TV Review: PREACHER: Season 2, Episode 6: Sokosha [AMC]

Preacher: Sokosha Review

AMC‘s Preacher, Season 2, Episode 6: ‘Sokosha,’ stopped to torch the roses, now that the chase train had completely pulled into a major junction, and made the stop worthwhile.

After what was beginning to look like a series of distractions – for Jesse (Dominic Cooper), Tulip (Ruth Negga), and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) – the Genesis Bounty got back on track, once The Saint of Killers (Graham McTavish) hit town. The tail-end caboose caught up with appropriately terminal velocity (though I’m still not sure how he got into town, without a major municipal confrontation); so the episode had to either bring things to a head, or find a way to change pace. To the show’s credit, it did both.

What started out as a cautionary example, of why someone who reads legalese should always be at a release signing, turned into some serious soul searching – and not the existential kind. Actually, it was more a matter of heist-meets-hostage-crisis; but lets not get too far ahead.

Almost easy to miss was the undercurrent theme of the most personal of things becoming straightforward transactions, and vice-versa. The opening scene set the stage, as such; but it also put a cold spin on how orphan Allie (Stella Allen) conducted herself, while bringing a final context to how TSK had been going about his mission. It also weighed on both Jesse’s stay-of-execution quest (glad to see a certain Godly performance put to use), and the final judgement to their crucial crossing.

The episode wasn’t without its purely sentimental charms, however. Breakfast for the God Squad was a nice reminder of how well these three play off each other, when given a breather – even when said breather serves as the dead calm before a series sized storm. I’m not sure if there was any significance to yogurt taking one for the team; but we were certainly meant to be yelling at the screen, by that point, anyway – so maybe nothing. At the very least, it did get the Squad finally focused on what has been questing after their quest, finally.

The history of TSK was a lot briefer than I expected (maybe because much of it was covered in season 1); but it did make for a useful pause. Say what you will, about Books on Tape – that read recount made for a moment of multi-media magic (the Cheyney closer could be considered complimentary cake).

I’ve been avoiding the subject of Denis (Ronald Guttman), this whole time, because I didn’t want to pick a fight over which came first: Preacher, or a little seen show called New Amsterdam. Since I doubt much anyone even remembers New Amsterdam (despite starring a certain Oath Breaker), I only considered it because its premise made the Denis-Cass matter kind of moot, to me; but, at the same time, I didn’t want to spoil it for anyone else. At the very least, Cass forgetting to factor Denis into their plight kind of summed up their relationship.

Given that it took an almost season-long side-story to introduce & unleash the Cowboy, this was a resolution that came relatively quickly. It did make sense, however, as I imagine finding reasons to keep Jesse out of TSK’s clutches, while still using The Word, could’ve gotten old. Consider that the God Squad is confined to a single location, again, and it could’ve been downright stupid.

For what it was, however, I thought it satisfying. TSK needed to be front & center – not just a background plot-driver – and a full-on confrontation had to be a decisive one. Of course it’s not over – there were all sorts of loose ends that will see to that – so I’m content that he had a real moment, before the rest of the source material starts getting into the act.

Besides adding some extra layers, to the season’s New Orleans bedding (Jesse’s other name & Angelville), ‘Sokosha’ gave us the most Cowboy time, since last season’s unleashing. Graham McTavish didn’t disappoint, and neither did the script. There’s no way the series is done with TSK, and the outcome to ‘Sokosha’ set a high bar for a resumption of hostilities – complete with an all new flavor of beef, between Jesse & TSK.

It also set a high bar for the Men in White. With the season’s best distraction currently out of the way, however, the remaining antagonists at least have a better shot at earning a place in the Rogues Gallery.

Here’s hoping that they earn a more memorable spot than Quincannon did, at least.

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