Season three episode two of AMC’s Preacher begins with a flashback to a teenage Jesse Custer being approached by one of his high school teachers. The ambitious science teacher wants Madame L’Angell to rid him of a problem: a girl has become obsessed with him after they had a sexual encounter and he can’t shake her. The girl could ruin his career aspirations and after a little back-and-forth about terms, the teacher agrees to striking a deal with Madame L’Angell.
Jesse warns him there will be consequences if he misses a payment, but the teacher doesn’t take the warning seriously. His first payment’s short and he completely skips out on the next payment which leads to Jesse, TC (Colin Cunningham), and Jody (Jeremy Childs) chasing him down in the woods.
After Jesse kicks the crap out of him, they haul the teacher before Madame L’Angell where young Jesse gets his first glimpse at how Madame L’Angell’s able to stay so young. Instead of following through with Jesse’s threat to pull off the teacher’s fingernails, Madame L’Angell extracts some of his soul.
The scene shifts to Krishna Headquarters in India. Herr Starr (Pip Torrens) arrives and claims to have an appointment.
Back in Angelville, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) serves Tulip (Ruth Negga) some of TC’s consommé in bed as she continues to recover from being dead. Tulip can’t remember what happened to her while she was dead, and Cassidy helpfully recalls a story about a friend who died and saw a bustling metropolis run by talking deer. Tulip accuses him of still smoking crack.
Jesse (Dominic Cooper) joins Tulip and Cassidy, and Cassidy lets Jesse in on the news the Grail was responsible for killing Tulip. Jesse is furious but he can’t leave Angelville just yet. Cassidy wants to leave immediately, and Tulip’s forced into the role of peacekeeper. Jesse explains he needs to find a way to convince Gran’ma to let him leave.
Outside, Jesse tries to use the voice but it doesn’t work. He calls Herr Starr and leaves a message. “Tell him the Messiah’s ready. Tell him to bring my soul.”
Meanwhile, Herr Starr and his minions wipe out everyone at the Krishna Headquarters. The shoot-out goes down to the tune of “Get Together” by The Youngbloods. The Swami’s the last one standing and as he shows off his karate moves, Herr Starr kicks him in the balls. The fight, if it can be called that, is interrupted by a call delivering Jesse’s message.
Herr Starr stares down the Swami and asks, “Will you take Humperdoo as your one true leader?” The Swami won’t and is shot in the head.
Back in Angelville, Cassidy’s looking at the photos hanging in the hallway as Jesse apologizes for everything. Jesse thinks now’s the time for Cassidy to take off, but Cassidy refuses to leave without Tulip.
As Jesse has a talk with Gran’ma, TC attempts to make small talk with Cassidy. Cassidy’s not having it until TC asks if he likes drugs.
Gran’ma admits she thinks Tulip’s pretty, but she also admits she doesn’t care about her. She doesn’t want Jesse to tell the Boyds he’s back. Instead, she wants him to get the tombs up and running again, hoping that will make business pick up. He refuses.
Tulip steps outside to blow off some steam by shooting at beer cans. Jody interrupts her practice session and asks what it was like to die and come back, but she continues to claim she can’t remember. Tulip’s irritated with Jody until he offers her an M4-ASR with a special scope and a 1,000-yard range. Tulip’s about to shoot a beer can when something runs behind the target. It’s Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery) and Tulip launches a full-on attack and knocks her out.
Cassidy and TC talk about their dreams while doing drugs until Jesse barges in wondering where Tulip’s gotten off to. Outside, they discover Tulip has grabbed Lara.
Gran’ma, TC, and Jody also involve themselves in Tulip’s revenge plot, with Gran’ma sending Jody with them to kill Lara and F.J. Hoover (Malcolm Barrett) and dispose of their bodies in the swamp. Cassidy won’t shut up as they walk, going off about Miller’s Crossing and how he can’t believe the same two geniuses – Joel and Ethan Coen – who made Miller’s Crossing are the idiots who created The Big Lebowski. Tulip refuses to have this discussion again, stomping off as Cassidy continues his film critique.
Tulip walks at Lara’s side, telling her she always knew something was off about her. Tulip’s ready to put a bullet through Lara’s head, but Jesse suggests they use Jody’s organ grinder instead.
