WiC Watches: Preacher season 4

Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy – Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Episode 410: “The End of the World”

Well folks, we made it. Preacher has aired its final episode, aptly titled “The End of the World.” And while the episode still has some of the flaws that have cropped up this season, it does manage to wrap things up in a mostly satisfying way. So one last time, let’s take a stroll through always original, if not always neat and tidy, world of Preacher.

On the surface, Preacher may look like a dark, slap-stick comedy, but underneath, the show has always been about well-written characters, first among them Joseph Gilgun’s Cassidy. For me, Gilgun has been the series’ MVP since the moment he stepped on screen. We’ve unwrapped layer after layer off this drunken Irish vampire, with Gilgun taking us on a journey from party animal care-for-nothing Cassidy to a tired and emotionally broken man ready for the end.

Graham McTavish as The Saint of Killers, David Field as Archangel, Sue Ellen Shook as The Demon Woman – Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Sarah Enticknap/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Last week we saw Cassidy ally himself with God for the chance at a do-over at life. That alliance is tested when Tulip arrives to kill Humperdoo, and therefore forestall the apocalypse. Tulip and Cassidy’s conversation about their never-meant-to-be romance is heart-breaking. Even when Cassidy threatens to kill Tulip, it’s hard to be too mad after how Cassidy after he’s been cast aside by both his best friend and the woman he loves. The two duke it out before we arrive at the episode’s big twist.

Generally speaking, when the world is on the line, heroic types will refuse to sacrifice one person even if it means annihilation, but Preacher has never played by the rules. Here, poor Humperdoo is executed by Cassidy to save the world. Most of the season was about our heroes struggling with this decision, and in the end they actually had to make it, sans an overly convoluted attempt to both save Humperdoo and the world. The poor nitwit takes a round to the chest and the world is saved.

Pip Torrens as Herr Starr – Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

While all this is going down, Jesse and Genesis’ unnamed angel and demon parents square off with the Saint, Hitler and Jesus come to blows, and Featherstone confronts Herr Starr. Of the three, Hitler and Jesus’ throwdown is the most entertaining, but it’s also the least consequential. Starr gets the drop on Featherstone and executes her, while Jesse somehow manages to defeat the Saint…somehow. More on that later.

With Humperdoo dead, the apocalypse is officially cancelled, and our heroes go on to live their best lives. Cassidy ends up a peyote festival with Woody Harrelson, and Jesse and Tulip settle down to run a needlessly violent auto body shop back in Texas, where they raise their new daughter. God seemingly is left off the hook, until Jesse locates him at the Alamo in San Antonio, leading to the final confrontation.

Mark Harelik as God – Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

We’ve always wondered why God needed the Grail to carry out the extinction of mankind, and finally we have our answer. God wants mankind to kill itself so he has something to enjoy after we rejected him. God does make one final attempt to get mankind — personified by Jesse — to love him. God’s anger at Jesse’s rejection really drives it home how much we hate this “needy little bitch” as Jesse calls him. (I would like to make it clear to the Almighty that was a quote, please don’t strike me down).

Unlike Herr Starr, who escapes to Florida, God isn’t let off the hook so easily. It appears that way at first after Jesse releases Genesis rather than use it on God, but when God returns to Heaven, the Saint is waiting for him. And thus one of the more interesting villains meets his end. From his Dalmatian BDSM suit to his emotional neediness, God was never boring, and it was good to get some answers before he went.

Which brings us to our final scene, where Cassidy and who we initially believe to be Tulip stand at Jesse’s grave 40 years later. We learn that Tulip has died too, presumably of old age, and that Cass is actually speaking with Jesse and Tulip’s daughter, who runs a hedge fund, of all things. Gilgun steals the scene as always, and him saying that he hopes to see Tulip’s daughter again someday before he heads off to “somewhere new” is achingly painful. He then walks out into the sun, presumably to his death.

Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare, Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy – Preacher _ Season 4, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Lachlan Moore/AMC/Sony Pictures Television

Despite how unfavorably religion and God are depicted on this series, it’s nice to see a character like Cassidy still holding out hope for an afterlife, potentially even more that will include reunions with loved ones. As I said at the top, Preacher, like Cassidy, attempted to hide its heart under a pile of black comedy, but it was there all the while. The final season might have been a meandering mess at times, but in the end, it came to a mostly satisfying end, and despite all the odds, seemingly maintained a message of faith and hope. And strap-on fist dildos.

We might not see another series like Preacher anytime soon, and that’s okay, but hopefully its stars, especially Gilgun, are just getting started.

Final Thoughts:

• Jesus’ refusal to be God’s Messiah is a nice touch, as is his eventual fate to work the customer service desk at some Home Depot knock off. I also loved Jesus quickly covering Hitler’s body with a sheet when God stops in.
• God waiting for an elevator is all kinds of absurd.
• Eugene’s story went nowhere. Sure, he became some sort of punk rock icon, but really, he was a wasted character after the show didn’t follow up on his shooting Jesse.
• The Saint sitting on the Throne of Heaven was a nice nod to the comics.
• Starr not facing any judgement was a good choice, although spending that much time playing golf feels like a punishment to me.
• Now it’s back to watching The Walking Dead. Hooray?

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