[AMC] Preacher

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:20 am

...aaannnnddd kerplotz.

As an aside, I'm amused that the majority of people playing the main Texans in this film are British citizens.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue May 24, 2016 12:52 pm

Lassr wrote:Just now read the Wikipedia for The Preacher characters and it now makes more sense. So hopefully it is explained further in the future episodes. There were some spoilers in the Wikipedia so I didn't read far into each characters bio.

There's no need to be reading character bios at this point. Preacher's story begins very much in medias res, and much of the later story is actually in the form of flashbacks explaining all the shit that led them to this point. You're not supposed to really know how these characters relate to each other and who they are yet. It'll be introduced slowly, probably over several seasons.

The comic is that way too. The first time Tulip and Jesse encounter each other in the comics (apart from a brief intro in the first pages), Tulip goes "Jesse? Jesse fucking Custer!!" And that's about as much as you get right there, but it's enough to realize that these two have a serious history, one that the reader isn't allowed to know until quite a bit later. This becomes the topic of the second graphic novel in the series, "Until the End of the World," which is one of the most awesome, disturbing stories I've ever read. We've already seen hints of it in this first episode, so it's pretty obvious that it's coming.

So just relax. The knowledge you crave will come in time, and if they follow the graphic novels, it will come in epic fashion.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Tue May 24, 2016 12:53 pm

hepcat wrote:...aaannnnddd kerplotz.

As an aside, I'm amused that the majority of people playing the main Texans in this film are British citizens.

They're naturally born thespians carrying on the legacy of The Bard. Damien Lewis as an US infantry officer or LA detective. Charlie Hunnam as the leader of a biker gang. It's in their DNA I tell ya.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:18 pm

We tried to watch the pilot tonight and after 30 minutes of seemingly disjointed and unconnected WTF? moments, we just gave up. We may go back to it tomorrow to see if it redeems itself, but I remain skeptical.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:24 pm

It's definitely not for everyone. The story is pretty satirical and its target is often religion. But I'm not sure I understand what was frustrating some of you about the narrative though. It doesn't give you all the answers in the first episode (hell, I doubt you'll get them in the first season), but I didn't see anything that was contradicting itself or purposely obtuse. It's a mystery that we need to watch unfold...just like any other mystery story.

Odin · Post by **Odin** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:12 pm

hepcat wrote:But I'm not sure I understand what was frustrating some of you about the narrative though. It doesn't give you all the answers in the first episode (hell, I doubt you'll get them in the first season), but I didn't see anything that was contradicting itself or purposely obtuse. It's a mystery that we need to watch unfold...just like any other mystery story.

Let's be fair - it gave NO answers. Every character introduced is completely out of context. I mean, the chick in the car, fighting over a map in the back seat, then making a bazooka out of vegetable cans and shooting a helicopter out of the sky? We literally jumped into the car as she was shooting a passenger. That's about as purposely obtuse as I think I've ever experienced in a TV show. Exploding priests (and celebrities), some invisible force wailing on the main character. Something about a waitress who doesn't really like to do her job and does like to sass the mayor. A guy who eats tea bags. Don't know what any of that was about.

Like I said above, I'm intrigued and plan to give the show a chance, but maybe I just don't watch a lot of "mysteries." Scratch that, I definitely don't watch any "mysteries." Is that what this is supposed to be? Like Agatha Christie or something? Because frankly I have no idea what this show is about, and I told AMC as much when they sent me some surveys before it came out. Having watched the premiere... I still have no idea what this show is about, other than really vague summaries like "A small-town priest has issues." I don't need everything laid out for me on day 1, but I'm used to about 100x more character introduction than this show seems willing to give, and it's not my favorite experience ever.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:51 pm

I trust that they will tie the pieces together. I already have a faint idea of the underlying story arc -- I suppose I ought to spoiler it.

Spoiler:

That's about all I sussed and it might not all be right, but it definitely left me wanting more. I do wish they'd subtitle the vampire's lines, though. His brogue is too thick for me.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Wed May 25, 2016 3:51 am

Odin wrote:Like I said above, I'm intrigued and plan to give the show a chance, but maybe I just don't watch a lot of "mysteries." Scratch that, I definitely don't watch any "mysteries." Is that what this is supposed to be? Like Agatha Christie or something? Because frankly I have no idea what this show is about, and I told AMC as much when they sent me some surveys before it came out. Having watched the premiere... I still have no idea what this show is about, other than really vague summaries like "A small-town priest has issues." I don't need everything laid out for me on day 1, but I'm used to about 100x more character introduction than this show seems willing to give, and it's not my favorite experience ever.

Preacher is more of a modern western with supernatural overtones, unafraid of satirizing Christianity. Some of the more weird stuff you saw in the pilot makes sense when you learn what's going on. I actually appreciated the teabag eating, because it was the first and only sign in the pilot of who these two guys actually are. Having said that, the TV show takes this much, much slower than the graphic novel. The first time you see these guys there, you're told exactly who they are, what importance they have, and what their motivations are. I suppose we're going to have to wait a few episodes for that to be revealed in the TV show.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed May 25, 2016 7:30 am

I would advise some of you to avoid the Twin Peaks reboot coming up. It will positively enrage you, I suspect.

