Preacher: “El Valero” Review

Jesse desperately tries to save Eugene as Quincannon’s siege begins.

Image via AMC

“It’s All Just Meat!”

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

The fallout of “Sundowner” continued this week as things kept heating up on Preacher. While the show still has some dangling threads that need to be addressed, the domino effect of “Sundowner” is continuing to pay dividends as the conflict between Jesse and Quincannon comes to a head and the series heads ever closer to the comics.

Image via AMC

“El Valero” picks up with the reveal of what exactly Jesse’s father was talking to Quincannon about, which sets up a rather gruesome backstory for the character. In the present, Jesse is holed up in his church trying to find a way to bring back Eugene as Quincannon’s men surround the place in the hopes they can force Jesse to give it up. This led to a ton of great moments, from Quincannon’s gentlemanly attempts to rally his men to Jesse’s passionate attempts to rescue Eugene. The real kicker, though, was the return of the Angels, seen as the only way to get Eugene out of hell and Genesis back under control.

The acting in “El Valero” continues to impress, with Quincannon easily becoming Jackie Earle Haley’s best role in years, and Dominic Cooper continuing to bring it as he explores Jesse’s psyche as he deals with the ramifications of using Genesis. Quincannon was undoubtedly the star of the episode, though, with his old-fashioned, cow-obsessed character gaining new dimensions beyond simply being a malevolent businessman. Donnie also got a moment to shine, with Derek Wilson finally getting to result of his character’s paranoia about Jesse and his powers. The one disappointing thing, however, was the lack of Joseph Gilgun’s Cassidy, whom didn’t get much time in the episode outside of a quick reveal of his fate.

THE BREAKDOWN

“El Valero”  was an excellent episode of Preacher that continued the overarching conflict in a meaningful way and kept showing the show’s strengths, strong acting, memorable characters and a dark sense of humor. While it didn’t follow up on everything the show has set up so far, it’s great to see the show’s carefully laid narrative picking up steam, and while the season was slow to start, episodes like “El Valero” prove it was worth the wait.

What’s next for Jesse and Genesis? Tweet me @MaxMielecki. And be sure to follow us @YouNerded.

*We do not comment on anything relating to previews for the next episode and beyond.