S01.E07: He Gone

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Jesse's actions endanger and alienate those closest to him; a glimpse into his past reveals the root of all of his guilt.

 

[AimingforYoko]

If Cassidy is your moral anchor, Jesse, you have to ask: How far off the path are you?

[SoSueMe]

Wow. Who would think that Cassidy would be the one with the moral compass. 

 

GMTA, Aiming :)

Edited July 11, 2016 by SoSueMe

[Lantern7]

How long is the first season? Thirteen episodes? Because I want to get out of Annville. I understand the whole "power corrupts" deal, but it's agonizing to see Jesse not Get It yet. At least we see how screwed up his childhood was. I'm hoping we get more about that in the next season.

Also disappointed that Eugene tried to kill Coma Girl (obviously, she was awake when it happened). While I understand that the comic origin wouldn't translate (Eugene tried to kill himself when his hero Kurt Cobain did the same), I would have wanted him to try and not take anybody with him. I do like the idea that the suicide attempt made him a nicer guy.

Damn, those were some good effects to show Cassidy burning. You can almost smell the flesh burning.

I hope we get an explanation as to how The Word didn't quite work on Quincannon. I only got recently reacquainted with the first twelve issues, so I'm hazy about limitations. I'm thinking that it might not work on somebody who doesn't understand English ("Go to hell." "Que?!?"), but I'm probably wrong about that.

[Pixel]

I don't like Tulip. I don't know why, because I really like the actress and the way she plays Tulip, but as a character, I don't find her likeable. 

[pezgirl7]

Cassidy burning was really gross and hard to watch. My Irish boy better be alright. I'm glad Jesse seemed to feel guilty for Eugene by the end of the episode. Did he think he could dig down to Hell though? I'm also wondering why Eugene isn't in jail since he tried to kill someone. Maybe he pleaded temporary insanity. And who knew vanilla was flammable?!

[formerlyfreedom]

I'm in the minority, I think - I like Tulip a lot. I do not know why. Please don't hate me.

And I agree, @pezgirl7 - Cassidy better be fine, damn you show!

@Lantern7, I think the first season is ten episodes.

[riverheightsnancy]

39 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

Cassidy burning was really gross and hard to watch. My Irish boy better be alright. I'm glad Jesse seemed to feel guilty for Eugene by the end of the episode. Did he think he could dig down to Hell though? I'm also wondering why Eugene isn't in jail since he tried to kill someone. Maybe he pleaded temporary insanity. And who knew vanilla was flammable?!

Vanilla extract is a high percentage of alcohol. Many alcoholics will steal entire rows of it from the grocery store if they cannot get to or afford regular booze. (I had a patient who did this before and got caught). 

 

34 minutes ago, saoirse said:

I'm in the minority, I think - I like Tulip a lot. I do not know why. Please don't hate me.

And I agree, @pezgirl7 - Cassidy better be fine, damn you show!

@Lantern7, I think the first season is ten episodes.

I also like Tulip a lot. Her backstory adds a lot. 

[Sandman87]

A couple of laugh-out-loud moments in this one: "Hey padre..."  *CLUNK*  "So, how's it goin'?" Also, the sports team mascot wearing his costume to walk the dog.

A fire breaks out in the kitchen just after the Sheriff asks about his missing kid, and Jesse is the only one who doesn't react? If that doesn't make the Sheriff suspicious, then he's not paying attention.

Dinner at Jesse's house is no fun.

The vampire is trying to save the preacher. Oh, the irony.

And  now we know that guilt over his father's murder is what's driving Jesse to be a preacher.

A first! Tulip didn't annoy me this week!

I'm pretty sure Jesse used the fire extinguisher to save Cassidy's life. In the closeup shot it looked like the extinguisher didn't have it's "pull to use" pin anymore.

I think I may have figured out what Quincannon's deal is with the "serve God" thing. He's acting in the role of Judas, doing the thoroughly evil thing that results in God's plan working out somehow. (Thanks to the Hellsing anime for putting that concept in my head.)

Edited July 11, 2016 by Sandman87

[thuganomics85]

The awkward dinner scene was hilarious! Especially Cassidy rambling on about Coen Brothers flicks.  I like his random pop culture moments.  Like when he thought Jesse's favorite actor was Ryan Phillippe.  What a random, but perfect choice!

