The season one finale of Preacher wiped the slate clean, destroying the town of Annville and setting Jesse (Dominic Cooper), Tulip (Ruth Negga), and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) on a road trip to find God. Season two episode one, appropriately titled ‘On the Road,’ begins with Cassidy going off about circumcision while Tulip wants to know about their plan. Jesse’s sure that visiting his family friend who’s a religious scholar is the right place to start. Of course, Cassidy can’t let the circumcised thing go and says they use the foreskins for things including skin lotion, which grosses out Tulip.
They’ve just agreed Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” is a horrible song when it comes on the radio as a cop pulls a U-turn, siren going and lights flashing. Tulip was doing a cool 97 at the time, but she’s not worried. After a brief debate, they opt for a car chase while singing the song they all proclaim to dislike. (They harmonize well!) The car chase transitions into a ‘70s low-budget action film (a style the series established in season one) complete with requisite low camera angles, Tulip driving on two wheels, and the insertion of a random road crew she’s forced to avoid.
Fortunately, they escape the cops. Unfortunately, they run out of gas and the cops catch up. Jesse and Tulip are grabbed out of the car while Cassidy stands by casually smoking, shaded by an umbrella. He’s roughly tackled when he attempts to grab his sunscreen and a very feminine scream accompanies his take-down.
One cop’s nice enough to shade Cassidy after he claims he’ll catch fire, which earns the helpful cop the title of idiot from his superior. After knocking the umbrella away, Cassidy does start smoking and flees to the backseat of a squad car. As the ranking officer’s about to pull Cassidy from the car, Jesse commands him to stop and commands all the cops to holster their guns. He has them assemble in a lineup and tells the commanding officer to “mace his balls.” One is made to recite the “Yellow Rose of Texas,” two are forced into holding hands, and Tulip declares she’s not a fan of Jesse’s Genesis powers. She says it’s not even fun and wonders how he would like it if it happened to him.
Jesse’s just headed over to retrieve Cassidy when they begin taking sniper fire. Cops are getting obliterated and the sniper fire is blasting holes in the squad car that Cassidy has hidden in to escape the sun. The holes are now letting in sunlight and he’s trapped while Jesse and Tulip have taken cover with the few remaining cops.
Body parts are flying and now Cassidy is under the car crawling along in the shade as the car creeps forward. Jesse wants to flee but Tulip refuses to leave her car. However, it’s on empty and the only thing nearby she can use to siphon gas is intestines. (Tulip’s grossed out for the second time this episode.)
Jesse searches for Cassidy who has just used a cop’s dead body as a speed bump. He’s not safe yet because a can of gas has spilled and his joint is lit inches away from it on the ground. He tries to blow it out as the car once again moves forward. Jesse makes it to him with the umbrella and they speed off as cars explode behind them. From the smoke emerges the killer Cowboy from Hell, the Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish).
Tulip, blood on her face from intestine siphoning, pulls into a gas station to get the taste out of her mouth. After the clerk notices intestines hanging from their gas tank, he threatens to call the cops. Tulip and Cassidy head into the store while Jesse commands the clerk to forget they were even there and he returns to his sweeping, ignoring the bloody threesome. Inside the station, Cassidy has Tulip drink a variety of beverages – and hot sauce – to get the taste out of her mouth. Cassidy’s going for a different sort of refreshment, opting to dine on the store’s cat.
Tulip puts an armload of items on the counter, but the clerk ignores her. She’s insulted because he won’t look at her, so she scoops up the drinks – and hot sauce – and leaves. Jesse’s found something to use to get the handcuffs off Cassidy, while Tulip wonders why someone was shooting at them. Cassidy thinks it’s because Jesse has a superpower, but Tulip remains unimpressed with Jesse’s new ability. She believes it’s a case of wrong place/wrong time. “We’re in Texas. They pretty much grow dumbass crazy here,” says Tulip.
Jesse decides he’ll deal with the shooter if they run into him again, but now it’s time to hit the road once more.
The store clerk calls for Ginger the cat as the cowboy assassin arrives asking about the preacher. The man keeps answering that the preacher wasn’t there, and The Cowboy makes him open his mouth and then rips out his tongue.
Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy arrive at Jesse’s friend Mike’s house and pull into the garage. When Jesse heads in Cassidy admits to Tulip he feels bad about keeping secrets from Jesse. He didn’t know about her and Jesse when he and Tulip hooked up, and he wants to clear the air and tell Jesse. Tulip thinks that’s the stupidest thing she’s ever heard him say. “Listen to me, Cassidy. You want to feel really bad? Go tell him we had sex and see what your mate does then,” suggests Tulip. “You don’t know him like I do.”
Cassidy owes Jesse his life and he thinks Jesse’s a good man, more so than most. Tulip agrees he has good sides to him, but he also has another darker side. Their conversation’s interrupted by someone crying out from a cage. A woman is locked up but before they can free her, Mike (who it turns out is a minister) enters the garage and tells them to leave the woman, Ashley (Abbie Gayle), in the cage.
