The Plot

After his stunt with Quincannon, Jesse is Annville’s newest rock star. Tulip and Cassidy connect, and The Cowboy makes a tragic decision

The Good

Preacher officially hits the halfway mark for it’s first season in this fifth episode (entitled South Will Rise Again) and, while there’s still a fair bit to go, writer Craig Rosenberg manages to bring a few highlights.

The first of which comes in it’s nearly 10 minute long cold open. Back again in 1881, we see the tragic outcome of his wife and daughter as he returns home too late to save them, finding crows pecking at their bodies. The character of The Cowboy is still very much an enigma at this point, with this being only the second episode in which he has made an appearance. The question of how his story works into the main body of the show still looms over viewers who aren’t familiar with the comic book like this reviewer. It won’t be surprising to see him get even more screen time in the remaining 5 episodes.

Meanwhile in the present day, Jesse is starting to use his powers much more after his success with Quincannon creates a following. Though he seems to be a bit more wary with his words with no more suggestions to ‘open your heart’. Managing to give out more sage advice such as ‘be patient’. He even gets to help out Eugene who’s father is becoming more and more frustrated with him after suggesting he ‘finish the job’ of the suicide attempt that left him so uniquely deformed.

Another of the highlight’s comes from Tulip who, after discovering last week that Cassidy is a vampire, manages to ask all the right questions. Thanks to her we now know that he has no fangs, doesn’t turn into a bat or sleep in a coffin and, thanks to the invention of sunscreen, is able to handle sunlight a bit better, though it’ll still kill him.

The Bad

Unfortunately the mystery surrounding Jesse’s power is still taking it’s time to be fully revealed. With Fiore and DeBlanc hiding from the ringing telephone, trying to practice the inevitable conversation in the motel bathroom, last week’s cliffhanger is not paid off in the most interesting way. While we do finally get to see the two angels sit down and discuss Jesse’s predicament to the man himself, there’s still very little information gained from the scene which becomes a disappointment. Telling Jesse that what is inside him isn’t God shouldn’t have taken five episodes to get to, considering that it was pretty clear from the start.

The Ugly Truth

If anything, episode 5 gives more intrigue to The Cowboy’s storyline which is impressive after only two short and far between scenes with him. Now we’re at the halfway point, the next half really does need to speed things up and give just that bit more to keep the audience coming back.

Review by Johnny Ellis