Did not see that reveal about Eugene coming.  Not so innocent after-all, huh?  I guess it's debatable if that deserves being sent to hell by Jesse, but shooting a girl just because she didn't love you back, is certainly an unpleasant response.  I do wonder why he never went to jail for it.

Jesse is getting worse and worse.  He might have finally pushed Tulip away for good, which is saying something (although, I doubt it will be for long.) And then it leads to Cassidy of all people trying to talk him back to earth.  The drunk, crude vampire has become the voice of reason, here.  Ha!

I felt bad for Emily since she was very likely confused over half of the stuff they were all saying.  I wonder if she'll ever find out what in hell is actually going on here.

Quincannon is now going after Jesse's church again; this time pretty much bringing an army to get it.  Still curious to see how he was able to twist "Serve God" around, to have all of this work.

I wonder if he'll find out who exactly killed Jesse's dad.

[PatternRec]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

How long is the first season? Thirteen episodes? Because I want to get out of Annville. I understand the whole "power corrupts" deal, but it's agonizing to see Jesse not Get It yet. At least we see how screwed up his childhood was. I'm hoping we get more about that in the next season.

Also disappointed that Eugene tried to kill Coma Girl (obviously, she was awake when it happened). While I understand that the comic origin wouldn't translate (Eugene tried to kill himself when his hero Kurt Cobain did the same), I would have wanted him to try and not take anybody with him. I do like the idea that the suicide attempt made him a nicer guy.

Damn, those were some good effects to show Cassidy burning. You can almost smell the flesh burning.

I hope we get an explanation as to how The Word didn't quite work on Quincannon. I only got recently reacquainted with the first twelve issues, so I'm hazy about limitations. I'm thinking that it might not work on somebody who doesn't understand English ("Go to hell." "Que?!?"), but I'm probably wrong about that.

As far as Jesse not getting it, I like that they're having him do bad things with the Word. In the comic he simply decides "it wouldn't be right" to use the power too much or for the wrong reasons, which might work in a comic narrative, but is much harder to sell that point in a TV show if there aren't consequences. Otherwise, why not become completely corrupt. 

I'm on the fence about Eugene shooting Tracy, but I figured they were gonna take out the Cobain stuff since it wouldn't be current, and since Eugene's origin in the book was really just Garth Ennis taking the piss out of 90s emo kids. Preacher was a great book, but Ennis's indulgences were definitely a lot to swallow. However I land on the suicide thing, I'm glad they've made him such a well-rounded character when really he was just a joke to Ennis, and treated as such by everyone in the book. 

 

2 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

A couple of laugh-out-loud moments in this one: "Hey padre..."  *CLUNK*  "So, how's it goin'?" Also, the sports team mascot wearing his costume to walk the dog.

A fire breaks out in the kitchen just after the Sheriff asks about his missing kid, and Jesse is the only one who doesn't react? If that doesn't make the Sheriff suspicious, then he's not paying attention.

Dinner at Jesse's house is no fun.

The vampire is trying to save the preacher. Oh, the irony.

And  now we know that guilt over his father's murder is what's driving Jesse to be a preacher.

A first! Tulip didn't annoy me this week!

I'm pretty sure Jesse used the fire extinguisher to save Cassidy's life. In the closeup shot it looked like the extinguisher didn't have it's "pull to use" pin anymore.

I think I may have figured out what Quincannon's deal is with the "serve God" thing. He's acting in the role of Judas, doing the thoroughly evil thing that results in God's plan working out somehow. (Thanks to the Hellsing anime for putting that concept in my head.)

 

At first I thought he was using a semantic dodge when he said "I'm no Christian" but then he flat out denied even saying he would serve God ("you must have heard wrong") so I'm not sure what he's doing. I like the Judas idea from a story perspective, but not so much for Quincannon's character. It doesn't fit him. 

My thoughts on the Quincannon scene:

1. Jesse didn't tell him never to lie. He could be lying.

2. "Serve God" is a semantically empty phrase. If you give someone a command, it needs to be clear.

