Martin Carr reviews the sixth episode of Preacher…
If you wanted an opening ten minutes from left field then ‘Sundowner’ supplies it in spades, body parts and screaming slapstick decapitation. Scrawny Irish kick ass action combines with female abuse, literal heavenly intervention and more wheedling of an axe than most shows have a right to advertise. In short it blows your hair back, sets you up for another slice of mayhem and reminds the non-believer what Preacher is all about.
After that the team who emerge are filled with selfish self-interest, gifts of a celestial nature and more kick arse wagon circling potential than numerous pay-per-view evangelical holy men. That these biblically challenged stooges are the only thing standing between the almighty and hell on earth is a touch concerning. That Jesse is now aware of the thing he carries within him and what that could do, also offers up an interesting conundrum.
People have said that Preacher is losing its edge and I have personally seen a few three star reviews bouncing around our internet. There may be elements of truth in what is being said, but the fact remains that Preacher has turned the tide for adaptations of this nature. Sure there are flaws but that was going to happen, because let’s be honest pleasing everyone is an impossible business. But that being said, every episode has had an element of surprise and considering AMC have already greenlit season two Goldberg, Rogen and Catlin have done well.
That many have tried and failed to crack this particular nut says much for the times we currently live in. Streaming is the new rental, television the new multiplex, which leaves cinema as a costly alternative for those of a more upwardly mobile disposition. By which of course I mean those prepared to get off their backsides and support a film industry. For the moment then we have censorship free service willing to fund contentious and challenging source material, appealing to those with a more liberal sensibility. Preacher represents a step in that direction where the topics under discussion are less comfortable ones, only possible because advertising sponsors no longer have a say.
As Annville drifts further towards the fiery pits of hell and Jesse saddles up that ungodly nag to ride into oblivion, we can sit back and enjoy it as their world edges closer to Armageddon. Let’s be honest if your blood sucking, sun block soaked, eye teeth sporting confidante is advising you against it things have to be getting bad. I mean I’m no betting man but even I’d cash in my chips under those circumstances. On the other hand never has watching something go so wrong felt so right.
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 12, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
