Preacher: What We Know, and What We Desperately Want to Know

Published on June 21, 2016 at 12:20 PM

This week's episode of AMC's Preacher is revelatory, if you'll pardon a bad pun, but it doesn't give us everything we need. The series has been short on exposition and very long on mythology and intrigue, but we've done a little legwork to help you sort out what's what. It's time for a rundown of what we know about all our favorite citizens of Annville, TX, and what we still need to know to make sense of the universe as a whole.

Jesse "Preacher" Custer

What we know:

Deep down, he's a bad, bad man — at least according to Tulip. If we're to believe her, Jesse has a dark side that goes far beyond breaking arms and making men squeal like bunnies. And we know that he made "a promise" and that he's desperately trying to keep it, but we don't really know to whom.
Jesse and Tulip have a past that runs deep and is fraught with serious drama. They were double-crossed by a man named Carlos who is a "money stealing, child killing" rat, and they are both motivated to get revenge.
They are both obligated to a woman named Danny, who works for a big bad with a penchant for snuff films.
His daddy was a preacher, too, and involved somehow with the Quincannon Meat & Power folks — going on secret, midnight missions. If Jesse's memories are reliable, his dad was unyielding when it came to his duties as a preacher and made an example of Jesse for his congregation.

What we still need to know:

How is Jesse so bad? Tulip is playing very coy about their shared past, which might have a sexual and romantic component, if there is any fairness in the world.
All the talk about maps and jobs makes it seem like they have a professional past, too, which could probably explain where Jesse and Tulip learned to fight.
What (or who) the hell (sorry, more puns) is the gift he has, and does it have a mind of its own? What's the price he's paying to use it?

Tulip O'Hare

What we know:

Described by AMC as "A volatile, hell-raising force of nature, Tulip O'Hare is Jesse Custer's ex-girlfriend and one true love. She's also a gifted criminal who's not afraid to steal, cheat or kill to get what she wants." She goads Jesse to do all the dirty, terrible things we want him to do, and she's the one doing the bad-influencing.
But this barely scratches the surface. Her mother was a prostitute, and her dad struggles with crippling alcoholism. She's spent lots of time at the Toadvine whorehouse, and she can hold her own in a battle of wits and in a street fight — not to mention poker.

What we need to know:

What happened between her and Jesse? He clenches every time she's near him, and she's obviously aware of the power she has over him.
What is her connection to Danny and Carlos?
Are we getting a whiff of a romantic storyline for her and Cassidy, and can I put this on my Christmas list for Santa to deliver?

Cassidy

What we know:

He's a 119-year-old vampire vagabond who likes Chinese food and Justin Bieber but thinks The Big Lebowski is overrated. He loves boozes and narcotics and isn't afraid to succumb to his most basic urges, even if it means smoking attic insulation if he needs to. His values are constantly at odds with Jesse's, but they are quickly becoming best mates.

What we need to know:

Pretty much everything. Where does he come from? What part does he play in Jesse's promise? Is he going to be a constant broker for Jesse's gift, as antagonists appear to try to possess it?

The Government Agents

What we know:

They're not really government agents, but instead, angels sent from heaven to return whatever is inside Jesse to the coffee can. Named DeBlanc and Fiore, they have thick accents and dress like Texas Rangers, but they can keep cool heads in the face of some pretty dicey situations — like getting murdered by a chainsaw or run over by a church van.

What we need to know:

Are they really angels? And is the mysterious phone a straight line from God?
Who is the mysterious "they" that they don't want to know their whereabouts or the "why" of their mission?
Are they as immortal as they've proven so far?
What toll will it take on Jesse to remove whatever is inside him? Will Cassidy sell him out to these guys?

Odin Quincannon

What we know:

He's the owner/operator of Quincannon Meat & Power, and he's got his stubby little fingers in almost every aspect of Annville, including a questionable past with Jesse's father.
Even the sheriff seems to do his bidding, as he quickly brushes off the murder of one of the prostitutes from Toadvine.

What we need to know:

Did Jesse just defeat the season one villain in one short scene? Where do we go (as far as big bads) next?
What's the history between Jesse and Quincannon, besides Jesse's father's land? What does it mean that Jesse can now control him with his gift? Will Donnie become more important to Quincannon, therefore more dangerous to Jesse?

Eugene "Arseface" Root

What we know:

His facial deformity was caused by a failed suicide attempt, following something terrible. His dad is Sheriff Root, racist, dimwitted, and barely tolerant of Eugene. His mother is maybe catatonic, and he looks up to Jesse as the only person who's been kind to him.

What we need to know:

What really happened to cause him to attempt suicide?
What is the connection between him and the girl in a coma, Tracey Loach?