3. What are Quincannon's beliefs? If Jesse told an atheist to serve God, would the atheist just agree, and not change anything about their life?

4. Quincannon is trying to expand his business very aggressively now. Maybe the best way to serve God is to make the state's biggest meat packing plant - the old testament loves it some sacrifice and we already know Quincannon loves him some cow death. 

[Captanne]

I don't know if we have a UO thread here but I also like Tulip.  I like the character and the actress' portrayal.  (NB:  I'm not saying I ever want to meet Tulip.  She's a comic book character and not a very nice one, at that.  I'm just saying I like the way Negga plays her and I like Tulip's part in the canvas of "The Preacher".)

[lynnea6]

I've never read the comic books, and it appears that I'm off base from the comments here, but I just figured from Quincannon's actions that Jesse's commandments wore off after a while. I was expecting Eugene to be shot out of hell in the next episode or so. 

[Demig]

All nice and crispy, traumatized and gunning for vengeance against Jessie.

[pezgirl7]

13 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Vanilla extract is a high percentage of alcohol. Many alcoholics will steal entire rows of it from the grocery store if they cannot get to or afford regular booze. (I had a patient who did this before and got caught). 

I'm surprised Cassidy didn't know that then! Or maybe he did, and was just trying to make Tulip feel better. I don't mind Tulip. I think she's starting to grow on me. Her leaping through the backyards was pretty cool.

13 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

A couple of laugh-out-loud moments in this one: "Hey padre..."  *CLUNK*  "So, how's it goin'?" Also, the sports team mascot wearing his costume to walk the dog.

I must have a dirty mind, because my first thought was that it was one of those people who likes to dress up as an animal. What are they called, furries? I dunno, I don't want to google it. Anyway, I thought it was ironic because that's the last person who should be judging Tulip's passed out uncle!

[riverheightsnancy]

11 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

I'm surprised Cassidy didn't know that then! Or maybe he did, and was just trying to make Tulip feel better. I don't mind Tulip. I think she's starting to grow on me. Her leaping through the backyards was pretty cool.

I must have a dirty mind, because my first thought was that it was one of those people who likes to dress up as an animal. What are they called, furries? I dunno, I don't want to google it. Anyway, I thought it was ironic because that's the last person who should be judging Tulip's passed out uncle!

Yeah, I forgot about Tulip parkouring her way through the neighborhood. She is great and I think her tough life has bonded her even more to Jessie. No one has even mentioned the nipple being bitten off in the schoolyard fight. 

Yes, they are called "furries". 

[shrewd.buddha]

We're watching and enjoying for the most part  - - although I tend to enjoy it more when the more outrageous elements are in play : the cowboy angel agents, the seraphic assassin, etc. 

I did not quite understand how telling Eugene to "go to hell" could literally transport him to hell. How would Eugene be capable of following that command? Could Jesse have said  "turn into a butterfly!" ? 

[Dirtybubble]

14 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

Also, the sports team mascot wearing his costume to walk the dog.

This is starting to freak me out.  Who walks the dog while wearing the costume??  I've heard of the underground society that dresses up like animals but I've never heard of one simply walking out in public doing mundane things like walking a dog (in the TX's heat no less) with that crazy thing on.  PLUS if I'm not crazy I seem to remember this being in the whore house a few episodes ago.  If I'm not mistaken one of the girls was sitting on his lap with full mascot outfit on.  I feel like this is some sort of clue or weird easter egg thing the writers have going on....

Speaking of writing I don't really like the way the Tulip character is written.  I don't know if this is how she is in the graphic novel but her story just seems kinda cliche' to me.  Bad girl with broken childhood but has a heart of gold...I don't know it just seems kinda all been done before. 

[pezgirl7]

Regarding Quincannon, I was wondering if maybe his God is a different God than Jesse's. There are so many religions in the world, so Quincannon might worship one that's evil, even if it doesn't exist. I can't figure out any other reason for his actions. I also think him listening to the cattle being killed is totally disturbing, and I swear I heard other noises on his intercom, almost like dogs squeeling. :(

[LordBowen]

Jesse can be so slow on the uptake at times. Frustrating.  And even a fake-out death of Cassidy is annoying. He's the most intriguing character in the show.

