Preacher recap: With God All Things Are Possible. Genesis is Another Story …

Well, we knew last week was just the beginning of it all hitting the fan, and hitting the fan it is! So welcome back Preacher fans. This week is just chock full of disturbing. I fell in love with Jesse Custer when he was a drunken turd of a crappy preacher … he should have stayed that way. Now he’s so much worse. It can be argued it’s not his fault, but it is.

He had the golden opportunity to put Genesis back in its damn can last week. He didn’t.

So, with that said, I am no longer fond of Preacher’s Preacher. He’s pissing me off. Isn’t it funny how ugly someone becomes when they act an ass? I might not even ask Dominic Cooper for his autograph right now! Custer’s got only a few episodes to redeem himself or I spend next season throwing tomatoes at my TV.

Eugene is in Hell, I assume. That’s bad, but what’s worse is that Jesse opens the doors for church, regardless. It’s so gross, even Cassidy looks like he’s about to puke. He watched the whole thing go down, so Jesse’s going to have to answer for it. Good.

The church is full and then some — it “runneth over.” Thank goodness for the chairs and that outdoor speaker! The masses (even Tulip, who looks just like me on the rare occasion I find myself in church) listen to Jesse’s very short sermon — which ends with the usual, “Serve God” — before he hands it over to a nice lady who leads the congregation through the prayer of confession. Jesse’s listening, but he’s not reciting. Sheriff Root sits next to his hat … it’s where Eugene should be.

Odin, who skipped out of church because he’s not a Christian and Jesse’s powers didn’t stick, has finished off his Civil War scene. He’s happily listening to cows being butchered and thinking about his expansion. Anyone share in my desire to cattle prod his bald head until it starts smoking?

Afterward, we get some more backstory on Tulip and Jesse. They’re sitting outside the principal’s office for their involvement in a fight. Jesse’s history with Donnie (how does Schenck translate to Skank?) has been a long one. Donnie’s in the infirmary — one nipple short, thanks to Tulip — along with two other kids. Tulip goes home with Jesse and his dad because her mom is in jail and her uncle is drunk. Jesse prays for her that night. It’s sad, but it’s life. I’m glad she’s got a soft place to fall. I’m not callous. My day job just exposes me to plenty of this.

I think one of the reasons I love this series so much is because the most important lessons learned in life don’t come from a school book (or a prayer book). Of course, I’m not saying Preacher is a good substitute for either, but it is a great smack in the face for those willing to take it. OK – maybe that sounds rotten, but keep an open mind. I think we’ve become a little numb and need a dose of brutal truth to make us think … even if it’s fake. Every character in Preacher is someone we know … maybe very personally. Now, feel free to cuss me out.

Tulip is either chasing or running away from someone. I envy her cat-like skills. If I could hop a fence like that, I would have avoided at least one of my underage drinking tickets! And how does she always look so damn cute? Anyway, she’s chasing, and after putting her heels on the hood of a truck, we find out who and why. She knocks a kid off his bike, retrieves a pair of pants and returns them to her uncle, who is passed out on his front porch. He won’t wake up, so she grabs a smoke from his pocket and waits. The neighbors look on with disgust … even the new liberal mascot.

Back at the church, Jesse’s goes over his very full itinerary with Emily. He’s “just getting started.” Wonderful. I notice that getting Eugene back isn’t on the list. Eugene’s bedroom is empty.

Cassidy addresses this. He finds Jesse alone for a moment, so he takes the golden opportunity to let him know he saw the whole “Go to Hell, Eugene!” incident. Jesse doesn’t take it quite the way I expected. He’s pretty indifferent. Cassidy offers to help him figure something out with the “arsey-face kid” situation, but Emily tells Jesse he’s needed in the other room. How long was she standing in the doorway? Jesse dodges the bullet for now.

Tulip walks in with dinner fixins. She and Cassidy have a conversation about Carlos (on hold for now), groceries (frozen vegetable medley included) and Jesse. Who knows him better? At this point, the answer is likely neither. I really want Fiore and DeBlanc to show up with the coffee can and a sledge hammer. Just give him a good concussion. I don’t hate him enough for the chainsaw yet.

Flashback to young Jesse and Tulip. Things seem to be going well, but while she and Jesse are doing dishes, Tulip hears John Custer on the phone. We don’t hear what he’s saying, but Tulip looks worried. That night, she crawls into bed with Jesse and wants him to reassure her they’ll be together until the end of the world. He does, but the next day, Social Services takes her away. He looks to his dad for an answer, but all he gets is, “She’s an O’Hare,” and that means trouble – fine preacher passing judgement on a child – even though she’s kind of proved him right thus far. There is nothing Jesse can do, and his anguish leads him to pray for his father’s demise … we all know his prayer is answered.