Jody shows them how he inserts the animals in, tossing raccoons into the blades. He then explains you need to clear the juicer portion, draining the blood into a large mason jar. He calls it swamp consommé, and Cassidy and Tulip realize that’s what they’ve been eating. Cassidy’s okay with that, telling Tulip he heated up the consommé so that should have sanitized it. Anyway, she likes hot dogs.
F.J. makes a run for it and as they split up to find him, Jesse takes Lara into the woods and points out the direction to town. He wants her to get a message to Herr Starr that nothing has changed. He needs Herr Starr to come to Angelville.
As Lara takes off, Tulip startles Jesse by revealing she saw him let Lara go.
Tulip’s upset about the Lara thing until Jesse explains he needs Herr Starr to give him his soul back so he can use the voice and make Gran’ma let him go. After he gets his soul back, he’ll kill everyone – Jody, Gran’ma, The Grail. He admits he needs Tulip’s help and Cassidy, although not completely on board with the plan, agrees to stick around and help kill people.
Tulip makes a toy car bomb and blows up part of Madame Boyd’s place. Cassidy wants to keep on driving after the bombing, but Tulip is determined to help Jesse get his soul back. Cassidy’s fed up with taking orders from Jesse, but Tulip reminds him Jesse gave up his soul to save them from the Saint of Killers. She suggests Cassidy just get over it. They’re a team – no matter what.
Gran’ma and Jesse have a chat in the family cemetery out back. She assures him if he stays, he’ll remember what family means. As they talk, they hear the Boyds’ trucks heading their way. Jody sets out the big guns and everyone grabs one as Cassidy’s forced to explain why he wears an umbrella hat and can’t expose his skin to the sun.
The Boyds fire a cannon at #TeamJesse, with a goat landing headfirst in the dirt near their feet. Jody explains shooting a goat at someone is a voodoo telegraph. It indicates they want Jesse dead.
While the Boyds vs L’Angells showdown is going on, Jesse has a secret meeting with Herr Starr. Herr Starr wants Jesse to discuss his feelings, but Jesse refuses. He wants his soul back and Herr Starr hands it over without putting up a fight. Jesse swallows it but, of course, it’s a trick. The vial contained a placebo.
Cassidy’s shot during the gun battle and although TC says he won’t leave him behind, he does to chase after the fleeing Boyds. Tulip’s more helpful, heading inside to retrieve a blood bag to help Cassidy heal.
Herr Starr wants to know why Jesse won’t agree to take over as the Messiah. He believes Jesse must be desperate since he returned to Angelville, and Jesse confesses he didn’t have any other option after they shot Tulip. Herr Starr informs Jesse his real soul is in the car waiting outside.
Tulip sees the empty vial on the table and mistakenly believes Jesse has his soul back. She then watches as Jesse heads toward the car with Herr Starr, assuming that means Jesse is running out on them. She flashes back to right before she shook off death when God told her he was counting on her to “get those sons of bitches.”
Herr Starr tells Jesse he doesn’t want to roll out Humperdoo, but his superior is demanding he do so. Jesse didn’t know Herr Starr had a boss, and Herr Starr explains he has an Allfather.
The Grail members put on headphones to block out the sound as Lara hands Jesse the case containing his soul. As he’s about to take it, Tulip starts shooting. Herr Starr and Lara take off with Jesse’s soul.
Meanwhile, Gran’ma’s upset Jesse was trying to escape and twists the handkerchief containing his blood. Jesse writhes in agony in response.
Tulip apologizes for mistakenly believing Jesse was trying to break their deal and leave with the Grail.
Jesse confronts Gran’ma and says he’s going to get out of their deal someday. She sends him off to work on getting their business back up and running.
Tulip tells Cassidy she has to fix this. She defends Jesse when Cassidy says he has a dark side.
Jesse unlocks the tombs and begins cleaning them up. He sees the high school teacher from all those years ago, wheezing and wearing a collar around his neck. The teacher asks for help and Jesse tells him no.
More on Preacher:
- Recap of Preacher Season 3 Episode 2 “Angelville”
- Recap of Preacher Season 3 Episode 3 “Gonna Hurt”
- 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
