AMC’s Preacher season three episode three kicks off with Tulip (Ruth Negga) racing down the road, with the speedometer pegging 120 mph. She’s driving like a bat out of hell because she’s on a mission to take down The Grail. Unfortunately, by the time she arrives at their headquarters, the offices have been vacated. They left behind a box of business cards, a painting of Jesus, and not much else.
As she’s returning to Angelville in frustration, she encounters God and a woman on a motorcycle. After removing his dog head, it’s revealed God (Mark Harelik) looks exactly like Fake God. He thanks Tulip, telling her everything she’s screwed up was done because he commanded it. It’s her nature to mess up, so he expected her to ruin Jesse’s chance of retrieving his soul from Herr Starr. “Free will is a blessing and a curse. Do not despair, my child. Just know I am a loving God,” he advises Tulip.
As God’s about to take off on the motorcycle with his lady friend, Tulip questions him about his big design. He explains he’s preparing a test for the future of creation – and that’s all he’ll tell her. He’s walking away when Tulip calls bullshit on that answer. She accuses God of “just screwing around” and calls him a dickwad, for good measure. God’s not pleased with Tulip calling him out and begins expanding in size while glowing. He points his finger and commands Tulip to back off, and then sends her sailing through the air into the front of her car.
After God rides away, Tulip warns she’s going to find him and kick his ass.
Meanwhile, TC (Colin Cunningham) removes the bullet from Cassidy’s shoulder. TC’s mixed his own personal anesthetic and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) is thrilled to learn it contains hemlock. The anesthetic makes Cassidy very talkative and he describes a lot of his previous gunshot and stab wounds. TC’s amazed – and confused – Cassidy doesn’t have any scars, and Cassidy, realizing he’s said too much, explains he’s very limber.
Tulip has a chat with Jesse (Dominic Cooper), revealing she’s been talking to God. She also confesses she’s going to kick God’s ass next time she sees him. Tulip’s ready to leave, but Jesse still can’t leave Angelville because of Gran’ma. When Tulip suggests she can take care of the old lady, Jesse warns her not to mess with Gran’ma because she’s too dangerous.
Jody (Jeremy Childs) interrupts Tulip and Jesse, and TC gets Jody to thinking when he says Cassidy’s a fast healer.
Jesse stops in Cassidy’s room before heading to church with Jody and reminds him that TC and Jody will find out he’s a vampire if he heals too fast. He calls Cassidy his best friend and they get into an argument over whether Jesse’s ever said that before. (He hasn’t.) Jesse sincerely believes Cassidy’s his best friend and wants him to leave immediately. If they find out he’s a vampire, they’ll hang him in the sun until he burns to a crisp.
“I’m a bloody vampire in voodoo Disneyland. I should be their main attraction,” says Cassidy. Jesse tries to explain magic and being a “monster” are two very different things in Angelville. Cassidy takes offense at the use of the word monster and refuses to leave without Tulip. Jesse’s forced to stab him where the bullet entered to fool TC and Jody. Jesse also takes Cassidy’s remaining blood bags, just to make sure the wound doesn’t heal too quickly.
After Jody and Jesse leave, Tulip pays a visit to Gran’ma’s room. She spots the photo of baby Jesse and then munches on a hot pepper while continuing to look around. Picking the lock on a file cabinet, Tulip discovers drawers full of napkins soaked in blood.
The reason for Jesse and Jody’s visit to the church becomes clear as Jesse tries to convince an attendee at a narcotics anonymous meeting to come to Angelville to fix his addiction. Madame L’Angell can perform a clean and sober spell if the man’s interested. It turns out the addict’s only interested in visiting Angelville if the Tombs have been reopened. Otherwise, he’d pay a visit to Madame Boyd – like everyone else – if he wanted to use a spell to end his addiction.
After Jesse strikes out, Jody reminds him they have plenty of other places they can try to recruit customers. Jesse wants Jody to help him escape, believing he owes him that because of his mom. Jody refuses, making his point by punching Jesse in the face.
Back at Angelville, Tulip’s working on getting details about Gran’ma from TC by agreeing to check out his penis. She hints around about what’s going on at Angelville, and TC explains the napkins are blood debt compacts. TC elaborates, saying they’re a “solemn exchange of promises between parties.”
TC reveals the only way to get out of the compact is to pay off the debt. He then figures out Tulip’s working him for answers and recalls a story from years ago when a man tried to end his wife’s contract early. After giving Madame L’Angell money and other valuables, she handed over his wife’s bloody napkin. When he tore it in half, it ripped his poor wife in two.
The moral of the story is taking possession of the napkin doesn’t put an end to the contract. The debt is only paid when Madame L’Angell says it is.
TC likes Tulip so he gives her a friendly warning: don’t mess with Madame L’Angell. Tulip appreciates the warning and volunteers to touch TC’s penis as a thank you. TC whips it out and Tulip uses force to get TC to answer her question. TC’s in pain when he explains only magic/voodoo can get Jesse out of the contract.
It’s now Cassidy’s turn to have a talk with Gran’ma (Betty Buckley) and he wants to know why she hasn’t healed herself since she’s a healer. Gran’ma knows Cassidy wants something and Cassidy admits he’s not leaving without the love spell.
Gran’ma provides Cassidy with the spell just as Jesse and Jody arrive home. Jesse lets Gran’ma know Madame Boyd has taken control of the area and no one wants to visit Angelville. She reminds him he can reopen the Tombs if he wants to pay his debt off quicker so he can leave. Jesse’s adamant that’s not going to happen.
Jesse’s worried when Gran’ma reveals Cassidy came to her for a talk.
That night, Cassidy steps outside to hunt a chicken for dinner. TC catches him sucking the chicken’s blood, confirming his suspicions.
Tulip’s still gone when Jesse hears TC and Jody hooting and hollering out in the woods. They have Cassidy strung up and are going to leave him hanging until the sun rises and incinerates him. Jesse pleads innocence, claiming not to have known Cassidy was a vampire.
Tulip pays a visit to Madame Boyd, explaining her boyfriend, Rich, is stuck there because of a blood compact. She wants a cure from Madame Boyd, and the assistant invites her in to see her boss.
Tulip’s seated in front of who she believes is Madame Boyd, going through her story once again when the “assistant” asks how Jesse got into the blood compact. Tulip corrects her, saying her boyfriend’s name is Rich, but the assistant knows that’s a lie. Tulip beats up the security guard and tries to make a run for it by jumping out a window. When she’s tossed back in, she realizes the assistant is actually Madame Boyd. Madame Boyd knows exactly who Tulip is, and Tulip quickly draws her gun by means of introduction.
Back at Angelville, Jesse has paying customers down in the Tombs. He plays ringmaster as he introduces two merciless monsters fighting for their lives. One is a pedophile science teacher, the other is Cassidy who Jesse describes as a “backstabbing piece of shit vampire.”
The crowd cheers as the men begin to fight. Jesse watches, expressionless.
More on Preacher:
- Recap of Preacher Season 3 Episode 1 “Angelville”
- Recap of Preacher Season 3 Episode 2 “Sonsabitches”
- Recap of Preacher Season 3 Episode 4 “The Tombs”
- Interview with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg on Preacher Season 3
- A Look Back at Preacher Season 2: Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun Interview