But Odin makes some fair points. I'm guessing my history with the source material is making me more biased than I should be. That or I'm just more lenient towards shows that unfold slowly.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Wed May 25, 2016 10:58 am

TiLT wrote:
Lassr wrote:Just now read the Wikipedia for The Preacher characters and it now makes more sense. So hopefully it is explained further in the future episodes. There were some spoilers in the Wikipedia so I didn't read far into each characters bio.
There's no need to be reading character bios at this point.

It was necessary for me. After the first episode I was completely lost and not sure I was going to watch the next episode. I have other things I could be doing like playing Stellaris. So with no clue what I was watching I needed to know in what direction this show was going. Reading the wiki helped and I liked the premise so I am invested in watching the first season. If I had not read the wiki, the next time it came on it may have went unwatched because I had forgotten about it and then the next time I would say why bother I have already missed one episode...

At least if a movie starts out this way you have 2 hours to explain what happened; with a series you may have to wait 6 weeks or so. Do I want to invest that time and then it ends up being something that I didn't find compelling.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed May 25, 2016 11:02 am

The rule of 3. This show is made for it.

Malificent · Post by **Malificent** » Wed May 25, 2016 3:03 pm

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watchi ... he-tv-show

Some thoughts from Garth Ennis about the changes for the TV show.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed May 25, 2016 10:15 pm

It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong and I'm nothing if not a big man. The second hour was a lot more enjoyable than the first 30 minutes. I can't say I'm hooked, but I'm intrigued enough to come back.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Thu May 26, 2016 7:16 am

Daehawk wrote:The rule of 3. This show is made for it.

If this is in regards to how the show is recorded, you might have added points to your

account from my husband! He did camera work for a TV show several years ago. He told me once about the 3's

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:11 pm

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite things on tv.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:18 pm

Yeah the plot is coming together with the latest episode. Tell me: Was that E3 or E4? I suspect that my DVR might have missed E2 because there was a long jump after the pilot.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:52 pm

Kraken wrote:Yeah the plot is coming together with the latest episode. Tell me: Was that E3 or E4? I suspect that my DVR might have missed E2 because there was a long jump after the pilot.

Last night was E4.

Did you see the episode where the beginning was set in the late 1800s? That was E2.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:12 pm

pr0ner wrote:
Kraken wrote:Yeah the plot is coming together with the latest episode. Tell me: Was that E3 or E4? I suspect that my DVR might have missed E2 because there was a long jump after the pilot.
Last night was E4.

Did you see the episode where the beginning was set in the late 1800s? That was E2.

Nope, my dvr decided not to watch that one. The disorienting 3-week jump after the pilot almost lost me because E3 didn't make much sense, but E4 pulled me back in.

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 11:12 pm

Shit. I forgot about this. When they took the 1 week break it left my mind

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 6:27 am

pr0ner wrote:
Kraken wrote:Yeah the plot is coming together with the latest episode. Tell me: Was that E3 or E4? I suspect that my DVR might have missed E2 because there was a long jump after the pilot.
Last night was E4.

Did you see the episode where the beginning was set in the late 1800s? That was E2.

Actually AMC has done something strange with the way they have numbered the episodes. They numbered the pilot Episode 0 and the second episode is actually Episode 1, so by AMC's accounting, we are on episode 3, although we have seen 4 episodes.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:43 am

rshetts2 wrote:
pr0ner wrote:
Kraken wrote:Yeah the plot is coming together with the latest episode. Tell me: Was that E3 or E4? I suspect that my DVR might have missed E2 because there was a long jump after the pilot.
Last night was E4.

Did you see the episode where the beginning was set in the late 1800s? That was E2.
Actually AMC has done something strange with the way they have numbered the episodes. They numbered the pilot Episode 0 and the second episode is actually Episode 1, so by AMC's accounting, we are on episode 3, although we have seen 4 episodes.

I'll bet that's why my DVR decided it didn't need to record E2...er, E1. AMC probably screwed up the "new" flag when they screwed up the numbering.

Paingod · Post by **Paingod** » Tue Jun 21, 2016 11:46 am

As a bonus, you can watch E0 and E1 (second episode, the one you missed) on AMC's website without logging in.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:16 am

Great show so far. A little confusing in the first couple of episodes trying to figure out who all the characters are and their relationship to one another, but they are being fleshed out.

Spoiler:

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:20 am

I need to get back to this having a premiere and then not airing the second episode for couple of weeks did the show no favors for making a regular, especially as the pace is slow.

I hope my DVR did not also mess up. If it did, that will probably be the end of the show for me. Right now TiVo is just collecting episodes and I haven't been bothered to watch anything. TV, in general, is not pulling me in right now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:41 am

I don't find the pace to be all that slow, though. I've been watching Outcast on cinemax lately and THAT'S an example of slow. But Preacher? I think it moves at a pretty decent clip.

