quite possibly, an early contender for of the most intimidating television villains of the year. It is early days of course but so far I'm really liking how the creative team are handling his character, and Graham McTavish too, is doing a fantastic job. The modern day gunslinger looks so out of place you know he means business, and on a show like Preacher where the violence always kicks into overdrive, you know stuff's going to hit the fan and when it does, it's going to go off in the biggest, most over the top way possible.
The serialised, on the run feel of season two has really helped improve the often sluggish pace of Season 1. Two episodes in and everything always feels incredibly suspenseful, right from the start to finish. It's pretty clear that Rogen, Goldberg and company have used Season 1 to work out what works and what doesn't, and as a result, like most shows that learn this lesson, Season 2 is a bona-fide improvement. The same odd nature of the show is still there and it still feels recognisably Preacher, but it seems to have changed for the better. If you were put off by Season 1 then you may find Season 2 more your thing.
That said though, this episode wasn't the most fast paced Preacher has ever been. It did spend some time devoted to the Tulip and Jesse relationship, which took several interesting turns this week. I liked how when Tulip finally broke and wanted Jesse to use Genesis against the Saint of Killers, it was the one time that it didn't work. There's still that ever-ongoing battle between the two playing out here, and it's really interesting to see it watch unfold. The deeply human moments help show why Cooper and Negga are just amazing actors - Negga really stole the scene particularly with her reactions to Tulip finally learning of Annville's fate (I am kind of disappointed though that they didn't keep up the gag of them just missing out for more than one episode), after all, she's the only one who has family there so therefore it was expected. And on a turning point from one of her more weaker, emotional moments, we also got to see her unleash plenty of buttkicking against Gary the Hitman (Michael Beasley). This fight scene was rough and uneven, and really worked in the context of the episode. Yes, it was over the top, but then again, what do you expect? This is Preacher, and OTT is kind of its thing.
Jesse's portrayal too, is certainly an interesting one. He's more cocky and more careless with his power which creates a clear collision with Tulip's reluctance to use it. In the opening scene he doesn't seem that invested in the fate of a Truck Driver who has just driven across the path of a bullet from the Saint of Killers to inadvertently save his life, but it's good to see that his character is slowly transforming. Cooper of course is a good actor who can show character emotions well, and his chemistry with Tulip of course is excellent as ever. These three actors - Cooper, Negga and Joseph Gilgun, all work really well together and it's now, just over a season in, incredibly hard to imagine any actor playing these characters any differently. They've certainly done a fantastic job in the casting department, and it is paying off really well. These three characters actually feel like friends, rather than just actors on a television show. Their friendship feels real and genuine, and the road trip feel of the show really helps. At the end of the day, it's essentially just another road trip story.
It was fantastic to see what had become of Tom Brooke's Fiore following the events of Season 1, where Fiore was one part of the two Adelphi Angels tasked with reclaiming Genesis (the other being Anatol Yusef's DeBlanc). Whilst DeBlanc isn't around anymore Fiore is dealing with the consequences of having to live on Earth and uses his ability to come back from death to impress and wow the crowd as a magician, allowing him to pull off some increasingly audacious acts. He does't know where God is either leaving Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy at a loss for answers, and is especially unwilling to help them. Fiore's portrayal, particularly the ending where he finally gets some peace after Jesse calls The Saint of Killers on him by using Genesis almost feels tragic. Nobody knows he's actually dead this time, they're just wanting him to step back out from the curtains and perform another act. Brooke played this off so well here it almost hurts to see Fiore go so quickly, but Fiore's death has paved way for The Saint of Killers to take centre stage, and his character arc was handled so well this feels like the perfect end. It's only a matter of time before he catches up with Jesse again, and New Orleans seems like the perfect setting to do so.
This actually got me thinking what a Preacher and The Originals Crossover episode would look like (for those who don't know, The Originals also makes New Orleans its home). It would never happen, but can you imagine Cassidy interacting with The Mikaelsons? How much potential there would be in a Hayley (or Rebecca) and Tulip conversation? If there's not already fanfic written about this, there needs to be.
What did you think of Mumbai Sky Tower? Let me know in the comments section below and be sure to check out the next episode of Preacher tonight at 9pm on AMC.