[tennisgurl]

Things have taken a bad turn when drunk vampire Cassidy is your voice of reason. That burning scene was nasty. It was actually bubbling. Cassidy better be alright! Or you are going to have even more to answer for Jesse!

Speaking of Jesse is going rather power mad, but hopefully the end shows that he is having a change of heart. He was starting to get kind of scary, ranting about all the sinners who need to burn in hell, but I think this is all going to be a set up to him using his power the right way. Or fight evil. Or make those Old West flashbacks make sense. Or something. 

[nachomama]

Is it possible Quincannon is not "serving God" because what's inside Jesse is NOT god and Quincannon knows it? As in the opposite, the devil is inside Jesse? Are they hinting that Jesse's dad has some kind of similar power? and got killed for it?

Was vanilla in hash browns just because Tulip can't cook? or a peculiar favorite of Jesse? and would they have been in the oven?

I still think there's a little more to Eugene's story than he up and shot an innocent girl. Maybe she tried to kill herself and he tried to stop her and when he couldn't, he shot himself, thus no jail time.

[editorgrrl]

30 minutes ago, nachomama said:

Was vanilla in hash browns just because Tulip can't cook? or a peculiar favorite of Jesse? and would they have been in the oven?

I can't answer any of the deeper questions about this show, but Popeye's chicken and waffle tenders are vanilla-y goodness. Who knew vanilla would pair so well with something savory? Tulip did.

[nachomama]

Interesting, I tried to get the magnolia blossom chicken and the event was over before I got there, never tried the chicken n waffles. But I felt Tulip was trying to be "traditional" girlfriend, cook dinner, etc and just had no idea. Tater tots would be in the oven but not so much hash browns.

[Bruinsfan]

On 7/11/2016 at 1:38 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Did not see that reveal about Eugene coming.  Not so innocent after-all, huh?  I guess it's debatable if that deserves being sent to hell by Jesse, but shooting a girl just because she didn't love you back, is certainly an unpleasant response.  I do wonder why he never went to jail for it.

I'd say that since Eugene clearly seems to be remorseful and have a better understanding of right and wrong than anyone else on the show, he's not deserving of Hell now even if he might have been at the time of the incident with Tracy (I'd say even that's debatable—he was a hurting, confused kid at the time, not a hardened killer). However, Mrs. Loach's murderous hatred of him now seems completely justified to me. What I don't get it why everyone else suddenly seems fine with Eugene as a result of her forgiveness. Hell, I'd imagine high school kids in an ignorant Texas backwater would torment the kid based on appearance alone even if there weren't the issue of turning the beloved prom queen into a vegetable.

I also expect Mrs. Loach to promptly go supercritical in a way that makes Ted Ryerson look mild in comparison. If there's a stronger emotional force than a mother's protective love of her children I'm not aware of it, and having her anger over Tracy completely supressed has got to be building up pressure like nobody's business.

[SnarkyTart]

Two good episodes in a row, YAY!   I actually enjoyed Tulip, especially as she ran through the alleyways to catch the boys who stole her uncle's pants.  I also thought Negga played all her scenes around the breakfast table extremely well.   I hope we get an explanation very soon about how Quincannon was able to find an equivalence between serving God and executing people.  I, too, have a strong suspicion that there's more to Eugene's story of shooting the prom queen than we've seen. 

Nuts.  Another good episode and it looks as though we won't get a PTV recap again.

[PatternRec]

5 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

Nuts.  Another good episode and it looks as though we won't get a PTV recap again.

I haven't listened to the latest EHG yet, but in the show notes it says "Dave gets tired of being preached at." I wonder if they're dropping it altogether from recapping.

[ghoulina]

On 7/10/2016 at 11:10 PM, riverheightsnancy said:

I also like Tulip a lot. Her backstory adds a lot. 

Agree. I knew she and Jesse went back, but I didn't know it was THAT far back. Their history, to me, was heartbreaking. And when he called her out on her last name and cooking, it just showed how badly this Genesis power is effecting him. I really felt for her in that moment. 

