Showrunners Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen did warn us that their version of controversial Vertigo comic series, Preacher, was going to take liberties with the source material – but I don’t think anybody expected it to diverge so drastically. This past Sunday’s installment, “Sundowner,” featured the most shocking example of this yet.
The episode began by giving viewers some much-needed answers by explaining the origin of the entity (its name is Genesis) inhabiting Jesse Custer. From there, we were treated to an insanely brilliant fight scene, before things slowed down to the show’s usual pace. Then, right at the end, in a moment of rage, Custer uses “the voice” to send young Eugene “Arseface” Root to Hell. Literally.
When we meet Jesse in the comic he’s no angel, but at his core he’s a decent human being with a strong moral code and that’s maintained throughout the story. If the promo for next week’s episode is any indication, AMC is going to continue taking the character down a very dark path indeed.
Will Custer take responsibility for what happened and begin to act more like his comic book counterpart? Tune in to AMC this Sunday to find out, as Preacher continues with “He Gone.”