At the church, some parishioners are putting on a play for Jesse’s approval. Emily seems happy with it, but Jesse looks a little perturbed. The actors don’t look scared enough. “They should be terrified! The world’s ending!” His words work to wipe the smiles right off everyone’s face. “Otherwise, who gives a shit?” Once he’s ruined the light mood in the room, he grins and tells them all to keep going. Jesse! Your Genesis is showing! Simmer down!

Odin shows up and wants a word with Jesse. I know exactly why he’s there. He hands over the deed of transfer for the church. Jesse’s shocked. Odin admitted he’d serve God, and everyone in church saw it happen! Odin hands Jesse a pen — like he’d ever become a Christian. He went to church as promised, left an even bigger a-hole, and now he’s come to collect.

Jesse refuses to sign, but it ain’t gonna be that simple.

Emily calls Cassidy in for an extremely odd dinner. Cassidy likes a lot of ketchup (go figure) and Emily (politely) doesn’t like the vanilla extract spiked hash browns Tulip made. Cassidy likes the Coen brothers … except for The Big Lebowski, which is shite, remember. Jesse just looks miserable. Maybe he’s not a fan of the hash browns, either. Tulip finally asks him what’s up and makes things a whole lot more uncomfortable.

Then Sheriff Root shows up and uncomfortable becomes a huge understatement. Where is Eugene?

Flaming hash browns create a momentary distraction, and it seems like Jesse might get away with lying when he tells Root he hasn’t seen Eugene all day, but Emily pipes up. Yes he did — in the morning before the service. Jesse acts as though he can’t recall, and then Emily has second thoughts about what she just did. She looks at Jesse and lies. She tells the Sheriff she saw Eugene leave, too. By the look on his face, Root knows something isn’t right, but he leaves anyway. Jesse walks him out.

Cassidy follows, and after the Sheriff drives off, he gets Jesse’s attention with a fire-extinguisher to the face. It’s time to talk — for real. What is Jesse going to do about Eugene and how can Cassidy help? He sent an innocent kid to hell, for shite sake! What we hear next is finally the story of why the Loach family hates Eugene so much.

Tracy was the town darling. Eugene was in love with her. She wasn’t in love with him. He couldn’t take the rejection, so he shot her and then himself. That’s the real story. Jesse says hell is probably where Eugene belongs. “Better men than Eugene have been cast down.”

Wow. Judge, jury and executioner. Jesse Custer, you aren’t serving God, so stop telling everyone else to do so. You, my dear, are a hypocrite.

Cassidy begs him to think about what he’s saying, but Jesse is certain Genesis is still part of God’s plan, and even though he was on Eugene’s side before sending him to hell, he’s pretty sure sending him to hell is part of the plan, too. Now he’s just going to “stand aside and watch him burn.”

Brilliant way to pass off his wrong-doing.

It’s time to get real. Talking doesn’t work. Cassidy says Tulip’s right about Jesse. He points out every horrible, sinful thing about himself. He denounces God as a “moppet who smells his own farts.” He’s livid.

He tosses the fire extinguisher at Jesse. Jesse asks why. Cassidy, as he removes his clothing and walks out into the sun, says, “It’s for me, Padre. Will you let me burn too?” As the sun hits his skin, he’s ablaze. Jesse watches in horror, but doesn’t put him out. He falls at Jesse’s feet.

Jesse walks back in, slams the extinguisher down on the table and picks up where he left off with dinner. Tulip and Emily just look at him. Tulip asks if he’s alright. He slams his beer in response. Emily asks about Cassidy. Jesse doesn’t answer, so Tulip asks. He answers with a question. Do either of them know what Cassidy is?

Tulip gets really pissed; she thinks Jesse threw him out because he didn’t live up to Jesse’s “redneck Christian standards.” Then she mentions his father and Jesse loses it. He spits some serious venom at Tulip — serious — and she leaves.

Emily is the last one left. She still believes in him. He tells her she’s stupid and to go home. Now he’s alone.

One more flashback. We saw it before. His father’s death. But I recognize the skull tattoo I saw on Jesse’s back last week. It’s on the forearm of the man who holds the gun to John Custer’s head. Jesse prayed for it; the gun goes off.

In the next scene, Jesse smashes through the floorboards of the church and digs desperately at the soil beneath. He’s going to find Eugene. He’s going to make something right. He has to. He promised.

But outside, an army approaches. It’s Q.M.&P. Odin Quincannon leads the way on a bulldozer. Donnie, dressed in his Civil War re-enactment duds, isn’t far behind. Shite.

Wow … I seriously have questions!

• Will Jesse finally give in and return Genesis to its can?
• Is everyone who believed in Jesse gone for good?
• How can Jesse stop Odin if Odin can’t be influenced by the “power”?
• What did John Custer do to end up dead?
• Where did Jesse end up after his dad’s death?

Sound off in the comments! I have ideas about the above, but I’m dying to hear what you all have to say! Bring on the discussion! And follow me on Twitter @KimberlyThies1!