They do as they’re instructed and head inside the messy house. Mike (Glenn Morshower) introduces them to Eddie the dog and then explains Ashley is a parishioner who needed help, so he put her in a covered cage to curb her urges. Mike explains he does this to help any of his congregation in need. Cassidy and Tulip think that’s psycho, but he claims the covered cage works.
Jesse tells his friend that God is gone, and Mike’s not surprised. When he’s prayed these past few weeks, God hasn’t answered. Jesse thinks God’s somewhere on earth right now and he wants to know where Mike thinks God might be. Mike reveals that when he studied in Mesopotamia, he came across a map that indicated God’s whereabouts if he walked the earth. After Cassidy and Tulip chime in, he wonders if they’re high right now. “Not in a covered cage kind of way,” replies Cassidy. “Idiots,” responds Mike.
Mike then admits there’s no map and nothing in any book that would tell of God’s location on earth. “You call heaven on an angel phone to discover God’s gone to roam the earth. What book is that exactly?” asks Mike. He has no idea where God would be if he’s on earth.
Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy spend the night in one bed, and Cassidy apologizes for being a third wheel in bed. He recalls that in his childhood in Ireland they were so poor they slept in one bed, with his parents having sex right next to him. He says he grew used to the noise, so it’s okay if Tulip and Jesse want to make love right now. They decline.
Jesse heads outside for a smoke and his friend joins him. Mike asks if he’s considered God went missing for a good reason, and Jesse says God should be held accountable. Mike wants Jesse to demonstrate his Genesis power to prove it’s real, and Jesse commands him to break something – which he of course does. Jesse recalls that right before his dad died, he promised Jesse big things would be coming for him. He’s decided the quest to find God is his calling.
Mike hands Jesse a card from a woman named Tammy who told him God had been in her strip club, She She’s, in Kimble County. Jesse doesn’t believe it’s possible finding God could be that easy, but it’s their only lead so the trio have to follow it.
After his visitors leave, Mike’s doing dishes when Eddie alerts him The Cowboy has arrived. Eddie’s the first to die (off-camera, thankfully) and when The Cowboy breaks down his door, Mike offers him whiskey but no real answers to his question about Jesse’s whereabouts. Mike dies an honorable death, killing himself before The Cowboy can force him to speak.
Tulip, Jesse, and Cassidy arrive at the strip club, and Cassidy immediately volunteers to have a look around. Jesse and Tulip find Tammy and let her know they’re looking for God and that Mike says it’s possible she’s seen him. Tammy laughs it off, but her hand is shaking and Jesse picks up on that. Tammy reveals God was there a few times a couple of months back. Jesse wants to know why he was there and what he looked like, admitting he has questions for him he wants answered.
Tammy assures Jesse God will not answer any questions and instead will stare at him, making him feel terrified. Jesse and Tulip debate whether they should use Genesis on Tammy, with Tulip of the mind Genesis should be a last resort (even though she thinks Tammy is being a dick). Tulip believes it would be better to beat the answers out of Tammy who’s been calling Doug for backup for the last minute. Jesse really just wants to know what God was doing there, and Tulip suggests it was what all guys do there. But, if he came back, it’s probably for one girl in particular.
Tammy refuses to give up the name of the girl God fell for, while Jesse practically begs Tulip to be allowed to use Genesis. Tulip reminds him it’s mind invasion with Jesse countering that he could erase her mind after he uses it so she won’t feel violated. Tulip finally gives in, mainly because Tammy is so irritating.
Tammy isn’t ready to be attacked without defending herself and threatens to stab their eyes out. Meanwhile, Doug is currently wrestling with Cassidy in one of the private rooms so he’s no help. Just when Jesse assures her they won’t hurt her, a bullet from Doug’s gun comes through the wall and hits Tammy in the chest. Jesse uses Genesis on her before she dies and learns God wasn’t coming for the girls, he was coming for the jazz.
A live jazz band takes the stage and plays while the strippers dance.
Back at the hotel, Tulip’s pissed at Cassidy for getting Tammy shot. Cassidy claims there’s a three-second rule for touching the girls and he wasn’t doing anything wrong, blaming Doug for what happened. Cassidy promises Jesse he won’t let him down again.
Finally alone in their hotel room, Tulip locks herself in the bathroom and smiles as Jesse breaks down the door. They passionately kiss and then the action moves to the bed where they consummate their reunion as on the other side of the motel room wall, Cassidy lies in bed while Tulip and Jesse knock their bed into the wall over and over and over again. He watches a commercial for The Amazing Ganesh and looks confused.
Jesse steps outside for a smoke and watches as The Cowboy approaches. He repeatedly commands him to stop but that doesn’t work. The episode ends with The Cowboy pointing a gun at a surprised Jesse.
More on Preacher:
– Preacher Season 2 Episode 2 ‘Mumbai Sky Tower’ Recap
– Preacher Season 2 Episode 3 ‘Damsels’ Recap
– Ruth Negga, Joseph Gilgun, Dominic Cooper and Graham McTavish Interview
