Preacher Ep. 104 – The South Will Rise Again
After an uneven start AMC’s Preacher is beginning to find it’s footing. Sunday’s episode, The South Will Rise Again, was a solid addition to the Preacher narrative, featuring strong performances and interesting character development. As is the custom with some of the previous episodes, things begin with a flashback featuring the Cowboy.
At the conclusion of a long, hot ride the Cowboy rolls into Ratwater with a request that he’d like expedited. Things don’t go as planned however and he’s forced to stay in town overnight. While there he’s privy to all of the outrageous debauchery Ratwater has to offer. After getting what he initially came to town for and making his way back home, the Cowboy crosses paths with a family on their way into Ratwater. Fearful of what may become of them, he makes a fateful decision to turn around and heads back towards what appears to be hell on Earth. The Cowboy’s choice, while noble, sets off a chain reaction of events that prove to be disastrous on several accounts and the prologue’s theme reverberates throughout the remainder of the episode.
A wise writer once penned the phrase, “…with great power comes great responsibility” and another sage shared this pearl of wisdom, “be careful what you wish for”. Those two profound statements figure heavily in The South Will Rise Again particularly where Jesse is concerned. Jesse’s wielding of the Genesis and his manipulation of Quincannon are two examples. Jesse’s new found celebrity after the previous Sunday’s sermon has Emily worried. She begins to see Jesse’s behavior as out of character and his interaction with Quincannon even more out of the ordinary.
Cassidy and Tulip get to know each other a little better when she quizzes him on the truth behind his miraculous powers of recovery. Their opening scene together has great chemistry and features some intriguing insight into one of the main players on the show.
The South Will Rise Again is chalk full of great character development for many of the principals and supporting characters. Whether it’s Donnie coming to grips with his multiple defeats, his wife’s unusual motivational tactics, or Fiore and Deblanc’s dry runs on how to answer the phone, the episode hopped back and forth across several characters and seamlessly intertwined their narratives while shedding some light on what makes them all tick.
Although Jesse has little screen time in the first part of the episode his presence is felt in almost every scene. His effect on others, whether through the Genesis or what they want from him dominates most of the episode. Jesse’s powers and his use of them raises an interesting question and harkens back to events at the start of the series. While Jesse is able to persuade or command people to do things, does this change their moral compass or even compel them to do the right thing? We’ve already seen that Jesse’s powers of persuasion can have unintended consequences. In the series pilot, Ted went to visit his mother in a retirement home and literally gave his heart to her. That gruesome outcome certainly wasn’t what Jesse intended.
There’s a lot that Jesse has to learn about his powers including their level of benevolence. He’s responsible for the good and the bad outcomes related to his “suggestions”. At the moment, Jesse is riding high, enamored by the power he now wields. However, he’s not too far from being kicked off his horse, much like the Cowboy at the beginning of the episode, and the ravens are beginning to circle overhead.
