Preacher: Call and Response

"Call and Response" is the tenth episode of season one of the supernatural drama series Preacher. It was written and directed by Sam Catlin. It first aired on AMC on Sunday, July 31st, 2016 at 9:00 pm. In this episode, Jesse Custer is still on the run from Hugo Root, but that is not deterring him from his promise to bring God to church on Sunday. Jesse's grand celebration meets with unexpected results as a God impostor video conferences in with the congregation and tells everyone that the true God is missing. And then the town blows up.

Synopsis
Jesse Custer is on the run from the law, and does his best to avoid the pursuing Sheriff Hugo Root. Root fails to capture Jesse, but he knows where to find Jesse's friend, Cassidy. He arrests Cassidy and throws him in jail until such time as he is willing to tell him where he can find Jesse Custer. Cassidy refuses to cooperate. Hugo reveals that he knows that he is a vampire and shoots him in the chest. He then offers him a small cup of blood so he can heal, just so he can shoot him again. Cassidy gives up no information, but Sheriff Root decides to let him go.

Tulip O'Hare barges into the home of Donnie and Betsy Schenck. She breaks the glass door and slams Betsy's head into the table, breaking her nose. She demands to know where Jesse is. Jesse is hiding out with the Schencks, and Tulip is surprised to see that he has actually made peace with them. He is still committed towards giving his sermon on Sunday in which he has promised to bring God to Annville. Instead, he just beats Carlos to within an inch of his life.

Tulip drags Jesse off and brings him to her car. She opens the trunk, revealing Carlos - their former partner from a bank robbery that went horribly wrong when Carlos ran out on them. She wants Jesse to kill Carlos out of revenge. Jesse is prepared to do it, but Tulip stops him at the last moment. She is satisfied knowing that Jesse was willing to to kill him for her.

Sunday comes along and everyone turns out at All Saints Congregational to see if Preacher Custer is in fact going to bring God to Annville. Odin Quincannon is present, as is Sheriff Root, Cassidy, Terri Loach, Tracy Loach, Tulip, Emily Woodrow, and nearly everyone else from town. Jesse hooks up the Heaven-phone and sets it for video-conferencing. A brilliant yellow light fills the area behind the pulpit, and the face of a white-bearded man with big hair appears. Declaring himself God, his voice echoes stating that "I am the Alpha and the Omega". Everyone is in a deep state of shock. They begin asking questions such as "Are we saved?", and "What happened to the dinosaurs". Clive wants to know if he will get his severed penis back. As the spectacle continues, Jesse begins to suspect that this is not actually God. He accuses him of being a phony and demands to know where the true God is. The being before him insists that he is God until Jesse forces him to reveal the truth using the Genesis power. The being then confesses that God is missing, and nobody knows where he is. Afterward, he disappears.

The people of Annville, having witnessed all of this, now feel as if there is no God, and no reward for living a just life. People begin acting insane. Terri Loach suffocates her comatose daughter. A bunch of school children murder bus driver and child predator Linus Dilmoe. An Indian and a Prairie Dog commit suicide by hanging themselves from a tree.

Meanwhile, the methane reactor at the Quincannon Power and Meat has been building up pressure, and the attendant has not been paying attention to it. As the pressure builds, gas mains all across town open up. The methane gas reaches critical mass and the entire town of Annville explodes, killing nearly everyone.

Later, Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy meet at a diner. Jesse shows Tulip that he has this power and demonstrates it by forcing her to kiss him. She then tells him to never do that again. He decides that he wants to find God to get some answers. And if God is unwilling to cooperate, then Jesse intends on kicking his ass. Cassidy and Tulip both like the notion of a road trip and agree to go with him.

Back in Annville, Susan the seraphim angel stumbles across the wreckage. A shot rings out and her chest explodes outward. Standing behind her is the Saint of Killers, holding a smoking gun. He approaches Susan's body (which has not re-spawned as it normally would upon death) and crushes her hand with his boot. He then speaks in a demonic voice, saying a single word. "Preacher".

