When it was announced that Seth Rogen and Evan Golberg would be developing the hit Vertigo series Preacher for AMC many of us took this news with a grain of salt. While the series always featured comedic elements it was a far cry from the types of movies associated with these two names. It had also only been a few years since the Seth Rogen starring/produced Green Hornet film turned a beloved pulp hero into a narcissistic jackass. I for one kind of hoped this news would disappear, quickly forgotten by everyone. Then casting announcements piqued my interest, as well as AMC’s track record with comics-to-screen properties and the fact that series creators Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon would have Executive Producer credits. It turns out that I had nothing to worry about, and season one, while not perfect, hit many of the right notes.
And now we have season two continuing the absurdly twisted, genre-bending thrill ride with more action, more blood, more humor, more bizarre characters, and more of everything that made the first season great.
Preacher season two picks up where last season left West Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), his badass ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga), and hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun); out on the road searching for God after He’s left Heaven. As well as reintroducing Stephen Root, aka Arseface, as he rots in Hell, this season also introduces us to Cassidy’s dying son, the shadowy religious organization the Grail and its enigmatic leader Herr Starr (Pip Torrens), Jesus’ 25th great-grandson Humperdoo, and the unstoppable, murderous cowboy the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish). Oh, did I mention Hitler? Yep. He’s here too.
This season is wilder, funnier, more tense, and even more over-the-top as our intrepid crew sets out on a crazy road trip across country bringing them to New Orleans where they renew their search for God in the city’s famous jazz clubs, while dodging men in white suits, and trying to stay alive. The stakes have never been higher as Jesse isn’t the only one looking for God. Unlikely team-ups will be necessary on all sides as nothing is as it seems in New Orleans, or Hell.
The entire cast gleefully inhabits their characters with reckless abandon again, with Gilgun as the hard partying bloodsucker especially attacking his performance with his signature mixture of snark and pathos. But man, those newcomers. McTavish is unyielding as the unstoppable killing machine the Saint of Killers, yet almost derives sympathy as a father and husband whose family was brutally taken too soon. Torrens is whimsically disturbing as the crazed zealot Herr Starr, a character with few morals and fewer loyalties. He has one mission, and will accomplish his aims no matter the cost, and Torrens embraces the role. This is a cast that loves the material, and is having a blast with the absurdity of it all.
The entire cast and crew does Ennis and Dillon’s bat-shit oddysey justice, bringing the hilariously bizarre story screaming onto the small screen the only way they could without all of the bits that would give the ratings board a collective heart attack. Rogen and Goldberg, and everyone involved should be proud of themselves. Well, maybe not proud (I mean, this shit is wrong on so many levels), but pleased for sure.
Preacher season two contains all thirteen high-octane episodes along with a hilarious gag reel and a featurette, Raising the Stakes: Action on Set, where we follow along with the cast and crew behind the scenes.
Preacher season two is out on Blu-Ray and DVD today, November 14th.
Preacher Season Two
- Over All
Summary
Preacher season two is wilder, more absurd, more over-the-top, and packed with more humor, action, and gore than ever before.
