Preacher Feature is a weekly analysis of the AMC show Preacher based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In this column, we will give a breakdown of the events from the previous night’s show, including how they relate to the comics, and speculate as to what’s going on and what might be coming up. This is to say that there will be spoilers, both actual and potential. If you have not yet watched the episode in question or are watching the show without reading the comics and don’t want to have any foreknowledge of what might happen to Jesse and company, then you would do well to stop reading this now.
Looking to get caught up? Here’s a link to last week’s article.
The Three-Fathom Grave
“Backdoors” begins with a flashback to Jesse’s childhood that the show has been alluding to all season. When young Jesse misbehaved, his grandmother had him locked in a coffin and sunk in the swamp for days at a time.
As we saw in “Sokosha“, Jesse, unwilling to send to Hell the part of his own soul that he gave the Saint of Killers, instead locked the Saint in an armored truck and sank the truck to the bottom of that same swamp. He lied to Tulip, saying that he sent the Saint to Hell, and when she discovered the Saint’s guns (thanks to Featherstone), she was understandably pissed. She was even more pissed when they had the armored car dredged up and found out that the Saint was no longer inside.
Between lying to them, almost getting them killed, and teasing them with the idea of a vacation (“Bimini, bitches!”), Jesse’s relationships with Tulip and Cassidy are reaching a breaking point.
As the three of them argue, Denis’s dog won’t stop barking and that’s when Jesse puts the puzzle pieces together: God was the man in the dog suit from “Damsels” the whole time.
Jesse heads to the Grail to get help tracking God, but Starr has a different plan for Jesse: Become the Messiah. Jesse refuses, but on his way out, a troubling thing happens: the first time he orders a Grail agent to let him out, Genesis doesn’t work.
One of These Things is Not Like the Others
Back in Hell, the heat is on. The search for the resident that doesn’t belong is intensifying, and Eugene is worried that when they find the suspect, rather than letting them out as promised, Hell’s leadership will make it worse for them. His source for this info? None other than Adolph Hitler.
Hitler, a former custodian in Hell, has a plan to help Eugene escape through a backdoor. When Eugene is taken away for testing, Hitler organizes a distraction with the other hellions to keep the guards occupied while he and Eugene sneak out through “The Hole”.
Parting Shots
Unable to destroy the Saint’s weapons, Tulip settles for mailing them to Rio.
As the episode draws to a close, Hoover unleashes the Saint and tells him to “Do what he does”, then runs the hell away.
Easter Eggs/Connections to the Comics
The flashback shows Jesse’s “family” from Angelville: Grandma Marie L’Angell, Jody, and TC.
Questions/Theories
When will Jesse confront his past? The whole season seems to be leading towards a reunion of Jesse and the villains of Angelville. Will it be in the last two episodes of this season, or are they setting up the bad guys for next season?
What happened that caused The Word to fail Jesse when he tried to use it on the Grail receptionist?
Best Line
“Because I’m…Adolph fucking Hitler!” – guess who
With only two episodes left this season, what do you think is in store for Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy? Let us know in the comments.
