By: Jaclyn Cascio (@jaclynator)
AMC gave us a special treat, following up the premiere episode of Preacher on Sunday with a bonus second episode this Monday! The sophomore season of the show based on the Vertigo comic book series of the same name started with a heck of a bang. Did the second episode follow suit or just fizzle? Read a review of the second episode of the season right here!
Pleasantly surprising, “Mumbai Sky Tower” kept up the pace set by the season’s premiere episode. Opening with a strong action sequence chock-full of guns, blood, and explosions in a very Tarantino-esque fashion, the episode promised to maintain the excitement. Appropriately, the show followed the violent sequence with more guts and gore, but this time with a flair that is unmistakably Preacher. Because who doesn’t want to watch a death montage of a cowboy hat-adorned angel with a British accent turned Indian showman at a casino? (Let’s be honest, that concept alone is something no other show could pull off.)
Does “Mumbai Sky Tower” have more going for it than violence requiring a splash zone? The daily departing angel’s assistant, Frank (Vik Sahay), certainly wanted more. His commentary about the savagery of humans seeking gore in the place of artistry seemed aptly aimed at the audience of Preacher. What’s more, the character helped Jesse (Dominic Cooper) get back on God’s trail with a “lightbulb” flash of insight into the jazz-loving deity. Intentionally meta or not, the moment made “Mumbai Sky Tower” appear to be a self-aware beast, in all the right ways. Add a little more love story and a dab of tragic angelic loneliness to the blackly humorous episode, and even outside the bloody splash zone, “Mumbai Sky Tower” was on point!
Small “lightbulb” moments (with literal lightbulbs sometimes) were just part of the fun of this Monday’s episode. The premiere episode set a tone for showcasing the characters up front, while displaying oddly interesting and humorous action behind. That tone was maintained with “Mumbai Sky Tower,” and the small moments are a hoot! Not being a reader of the comic books, I’m fairly certain that some of the background moments with a spotlight shined on them are Easter eggs for comic fans. Keeping things going and maintaining the pace appear to be priorities for this season of Preacher (so far), perhaps in response to critic and viewer response to the first season.
On that note, the pacing of “Mumbai Sky Tower” was perfect for the story. By the end of the episode, some events have been wrapped up neat and tidy (with a bow made of intestines, if anyone from Preacher wrapped it) and the team is off to a new location on their search for God. Little detours along the way are part of the flavor of Preacher, like a drug-induced romp with vampire Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and angel Fiore (Tom Brooke), which was disturbingly charming. However, with Tulip (Ruth Negga) and her old pal Gary (Michael Beasley) adding another level of mystery, there is some trepidation that some detours might take the audience away from the main plot. The jury is still out on this topic.
Overall, the complaints of the first season of Preacher appear to be a thing of the past. “Mumbai Sky Tower” maintained the great energy established by the premiere episode of the season, and it was interesting and exciting (although not in any way I’d want to tell my mother about). I was left wanting more absurdity, and I am anticipating next week’s episode!
If you’re also anxiously awaiting the next episode of Preacher, the show will return next week at its usual time on Monday nights at 9/8c on AMC.
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via The Nerd Machine
http://www.nerdhq.com/preacher-mumbai-sky-tower-review/
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