Preacher 2.07 Holes - Review:
Directed by Maja Vrvilo & Written by Mark Stegemann
After the action packed, fast paced tone of the previous episodes it's understandable that Holes took a slower turn this week even if it was somewhat frustrating to see that the momentum has stalled again. But this was an overall more effective episode than the last time that the show slowed down, with the series taking its time to explore the characters of Jesse, Cassidy and Tulip as they all pursued their various activities in New Orleans. And all the while, Eugene's worst fears are slowly being twisted, so he's starting to believe out of all of the people... it's Jesse who is to blame.
It was interesting to note that he hadn't actually become a vampire in 1946 despite looking the same when he had Denis, judging by his ability to walk in the sun, and this look into the past, even a brief one, really help flesh him out as a character beyond just someone who has a crush on Tulip. The show, don't tell approach is utilised here to great effect as well in that we don't actually see what happened between Denis and Cassidy to break down their relationship, or Cassidy's transformation, but there are hints dropped here and there. Even if these hints are explored in more flashbacks in the future, something that I'm not completely against, this direction really emphasised that Cassidy's emotion-heavy story was pretty much the best part of this week's outing.
Jesse's storyline was the third of the main three threads this week with Tulip's side story not getting as much attention. His quest for God is slowing down, and maybe, like the slower paced episodes, is an intentional choice by the writers, but on the whole it works for the most part as it helps the audience get inside Jesse's head and understand why he's so frustrated about not finding God anytime soon, we want Jesse to find him as much as Jesse does himself. But the New Orleans setting is kind of wearing thin at this point and the show is at its best when it is on the road, and hopefully the series progresses forward in the near future to fresher locations as the city hasn't quite been utilised as well as it could have been so far, feeling like the same storyline could take place exactly the same way if it had been set in places like New York or Chicago. We didn't necessarily have to go to New Orleans, but now that we're there, I'm hoping the show gives us a good reason to stay there.
It's also worth mentioning again that even though Tulip is still dealing with the PTSD effects of the Saint of Killers incident, it's a mostly effective way of exploring her character and how she's affected by it in the long run. This is in part helped by the fantastic acting from Ruth Negga who really deserves a lot more attention for this show, especially as she is an Oscar-nominated actress now for her role in Loving (go check that out if you haven't already seen it, it's powerful stuff anchored by her terrific performance), and I feel like if more people were watching this her name would be floated around as a Dark Horse for an Emmy nomination. Week after week she excels as the character, and even though the storyline does feel a tad repetitive at times, it's thanks to her character that this storyline feels watchable and engaging.
On the whole, Holes was a flawed but promising episode of Preacher that dug into the characters and fleshed them out a bit. It still needs a bit of work but the show has displayed in the past that it is capable of bringing greatness to the table, and I'm still really excited to see where the Hunt for God goes now.
What did you think of Holes? Let me know in the comments section below and check out the next episode of Preacher at 9pm this Monday on AMC.
