‘Preacher’ 1.2 “See”

‘Preacher’ Episode 1.2 “See” (8 out of 10) Created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Sam Catlin; Starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun & Ruth Negga; Sundays on AMC.

Even though the second episode of “Preacher” brought us a chainsaw murder right out of an “Evil Dead” film, writer Sam Catlin showed a surprising amount of restraint tonight. We got a few sneak peeks at Odin Quincannon (Jackie Earle Healey) and a cowboy (Graham McTavish) who may or may not end up becoming the Saint of Killers. These are two of the most terrifying characters in the history of comics, and I must say I’m impressed with the casting. Healey is perhaps best known as playing Rorschach in the film adaptation of “Watchmen,” and “Outlander” fans will recognize McTavish as Dougal MacKenzie. Let’s have a spoilery discussion, shall we?

Seeds of Evil

The inclusion of Quincannon and this mysterious cowboy in the televised adaptation means many things. While I doubt that the show will go into the horrific meat sex that Quincannon is known for (who knows, though), the few scenes involving Quincannon and his cronies have definitely set him up for something sinister in the show’s future. It was a surprise to see an actor like Jackie Earle Healey just pop up—it took me a few moments before I could tell it was him. Casting him as Quincannon is brilliant, and I’m looking forward to whatever nightmares he has in store for our heroes.

It was a surprise to see an actor like Jackie Earle Healey just pop up.

The inclusion of a surly cowboy circa 1881 might cause those who aren’t familiar with the comics to scratch their heads, but for those who know the name Saint of Killers, it’s not too hard to predict this guy’s role in the show. Catching a brief glimpse of his face, you’ll see the angry, bearded mug of Graham McTavish, who happens to play my favorite Scottish warchief from Ronald D. Moore’s adaptation of “Outlander.” Another great casting choice for the second of these two new threats to Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) and his do-goodery.

Friends Like These

Both Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) continued to steal the show tonight. Tulip is still trying to bring out Jesse’s dark side—after Jesse baptizes her as a member of his congregation, she replies, “Thanks for gettin’ me all wet.” Classic. We didn’t get much more about her storyline tonight, however. We know she’s got a map that leads somewhere awesome, it’s somewhere that she doesn’t want to go without Jesse, and that’s about it. I’m hoping we get a little closer to this next week, though one must admire Jesse for his ability to resist Tulip’s charms so far.

“Thanks for gettin’ me all wet.”

Cassidy was once again the solo act for the episode’s most violent moment—ripping apart the two blokes that are after Jesse with a chainsaw, to be exact—but he also owns the night’s best comedic moments. I could watch him and Jesse drink and complain about the local populace all night, even though he thinks “The Big Lebowski” is overrated.

Verdict

Thanks to Catlin’s tight script, tonight’s episode had a very “Breaking Bad” feel to it. The small droplets of Quincannon and the cowboy were chock full of impending doom, and watching Jesse start to understand his newly received powers is a great entry point for the audience, since we’re all trying to figure it out along with him. I’m intrigued by the two dudes that are after Custer—especially after the last scene of tonight’s episode—they’re extremely creepy, and their quiet zealotry makes the sudden appearance of a chainsaw in the middle of a church seem like a natural progression of their characters. So far, the show is building a tone that is somewhere between “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Dead Alive,” which is something that I will always be able to support.