Preacher’s second episode “Mumbai Sky Tower” was an aesthetically astounding feat that bid farewell to a beloved character in another heightened hour of absurdity.
We open precisely where we left off in “On the Road” with a confrontation, a bullet, and the splatter of brains. The Saint of Killers has once again found Jesse and gang leaving a mayhem of casualties behind. As the chaos ensues, Tulip and Jesse finally discover what has become of their hometown.
By having news of Annville’s explosion play frequently unnoticed in the background last episode, Preacher set up this quiet moment between Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy beautifully. The exchange never seems overly sentimental as it’s balanced with the dark humor notable in Preacher. While the gang fixates on the screen, the Saint of Killers remains an unstoppable force outside raining down a barrage of hellfire that shatters the television.
They escape out through a window leaving a quarter-craving, one-armed man asking the Saint of Killers for change. He brutally executes the man in a slapstick fashion and bellows at Tulip’s tail lights.
At the gas station, Cassidy channels his inner movie critic by praising The Terminator (a rationale for the cowboy) before remembering The Amazing Ganesh’s commercial. Ganesh is revealed to be Fiore (Tom Brooke), Genesis’ angel guardian from last season who coincidently hired the Saint of Killers. We flash back to “a couple of days ago” where Fiore is in familiar setting Breaking Bad fans will remember from the season 1 finale and “Ozymandias” (below).
A macabre musical number of his many suicide attempts (set to a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” by the Baby Boomers) exhibits Preacher’s strongest quality by expertly balancing comedy and drama. Jesse and Cassidy sit down with Fiore and the information flies as fast as the Saint of Killer’s bullets. Jesse and Cassidy discover why and more importantly, how, the deadly cowboy has been tracking then.
Tom Brooke’s performance is impeccable as Fiore is literally in the spotlight for most of the episode. He channels the disgust the angel has for Preacher and the sorrow he feels for DeBlanc’s ghastly demise expertly. He even gets to cut loose from his existential crisis with Cassidy in a gleeful, drug-fueled parade throughout Ganesh’s hotel room showing off his colorful side. The scene was hilarious, heart rendering, and informative as we saw the pain from DeBlanc’s death and the ignorance of the deceased angel’s afterlife (a nice, human twist).
Ruth Negga shines bright as well by showcasing both Tulip’s empathetic side to Jesse (as they reminisce the people Annville) as well the hard-hitting badass when she defends herself and kills a man triple her size with the wedding pager (serving up some excellent bloody symbolism). What I’ve come to really admire from Preacher is the organic nature they present romance and relationships. Tulip and Jesse, Fiore and DeBlanc, even Tulip and Cassidy, never felt forced in any way that would betray the character’s origins.
This is profoundly present in the marriage storyline with Jesse and Tulip as her instant reaction to his half ass, half naked proposal is an ample smack in the face. She also notes his constant hatred of marriage to which he only smirks. In this, it’s as evident to them as it is to the audience that they don’t need marriage to keep what they have alive.
Fiore commands the Saint of Killers to eliminate Genesis and sends him to New Orleans after Jesse. Before he leaves, Fiore asks the Saint to help him find peace (as per Preacher) and be reunited with DeBlanc. Much to the crowd’s disappointment, Ganesh’s final show did not end with his signature trick.
The journey continues next week in New Orleans and with a peak at what Eugene (Ian Colletti) has been up to in Hell! Preacher airs Monday July 3 with episode 3, “Damsels,” at 9 p.m.