Crew

 * Jeanie Bacharach - Casting
 * Matt Tauber - Producer
 * Craig Rosenberg - Consulting producer
 * Garth Ennis - Co-executive producer
 * Steve Dillon - Co-executive producer
 * Sara Goodman - Co-executive producer
 * Michael Slovis - Co-executive producer
 * Mark McNair - Co-executive producer
 * Ken F. Levin - Executive producer
 * Jason Netter - Executive producer
 * Vivian Cannon - Executive producer
 * Ori Marmur - Executive producer
 * Neal H. Moritz - Executive producer
 * Seth Rogen - Executive producer
 * Evan Goldberg - Executive producer


 * James Weaver - Executive producer
 * Sam Catlin - Executive producer
 * Rebecca Moline - Co-producer
 * Mary Laws - Story editor
 * John Grillo - Director of photography
 * Dave Blass - Production designer
 * Hunter M. Via, ACE - Editor
 * Anne Johns - Unit production manager
 * W.M. McNair - Unit production manager
 * Brett Dos Santos - First assistant director
 * Louis Lanni - Second assistant director
 * Dave Porter - Composer
 * Karyn Wagner - Costume designer
 * Kiira Arai, CSA - New Mexico casting

Notes & Trivia

 * Preacher is based on a comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. They were originally published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint.


 * This episode is rated TV-MA. It is suggested for mature audiences.


 * This episode had a special 90-minute running time.


 * This is the first episode of Preacher directed by series co-creator Sam Catlin.


 * This is Sam Catlin's third episode on the series as a writer. He previously wrote episode 1x02, "See".


 * Actor Jackie Earle Haley is given a "Special appearance by..." credit in this episode.


 * This is the first episode of the series where Mary Laws is credited as a story editor.


 * Actress Jordyn Aurora Aquino is credited as Jordyn Aquino in this episode.


 * According to writer, director and executive producer Sam Catlin, every mortal being who was in Annville when it exploded died. This includes Odin Quincannon and Emily Woodrow and her family, as well as other familiar characters such as Donnie and Betsy Schenck. Catlin explains that the explosion is a direct result of the absence of God. "A sinful, Sodom and Gomorrah-type town, blowing up on its shit".


 * This is the third appearance of Susan, the Seraphim. The episode implies that she dies for real this time after being shot by the Saint of Killers, as she does not appear to re-spawn as she did during the Sundowner Motel donnybrook in "Sundowner".


 * This is the ninth and final appearance of All Saints Congregational, which is destroyed in this episode. It appeared last in "El Valero".

Allusions

 * Reference is made to actor Tom Cruise in this episode. A news report shows that his ashes are being shot into outer space. Cruise was one of several individuals who exploded after being unable to handle the Genesis power in the pilot episode.


 * Cassidy once again goes on a tear about his lack of appreciation for The Big Lebowski. This is a 1998 dramatic comedy film produced by Joel and Ethan Cohen and stars Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi. It has garnered strong popularity and maintains a cult following.


 * Cassidy speaks of getting high, drinking Red Bull and going to a Justin Bieber concert. Justin Bieber was a teen pop star who came to prominence in the mid 2010s. Cassidy first admitted his fondness for him in "The Possibilities".


 * Hugo Root refers to Annville as a "Monster Swamp". "Monster Swamp" is also the title to episode 1.04.


 * Cassidy makes reference to Brokeback Mountain in this episode. This was a romance drama film directed by Ang Lee and released in 2005. It depicts the homosexual relationship between two men named Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist. Cassidy uses this reference as a comparison to the apparent homosexual relationship that appears to exist between Red Savage and the Prairie Dog.

Quotes

 * Cassidy: I sort of lost my head there a bit. Crime of passion.
 * Hugo Root: Judging from this, you're a very passionate man, Mister Cassidy.

....
 * Jesse Custer: Ready?
 * Tulip O'Hare: Do I look ready?
 * Jesse Custer: Carlos, what about you? You ready?
 * Carlos: I'm... I'm not. Not really.
 * Jesse Custer: Tough shit.

....
 * Tulip O'Hare: So what's the plan, Jesse?
 * Jesse Custer: The plan is simple: find God.
 * Cassidy: Oh, no offense, padre, but I'm right... I'm tired of the God talk now.
 * Jesse Custer I am, too. That's why we gonna go out and actually find God.
 * Cassidy What? Like a... like a road trip? With buckets of guns, sex and drugs, and shady characters dressed in bikinis?
 * Jesse Custer: Yeah, I imagine there'll be a bit of that.
 * Cassidy: I'm in. Done.
 * Tulip O'Hare: I'm sorry. We're just gonna, like, drive around shooting people, getting wasted and looking for God?
 * Cassidy: Oh, I'm so in.
 * Tulip O'Hare: And what are you gonna do when you find him?
 * Jesse Custer: Well, if God wants our help, we'll help him. If he doesn't, we're gonna kick his ass.


 * Jesse Custer: Kiss me.

....
 * Saint of Killers: Preacher. [Last line of the episode]

Keywords
Angels | Annville | Gunshot victims | Hallucination | Hangings | Severed hand | Smoking | Texas