Preacher Season One – Dark Twisted Fun
Preacher is a show that shouldn’t work, the concept and the source material is something that shouldn’t translate so brilliantly to TV. Somehow, with a refreshing creativity and construction, season one of Preacher became one of my favourite comic book TV shows in a while. I hadn’t read the comics before I began the series, so I was unfamiliar with the major criticism of the show which was its treatment of its source material. Instead, I was greeted with this tight, fun and insane show with some really quite inventive and daring content. And it is so bizarre, and it knows it, it revels in the absurd and the gothic, which makes it undeniably entertaining with its dark twisted tone enticing you in an impressive first series.
The plot revolves around the small town of Annville, Texas which is a fantastic contained setting. The town reminds me a lot of Twin Peaks, with a lot of unusual and weird characters which know each other. Its claustrophobic and menacing, which fits in fantastically with the protagonist of Jesse Custer. Dominic Cooper is truly remarkable as the unfortunate preacher, he begins as this defeated, worn out and fed-up character that Cooper portrays with such malice and frustration. The pacing of his character arc is really quite admirable, with character beats being slow and subtle without wasting the audiences time. He isn’t a likable guy, he is tough to identify with and that makes him a controversial protagonist, but this is supported by the fantastic flashbacks that become a staple of the series. Cooper does manage to maintain a charisma and an essence of pathos through all of his character faults, he is neither anti-hero nor hero, he sits in this strange middle ground of moral ambiguity.
Speaking of fantastic casting, Ruth Negga and Joseph Gilgun steal the show as they round of the iconic trio. Gilgun as Cassidy is a miracle, a stroke of genius from the creators. An alcoholic, drug abusing, party animal Irish vampire is not a safe and easy character in the first place, but Gilgun manages to pull of the absurdity whilst maintaining an incredible amount of charm. He is to thank for the majority of the comedy in the season, he offers a refreshing change of pace and tone with comedy that’s surprisingly diverse. Negga is a shining example of how to write a female character, she has this right amount of agency and vulnerability. She is introduced through a crazy violent fight scene and manages to keep that bite in her character consistently.
The world of Preacher is what really sold it to me. With this series of characters that are so insanely wonderful. With the absurd and confusing Fiore and DeBlanc creating some of the funniest and most inventive moments of the show. The disturbing flashbacks to the story of this unnamed Cowboy are truly upsetting to watch, a gorgeous dark and melancholy storyline that really stands out cinematically, it does include a lot of set up before the pay off which requires some patience. Eugene or Arseface, is another example of creating an absurd character that I couldn’t help feeling highly sympathetic towards. Weirdly a lot of the simpler and down to earth characters are the least well rounded, especially Custer’s friend Emily who stands out as the weak point. I adore the tone of this show, the punk gruesome action with a stellar cast and hilarious absurdity makes it so addictive to indulge in. And that has been a clear aim for the shows production, with writers that have worked on Breaking Bad teamed up with Seth Rogen, you can imagine the quality. Really dark, intense and frightening scenes are treated in this heightened way that they become embodied in dark comedy.
I feel a lot of the appeal of the show is going to be lost due to how crazy contemporary it feels. Everything feels new, daring and tongue in cheek that it can be hard to stay on board with. With a modern gruesome perspective on how to shoot an action scene, having the fight feel scrappy, unpredictable and intimate to the point of discomfort in contrast with this adrenaline pumping excitement. Characters that are absurd and ridiculous, for often unexplained reasons with the focus on establishing the world as an unfamiliar and absurd world. This is all elevated with a beautiful visual individuality, with a unique colour palette and framing that create art from the gore. A lot of the action is shot in long takes, with incredibly fluid camera movement that never feels too unrealistic and ridiculous. The pacing is a typical complaint, the plot doesn’t really kick in until episode 4 or 5, but I don’t take issue with it at all, instead, we get lovely character moments with a gorgeous presentation that it managed to hold my attention. Each season has managed to up the craziness even more, that in reflection Season One feels like a smaller contained story resulting in a rawer and darker insanity.
Thanks for reading!