 

On 7/11/2016 at 1:38 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Did not see that reveal about Eugene coming.  Not so innocent after-all, huh?  I guess it's debatable if that deserves being sent to hell by Jesse, but shooting a girl just because she didn't love you back, is certainly an unpleasant response.  I do wonder why he never went to jail for it.

I was totally not surprised. I knew he had to have done something bad, with how strongly the town seemed to dislike him - especially the girl's mother. It definitely makes it interesting - DOES he deserve to be in Hell? Has he asked forgiveness? He seems to be the kindest person on the show, but damn.....

 

On 7/11/2016 at 1:38 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Quincannon is now going after Jesse's church again; this time pretty much bringing an army to get it.  Still curious to see how he was able to twist "Serve God" around, to have all of this work

The thing is, that can even be open to interpretation. People have all kinds of different views on what serving God is. Some people think that means feeding the poor and helping the orphans. Others think that means picketing the funerals of soldiers. So who knows? I'm sure even with Jesse's command, it could still work itself out somewhere in his dark, demented brain. Also, what if "God" to Quincannon is something very different from what God is to Jesse? Money? Maybe he is serving HIS god?

 

On 7/11/2016 at 9:16 AM, lynnea6 said:

 

I've never read the comic books, and it appears that I'm off base from the comments here, but I just figured from Quincannon's actions that Jesse's commandments wore off after a while. I was expecting Eugene to be shot out of hell in the next episode or so. 

 

I have also considered that aspect, and that would be interesting. I'd like to see them follow up again with the bus driver, or the girl Eugene shot. 

[SnarkyTart]

13 hours ago, PatternRec said:

I haven't listened to the latest EHG yet, but in the show notes it says "Dave gets tired of being preached at." I wonder if they're dropping it altogether from recapping.

When/if you get a chance to listen to EHG, could you let us know if that's the case?  If so, that would be a shame. :-(

[Snookums]

Well well well, things going badly. What a shocker.

I guess Tulip is trying to be more like Emily--that is, domestic. Hence the helping out with the church supplies and cooking dinner and nearly burning the place down (That's our Tulip!) Jesse, however, is so far gone/bitchy I can't help but wonder if Tulip is finally going to blow town. His calling out her last name? That was straight up evil, and he knew it.

Cassidy continuing to be the only guy in the room going Hey, what's with that enormous elephant in the corner? is always good, and he's apparently fallen as hard for Jesse as he has for Tulip. I hope he gets some tasty blood to help heal up those burns, though. Yikes.

Eugene's dad is experiencing the same kind of regret now that young Jesse did in the flashbacks--that is, telling a loved one to die/wishing someone dead, and then getting your wish. You can tell the sheriff is terrified that Eugene really did it this time and his body is lying out there somewhere, maybe to never be found, and the last thing he said...ugh. And I think this whole "young Jesse doesn't get that you can't just keep kids like stray dogs and thus was mad at his father" thing was to show the weakness that Genesis exploited: deep down, Jesse doesn't think he can be forgiven. He really still thinks that he caused his father's death, and he's the kind of bad that can't be made good, no matter what he preaches.

So Genesis, and his interpretation of it being pretty much "Jesus took the wheel and it's not my problem" is his way of trying to renounce responsibility on one hand, and correct everything he sees with the other. And if he hadn't sent poor Eugene, poor repentant, genuinely regretful, desperate to hear God's voice again Eugene to hell, he would have gone through with his mass brainwashing plan. He's never been able to make peace with choice, free will, and destiny.

[PatternRec]

6 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

When/if you get a chance to listen to EHG, could you let us know if that's the case?  If so, that would be a shame. :-(

Nothing in reference to dropping the recaps specifically, but Dave said he was out. Thinks it's too slow and changing too much from the source. 

[SnarkyTart]

20 hours ago, PatternRec said:

Nothing in reference to dropping the recaps specifically, but Dave said he was out. Thinks it's too slow and changing too much from the source. 

Thank you.  I hope we'll see the return of the recaps.

[ganesh]

On 7/11/2016 at 8:16 AM, lynnea6 said:

I've never read the comic books, and it appears that I'm off base from the comments here, but I just figured from Quincannon's actions that Jesse's commandments wore off after a while. I was expecting Eugene to be shot out of hell in the next episode or so. 

