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 2.07!
Vietnam
Vietnam DOES appear within the pages of the Preacher comics, just not in the modern-day “flying pig” context of the TV show here. We see Vietnam in a few issues detailing the early life of Jesse’s father, John Custer, fighting in the army during the Vietnam war. It would have been a little nice to see some sort of nod to that, maybe a famous lighter that John Wayne handed out to soldiers that someone was using, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Herr Starr
Herr Starr is the overarching villain of the entire Preacher comic series so seeing him not only finally fully here on the show, and with a lot of screen time in this one episode, is very exciting. Some changes or alterations to the character are already seen though, such as his full name reveal. Referred to as “Klauss Helmut Starr,” the character’s full name was never actually mentioned in the source material. His training is also an invention for the series, though it is entriely in keeping with the spirit of the character in regard to his love for pain and how boring he finds “normal” things (including the types of things that would horrify normal people).
Another change is in his family background, where the show notes that he was orphaned, Herr Starr still had a father in the comics. Starr having an absent father figures into his origins as a ruthless killing machien too, and also in how he got his trademark scar over his right eye.
There are a few elements that are ripped directly from the series however, namely the first scene about his recruitment which notes his counter-terrorism background and the dialogue is nearly the same with some minor changes, though his line of “being a Christian” is close enough to the comic. Finally, when he gets assigned to the “Samson Unit” for dealing with false prophets, that’s plucked right from the books.
The Gun Trick
This quick scam by Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy isn’t from the books but is a clever little thing for them to do in an episode that’s not really about them.
Denis wants to turn
We learned last week that Denis is actually Cassidy’s son, and we find out now that he’s dying from heart disease and wants his dear old dad to turn him into a vampire too. Cassidy refuses in a “I’m letting you hate me because I love you” turn that is very in keeping with the character.
Tulip’s dream
Tulip’s recurring dream about getting killed by the Saint isn’t from the series either but is played off in an interesting way for the show.
The Messiah
Honestly I can’t believe that halfway into season 2 of Preacher I’m already getting to write about this character, but the seed was planted. We learn here The Grail’s master plan: before Jesus died, he fathered a child, and that bloodline has been preserved for generations so that the heir will one day lead the world as the actual descendent of Christ. There’s a catch however that we’re not seeing here, “The Messiah” is an inbred and mentally handicapped but cheerful individual. Who knows if we will actually see him this season on the series, and what the headlines will be like if we do, but the show is already preparing for his arrival.
Stephen Hawking
At least, I’m guessing Stephen Hawking, gets the biggest laugh of the season with his closing “Well, then, shut up.” And no, Stephen Hawking is not in the comics.
You can watch previews for next week’s episode below!
