Preacher: Damsels

Damsels is the third episode of season two of the supernatural drama series Preacher, and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Michael Slovis with a script written by Sara Goodman. It first aired on Monday, July 3rd, 2017 at 9:00 pm. In this episode, Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy journey on to New Orleans in their ongoing search for God. While Jesse goes from jazz club to jazz club randomly asking people if they've seen God, Cassidy and Tulip shack up with one of Cassidy's French-speaking friends, Denis. Meanwhile, Eugene Root is in Hell re-living the worst moment of his life.

Synopsis
Eugene Root is in Hell. He relives the worst moment of his life, which is the day that he tried to talk Tracy Loach down from taking her own life. He thought he had succeeded, but at the last moment Tracy placed a double-barrelled shotgun under her chin. Eugene tried to yank it away, but was too late to prevent a shot from blowing the top of Tracy's head off. Believing he had killed her, he attempted to take his own life in similar fashion. The gun didn't go off right away, so he stared down the barrel, at which point it fired. Eugene awakens from the memory and finds himself in what appears to be a prison cell in Hell.

Meanwhile, Jesse Custer, Tulip O'Hare, and Cassidy drive to New Orleans. Tulip really doesn't want to go there due to some shady business in the past and tries to discourage Jesse from pursuing this. Custer is resolute however, and believes that if God is on Earth for the jazz, then it would only make sense that he would go to the jazz capital of the world. They're initial task of trolling the clubs looking for God meets with bizarre results, as one man brings them to a pay-for-sex fetish dungeon, which includes a man wearing a full Dalmatian costume. Cassidy and Tulip decide that they have had enough of this, and decide to meet up with Cassidy's friend, whom he says will let them crash for the night. Jesse elects to remain in the French Quarter, and continue asking people if they know where God is.

Cassidy brings Tulip to the home of an elderly French man named Denis. Denis lets them inside, and presumably agrees to let them spend the night. He speaks no English however, which is unfortunate, as neither Cassidy nor Tulip speak French. Tulip is really nervous about being in New Orleans, and is desperate to avoid notice. One woman however, Mrs. Barbaret, recognizes her. Meanwhile, Jesse asks another bartender about God, and the man directs him to a club where he tells him to ask the lounge singer. Jesse goes to the club and meets Lara Featherstone. As they go outside, a van races towards them. Jesse commands it to "stop", but several men dressed in white jump out and grab Lara. Jesse fights them off and saves Lara's life.

After her incident, the two spend some time talking, and Jesse reveals his secret power to her. When they part company, Lara goes to the men in white's van. She is secretly a member of their group, and the entire abduction was staged in order to determine whether or not Jesse Custer actually possessed the Genesis power. Back at Denis' place, Tulip grows agitated and tells Cassidy that she is going out for cigarettes. She goes to a laundromat that has a cigarette machine. She breaks a hundred dollar bill and then begins feeding quarters into the machine. Viktor's men enter the establishment and surround her.

Jesse Custer continues his all-night jazz club troll. He gets to one particular spot where he requests the band play a song that he believes is God's favorite. Another patron chimes in and tells him that the chaotic lack of melody of the song is suppose to signify the end of the world.

Back in Hell, Eugene leaves his prison cell and begins wandering the corridors. He hears a noise and begins shouting out "Hello". Who should step out but the one and only Adolf Hitler himself.

Elsewhere, the leader of the men in white organization, Herr Starr, takes stock of recent developments.

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 contains strong violent and graphic content unsuitable for some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.


 * Actor Graham McTavish is credited in this episode, but his character, the Saint of Killers, does not make an appearance.


 * There are two central locations presented in this episode. The primary setting is New Orleans, Louisiana. The secondary setting is Hell. In Eugene Root's vision in Hell, he is back in Annville, Texas prior to the accident that caused his deformity.


 * This is the second appearance of Herr K. Starr on the series, but the first time that he is played by actor Pip Torrens. He makes a non-speaking cameo role at the end of the episode only. He previously made a minor appearance in the season one episode, "The Possibilities". He was played by actor Morse Bicknell in that episode and was identified only as "The man in white".


 * This is the first appearance of Lara Featherstone.


 * This is the first appearance of Adolf Hitler on Preacher. He has a brief role in the episode and is presented as a soul consigned to Hell.


 * This episode aired on the exact same date, but a year later from the "Sundowner" episode from season one.


 * Terri Loach makes a behind-the-scenes flashback appearance in this episode. