Welcome back brothers and sisters to our weekly feature, the Preacher Book Club, where we talk about the latest episode of AMC‘s Preacher, dissecting the episode at hand, annotating the changes made from the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon comic book series and attempting to predict about what will be coming next. So let’s dive right into our thoughts and annotations on Preacher Episode 2.02!
Annville’s gone
It’s true, and our heroes finally learn the news that we’ve all known for over a year. Tulip is the only one that actually cares too, since her Uncle Walter was her only family and seemed to keep her grounded in the real world. This isn’t completely out of the realm of the comic, though Walter is not from the source material, but Tulip’s father did die when she was young in the source material and she had no other family.
It’s also worth noting that Annville as a whole town doesn’t explode in the comics, just Jesse’s church (and everyone in it) when he is first possessed by Genesis. It is further worth pointing out that the news regarding the explosion doesn’t fully rule out any survivors, meaning the likes of Odin Quincannon, Sheriff Hugo Root, or Emily Woodrow could return. If they will, however, remains to be seen.
Mighty Ganesh and the Mumbai Skytower
As predicted, Fiore is a magician at a casino but we couldn’t have guessed his trick: He kills himself on stage and comes back, mystifying the audience. It’s a very Preacher-like addition, but is also not TOO far off from where the character finds himself in the comics. After the abandonment of God and the failing of finding Genesis, both Fiore and DeBlanc remained on Earth where they developed a taste for the pleasures of the flesh, namely sex and drugs, while living in (you guessed it) a casino. We see Fiore take part in both of these during his montage, which is a fun visual treat.
“Let’s get married”
Jesse never actually gets to ask Tulip to marry him in the comic, but it’s something he wants to do. In fact, he planned on doing it when the pair were younger, and before he was a Preacher, but his pesky family prevented him from ever being able toa sk.
Gary and Victor
No characters appear in the Preacher comics by these names, but it seems like they’re getting into Tulip’s backstory as a hitman. The reason the man who hired her would want her dead is that she chickened out and missed her target, at least that’s what happens in the pages of the source material. I assume that’s what they’re setting up here, and them being located in New Orleans is a change of pace too, as Tulip’s employer was in Phoenix.
Eugene
Oh, Eugene. Still in hell and still in Jesse’s mind. It’s interesting how the character’s path is completely different here. Instead of trapped in hell and tormenting Jesse from the depths, Eugene becomes a world sensation in the source material. Here’s hoping that can happen in the series too.
New Orleans
A fair chunk of the comics take place in New Orleans, as one of the central antagonists Eccarius (another vampire) is located there. There’s also the matter of a voodoo priest that the trio visit to find out more about Genesis, which if I were a betting man I would guess happens in the new season. There’s also Angelville, the home of Jesse’s mother’s family (who have already been teased yet again) which sits on the Texas/Lousiana border.
Parting thoughts: I really enjoyed this episode, even the diversions from the comic have a fresh spin on them that still feel tied to the source material. Bring on New Orleans!
Check out the previews for Episode 2.03 below!
