So if the title did not tip you off, this will be a mainly negative look at AMCs Preacher. Six episodes in, I can say that I have given it a fair shake and that I hate it, so if reading negativity is a thing that annoys you, probably best to move on.
So why would I watch something I hate? Well, it’s complicated I guess. First of all, I had to watch it to figure that out, and I do believe in giving things a fair chance. There’s also the fact that I wanted to love this show so badly, as a fan of Seth Rogen, I wanted his detractors to be proven wrong and as a fan of Garth Ennis, I wanted to see his work get the appreciation I think it deserves. Well, Rogen seems to have silenced his detractors, I don’t hear much complaining about the show and that makes me happy. Paradoxically though, I cant help but complain myself and am absolutely fascinated with how much each episode brings me farther and farther from what the story could have been.
My first cause for concern was when I saw the trailer and the images of Dominic Cooper as Jesse. I thought the tone was trying too hard, I thought his look was too cultivated. I got no feeling whatsoever that I was looking at Jesse Custer. Episode 6 was the nail in the coffin for me in physically believing Cooper (Who I loved in Agent Carter, Captain America and Warcraft!) as the beaten down hard drinking, never give up and bar clearing preacher.
Does this look like the man who is going to take on entire Grail SWAT teams and smoke a cigarette afterwards?
All in all though, I have to give credit where credit is due. The action scenes (barring Coopers discomfort with physicality) , are brilliant. They give me a flavor of Banshee but with the over the top craziness I expect from the Preacher universe.
Character wise, Jesse sucks too. What I have seen for six episodes is a man who deeply and truly believes that the right thing to do is to convince people that God is just swell, you guys. He sits in coffee shops and talks about his favorite gospel with teenagers, he hatches elaborate plans to get his Sunday attendance up. He really buys into the whole Christianity thing and that, good sir, is not my Jesse Custer. It makes his interactions with Arseface just tragic and depressing. I’m not sure there’s a non mean way to do Arseface, but this version doesn’t work for me.
But don’t worry we are told, this is more of a prequel. We are just setting the scene. Getting invested in the characters.
Nope, sorry. This is a ground up rewrite that changes fundamental core aspects of the characters and their history. That’s fine, in and of itself, the story wouldn’t translate very well directly from page to screen, but it still needs to be well executed. This isn’t.
A large part of my ire for the show comes from Joe Gilgun’s Cassidy. He is a fan favorite, so I’m willing to admit that my perspective may not be the best one to listen to, but the guy’s accent just isn’t good enough and every word he says grates on my ears. It’s a shame, because he looks great, his characterization is pretty good and he doesn’t lack charisma. I don’t blame Gilgun, whats he supposed to do? Turn down a major role? But if you are casting for an accent you don’t know well enough to know when its being badly done, maybe play it safe and cast someone who has it as a native accent? Anyway, I think Gilgun will improve and I’m rooting for him. He seems pretty dedicated. The problem is, the writing is letting Cassidy down too. Because we have been spinning our wheels in Anneville for six bloody weeks, there is less and less reason for him to be hanging out with a character like Jesse and actually holding down a job as a handyman. And even if we overlook that, why the bloody hell does he go to sermons and church events?
Tulip is the trifecta of fuck ups on this show and the cherry on top. Again, this is a performer I love seeing on screen and always get excited about but the writing just isn’t allowing her to be anything other than a gleeful psychopath, willing to murder a cop to get out of a legit speeding ticket while she was supposedly on a job. Bursting into peoples homes and breaking shit and kidnapping her ex to complain that he wont go murdering with her anymore. It’s bad writing and both Negga and her character deserve better.
Anyway, I wish I had a positive note to end on. The show is just a fascinating study in bad decisions and audience indulgence to me, but hopefully, having gotten this off my chest, I may be able to brush aside my complaints next week and enjoy the show for what it is rather than hate it for what it should have been.