This is still climbing my list of best shows on TV right now. The only thing I don't like about it is the actress playing Tulip. For some reason she's just not working for me. I think it's because she's so damn tiny and delicate that I have a hard time envisioning her as the bad ass from the comics. She's certainly easy on the eyes, though.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:00 pm

For those that have missed them, my DVR was grabbing the first 5 episodes tomorrow labeled as "extras" or something similar. It looks to me like AMC is just re-airing them all. I'm really enjoying it but I think they screwed up having the premiere and then taking a week off. That really makes no sense at all.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:06 pm

hepcat wrote: The only thing I don't like about it is the actress playing Tulip. For some reason she's just not working for me. I think it's because she's so damn tiny and delicate that I have a hard time envisioning her as the bad ass from the comics. She's certainly easy on the eyes, though.

I still see her as Flower from Agents of SHIELD. Keep expecting her to turn into a mutant.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:07 pm

My wife has been watching it with me and she is utterly confused. I'm about 14 issues into the comic and the show is utterly confusing me as well since it diverges so completely from the comic.

I learned patience watching Better Call Saul, but this is losing me. Not even the events of this week's episode (where something totally happened) have inspired much interest.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:08 pm

hepcat wrote:I don't find the pace to be all that slow, though. I've been watching Outcast on cinemax lately and THAT'S an example of slow. But Preacher? I think it moves at a pretty decent clip.

This is still climbing my list of best shows on TV right now. The only thing I don't like about it is the actress playing Tulip. For some reason she's just not working for me. I think it's because she's so damn tiny and delicate that I have a hard time envisioning her as the bad ass from the comics. She's certainly easy on the eyes, though.

Have you read the graphic novel or are you familiar with the plot? Because for someone who has no background, they are definitely filling in the blanks at a very slow pace. The two episodes they have opened with the western setting in the 1800's, zero context at all so it makes no sense, unless you already understand what the tie in is. Now Im fine with how they have paced the show but they are holding their cards really close to the vest. I guess Tulip must be a matter of prior knowledge as well because I think Ruth Negga has done a fantastic job.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:28 pm

Moliere wrote:Great show so far. A little confusing in the first couple of episodes trying to figure out who all the characters are and their relationship to one another, but they are being fleshed out.

Spoiler:
I am curious about the rationale of Rorschach shooting those people as "serving god".

Did you miss what the angels said to Jesse at the diner? That'll answer your spoiler.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:35 pm

pr0ner wrote:
Moliere wrote:Great show so far. A little confusing in the first couple of episodes trying to figure out who all the characters are and their relationship to one another, but they are being fleshed out.

Spoiler:
I am curious about the rationale of Rorschach shooting those people as "serving god".
Did you miss what the angels said to Jesse at the diner? That'll answer your spoiler.

Crap, I did miss that. Could you spoiler the answer for me?

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 12:47 pm

pr0ner wrote:Did you miss what the angels said to Jesse at the diner? That'll answer your spoiler.

Spoiler:

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 2:27 pm

Moliere wrote:
pr0ner wrote:Did you miss what the angels said to Jesse at the diner? That'll answer your spoiler.

Spoiler:
Something about what was inside him wasn't god. I guess implying that it was a force of evil? It certainly creates interesting scenarios like the "open your heart" command, but I still don't see how killing people "serves god".

Hepcat, this is for you too:

Spoiler:

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 2:28 pm

Ah, thanks. I didn't get that twist. I mean, I read the graphic novels, but that's a bit of a different interpretation of the power.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:14 pm

I don't think that interpretation is correct. It's more likely that it's Odin Quincannon's interpretation that matters here. What he considers to be "serving god" is likely entirely different from what Jesse expects. He might be going all Old Testament on the town.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:48 pm

That sounds a bit more like the spirit of the graphic novel, but I'm also aware that there are bound to be changes. So I'm not discounting any interpretations yet.

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 7:25 pm

hepcat wrote:Ah, thanks. I didn't get that twist. I mean, I read the graphic novels, but that's a bit of a different interpretation of the power.

It's what I took out of watching the ep, and I've never read the graphic novels. It's entirely possible I'll be shown to be wrong in the next ep (no spoilers from the novels, please).

Chaosraven · Post by **Chaosraven** » Wed Jun 29, 2016 11:29 pm

COMIC BOOK SPOILER REGARDING THE VOICE

(pr0ner, DO NOT READ)

Spoiler:

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:21 am

Odin could also be taking his command way more literally than even we are. Remember that meat is a big part of his life. He could see "serve God" as literally serving him (as in serving him dinner). We'll see if he starts chopping up those people he murdered.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Thu Jun 30, 2016 7:34 am

AMC just announced that Preacher has been renewed for a second season and increased the order from 10 episodes to 13 for next year.

Also for those who have had DVR issues or either want to catch up with the series,

This Thursday night ( June 30th ), AMC will air a “Preacher” catch-up/DVR marathon of the first five episodes of the current season, starting at 9:00 p.m. and running through 2:35 a.m. Friday morning. The sixth episode appears on AMC this Sunday in the show’s regular timeslot at 9:00 p.m.