For those who dig the odd and irreverent, AMC's "Preacher: Season 3" begins June 24 (10 pm). It might be beneficial to watch the series from the start, now with the previous seasons queued for convenient consumption, but then this show's skewed view doesn't require an orthodox perspective.
The series, based on the DC/Vertigo odyssey by Steve Dillion and Garth Ennis, stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, our collared protagonist; Ruth Negga as his "lady fair", Tulip O'Hare; and Joe Gilgun as their bloodsucking buddy, Cassidy. They're on a quest to find God, who for whatever unreasonable reason, remains on the lam.
Last season, Graham McTavish debuted as the enigmatic Saint of Killers, buffered by Pip Torrens as the treacherous Herr Starr; while Ian Colletti paralleled events as the tragic Eugene Root/Arseface, accompanied by Noah Taylor as Adolf Hitler: the latter pair apparent prisoners/fugitives of Hell. Betty "Split" Buckley; Colin "Falling Skies" Cunningham; and "Nashville" stars Jeremy Childs and Liz McGeever now distinguish the Season 3 ensemble.
As much as I revere the show's bold bent, "Preacher" isn't a hundred percent my cup of tea. Often its socio-political droppings rub me the wrong way: its snarky residue lacking a clear-cut take on good and evil. When I do decide to watch, I must force myself to get into the right (or rather, wrong) mood, and sometimes I wonder why I even bothered. (The idea of Hilter portrayed as sympathetic has been damn jarring.) Now, my lament doesn't mean I believe the show is devoid of worthy food for thought, for it does present some interesting designs on life and death and (despite the vague elucidation) right and wrong, though its conceptual borders generally get blurred to a frustrating fault.
Since Season 2, the series has turned much more "On the Road". Along its dusty trail, producers Seth Rogan, Sam Catlin and Evan Goldberg have planted thematic traces of "El Mariachi"; "From Dusk Till Dawn"; "Pulp Fiction"; "Evil Dead"; and when it's dared to get holier-than-thou, "Star Trek V: the Final Frontier" (and therefore, "Way to Eden", "The Apple", and "Spectre of the Gun", per precursor association).
Sometimes the show strives too hard to be clever with its gory slapstick and garrulous emulations, when I suspect it could succeed on its own quirky accord. As Custer swings back to his childhood station, Angelville, we'll see just how focused and unique the scenarios can be...or not.
Anyhoo, if you're seeking somethin' different, yet sprinkled with distorted, theological and pop-cultural citations, "Preacher" might be that freakish gem to hit the spot.
