‘Preacher’ Episode 1.1 “Pilot” (8.5 out of 10) Created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Sam Catlin; Starring Dominic Cooper, Joseph Gilgun & Ruth Negga; Sundays on AMC.
Anyone familiar with “Preacher’s” imaginatively demented source material had many reasons to be skeptical about a televised adaptation for basic cable. Written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Steve Dillon, the “Preacher” comics delve into territory that can shake even the most thick-skinned of readers. The premise involves a disenfranchised priest named Jesse Custer who, upon being possessed by a being that allows him to use God’s power to control the will of others, decides to pack it up and hit the road to find the Almighty and hold him accountable for ditching mankind. Along the way, he gets help from his tumultuous ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare, a hard-drinking, nihilistic vampire named Cassidy, and a teen whose failed suicide attempt indirectly resulted in a successful career as a metal singer—folks just call him Arseface. When news that comedy screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were teaming up with “Breaking Bad” writer/producer Sam Catlin to bring this twisted tale to AMC started buzzing around online, I was intrigued to see what they came up with. I had my doubts, but, based on the pilot, we just might have something special on our hands.
Spoilers ahead!
Don’t Mess With Texas
Within five minutes of screen time, “Preacher” firmly establishes itself as a true exercise in “WTF just happened?” Opening with a scene that depicts outer space as interpreted by Ed Wood, we see a wailing ball of light plunge itself into an African priest in the middle of his sermon, causing him to promptly explode all over his congregation. Kicking off a pilot with an exploding clergyman feels like the showrunners have thrown down a gauntlet, daring us to keep watching. The frenetic introductions to Tulip (Ruth Negga) and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) double down on that dare—we find ourselves hopelessly attached to these two violent, yet undeniably charming characters. Negga, who fans of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will recognize as Raina the Inhuman, pretty much steals the show. Whether she’s holding her own in a knife fight that takes place in the back of a moving vehicle or showing farm kids how to make a homemade bazooka, Negga makes us fall in love with Tulip—from a safe distance, of course.
Negga makes us fall in love with Tulip–from a safe distance, of course.
Cassidy’s intro is equally visceral—he takes down a squad of vampire hunters aboard a private plane before throwing himself from the airborne vehicle like he’s Captain America. Gilgun’s got a great, crackpot screen presence and the thought of seeing him and Negga play off one another has me very excited.
Casting-wise, my biggest concern with “Preacher” was having Dominic Cooper play Jesse Custer. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy—he was great as Howard Stark in “Captain America: The First Avenger” and equally great as Willoughby in the BBC version of “Sense and Sensibility.” My initial reaction was that he was a bit too baby-faced to play Custer, who I always pictured as a younger Clint Eastwood. Once again, any doubts I had were obliterated as the show progressed. Cooper shows us glimmers of all the darkness, rage and frustration that is just itching to rise to the surface of Custer’s psyche, giving us a character that could give Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes a run for his money. On that note, why is it that British actors have such great Southern American accents?
Executing the Executions
The thought of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg helming a paranormal genre-bender like “Preacher” made it difficult to know what to expect. With films like “This is the End” in mind, I worried that the pair might veer too closely to something overly farcical, leaving out the grit and drama that made me give a crap about the story and characters. Once more, I was pleasantly surprised with the end result. Goldberg’s and Rogen’s comedic experience actually helped out with a story that, in the hands of a screenwriter like David S. Goyer, could have become a cynical, anti-religious slog. “Preacher” still maintains some dark storytelling elements, but not to the extent where we feel like they’re slapping us in the face for 90 minutes.
In the hands of a screenwriter like David S. Goyer, “Preacher” could have become a cynical, anti-religious slog.
On top of that, the pilot’s many fight scenes look to have taken a cue from Netflix’s “Daredevil” series. The audience is shoved right into the middle of every brawl, making each fight feel bruising and personal. In between the action, the show’s pacing does have some bumps along the way, but it feels like these are a result of setting up what appear to be the series’ multiple storylines—Arseface’s reconciliation with God, the mysterious duo investigating all of the exploding religious leaders, Tulip’s map, Cassidy’s vampire hunters and Jesse’s newfound ability to control the actions of others. It’s a lot to pack into one episode, but it makes me think that this was done in order to get right to the weird stuff, which I can support.
Verdict
Based on how systematically this adaptation addressed and destroyed my previous concerns, I can’t help but be impressed. As a huge fan of the comics, I felt like I was watching an adaptation that was created by people who love “Preacher” as much as I do. I’m sure it’ll get its share of nerd rage for making adjustments to the storyline, and it might be too weird for mainstream audiences to invest in to the extent that they have in “The Walking Dead” but thus far, it’s definitely the kind of show that we’ve come to expect from AMC. With the evolution of the comics-to-film medium, creators need to keep ahead of the curve—watching one-dimensional superhumans throw each other into buildings for an hour and a half just doesn’t cut it anymore. This is why “Preacher” succeeded as a comic book, and why I think it will succeed as a show. There’s nothing quite like this on TV right now, which makes it worth your time.