I haven't either, and I don't intend to. I'm going on actually just watching the episodes. I don't think being informed of the comic is necessary to watch the show, and I'd go so far as to say it's probably adversely affecting the viewing experience. They're two distinct entities. 

Interpretations of whatever commands, etc., one gives can be spun out in all sorts of ways. The preacher didn't say exactly "how" to serve god. Additionally, the deal was that he'd "walk out of church a christian." However, being a christian != serving god, nor serving god != being christian. Therefore, it's quite logical from Odin's pov that the deal was fair and he wants his end of the bargain held up. 

On 7/11/2016 at 2:16 PM, pezgirl7 said:

Regarding Quincannon, I was wondering if maybe his God is a different God than Jesse's.

Oh, right. He didn't say, 'serve the christian god or bible god' or whatever. 

The thing is, it kind of lacks dramatic impact. He just has to use the voice and tell them to stop it. Then again, I suppose there could be some twist where Odin gained some immunity, but that seems gimmicky and I feel like we should have some inkling that might be a possibility. 

Either way, I'm interested in what's next. 

[Sandman87]

4 hours ago, ganesh said:

The thing is, it kind of lacks dramatic impact. He just has to use the voice and tell them to stop it. Then again, I suppose there could be some twist where Odin gained some immunity, but that seems gimmicky and I feel like we should have some inkling that might be a possibility. 

Maybe trying to command multiple people reduces the effectiveness of the power (only so much power to spread around for each command), so that a really large crowd is effectively immune.

[ganesh]

That may be true, but he just has to command Odin to tell his men to stop. Or turn one or two on the others to create a distraction and then work from there. 

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 10:19 PM, Lantern7 said:

Also disappointed that Eugene tried to kill Coma Girl (obviously, she was awake when it happened). While I understand that the comic origin wouldn't translate (Eugene tried to kill himself when his hero Kurt Cobain did the same), I would have wanted him to try and not take anybody with him. I do like the idea that the suicide attempt made him a nicer guy.

Damn, those were some good effects to show Cassidy burning. You can almost smell the flesh burning.

I hope we get an explanation as to how The Word didn't quite work on Quincannon. I only got recently reacquainted with the first twelve issues, so I'm hazy about limitations. I'm thinking that it might not work on somebody who doesn't understand English ("Go to hell." "Que?!?"), but I'm probably wrong about that.

Now I know why the town hates Eugene! I guess Jesse spoke to everyone off-screen about being nice to Eugene?

 

Cassidy immolating himself in the sun was painful to watch!

 

I'm still conjecturing that Jesse's Power Word: Command wore off on Quincannon. either because it has a duration or he was only required to "serve God" once. I expected Jesse to suggest to Quincannon that he nullify his part of the bargain, so now he's back with a legion of henchmen. So THAT'S what QM&P means!

 

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 0:10 AM, riverheightsnancy said:

Vanilla extract is a high percentage of alcohol. Many alcoholics will steal entire rows of it from the grocery store if they cannot get to or afford regular booze. (I had a patient who did this before and got caught). 

Alex Keaton's uncle, Ned(?), realized he was an alcoholic when Alex caught him rummaging thru the kitchen pantry for vanilla extract. Is there such a thing as hash browns with vanilla extract? Was Tulip trying to heat vanilla extract in the oven to make the room smell better or was that the backing sheet with the hash browns that caught fire?

 

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 4:16 PM, pezgirl7 said:

Regarding Quincannon, I was wondering if maybe his God is a different God than Jesse's. There are so many religions in the world, so Quincannon might worship one that's evil, even if it doesn't exist. I can't figure out any other reason for his actions. I also think him listening to the cattle being killed is totally disturbing, and I swear I heard other noises on his intercom, almost like dogs squeeling. :(

That didn't sound like dogs to me... it sounded like people!

On ‎7‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 11:39 PM, tennisgurl said:

Things have taken a bad turn when drunk vampire Cassidy is your voice of reason. That burning scene was nasty. It was actually bubbling. Cassidy better be alright! Or you are going to have even more to answer for Jesse!

I hope Cassidy's OK! I cannot help but wonder if there was sppsd to be a parallel between him and that pan in the oven.