- Title: Preacher – Angelville
- wiki: link
Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) returns home in a season premiere that doesn’t feature, or even mention Genesis (and what Jesse can do with it). Instead “Angelville” is mainly concerned with Jesse’s return home, the introduction of his witchy grandmother (Betty Buckley) and creepy extended family, and the resurrection of his girlfriend. Even from the limited flashbacks we get here, and Jesse’s current interactions with his family, it’s obvious he had good reason to leave Angelville. There will be a cost for Tulip‘s (Ruth Negga) life, but just what might that be (and can Jesse find a way to weasel out of it)? It’s a creepy and stylish season opener that spends the entire episode on a single plot point (raising my concerns once again about the show dragging out storylines more than necessary). Suggesting that Jesse and company may be forced to stay in Angelville for more episodes leaves me a bit cold as well since the last season began to stall once the road trip halted for too long in New Orleans.
After seeing Hell in the last season, “Angelville” introduces the idea of Purgatory as a temporary plain for souls before the move on. Tulip’s reality features memories from her childhood, again keeping with the family theme of the main story, in a minimalistic setting with a sitcom laugh track that appears to have been thrown together on the cheap. Her experience also offers the return of dog god, who may or may not have the preacher’s best interest at heart (I guess we’ll just have to wait and see as I’m assuming the main plot of the series should get going again… soon?). The episode is also notable for beginning to play up the Jesse/Tulip/Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) love triangle, although I think she could do better that either of the choices she’s been presented with.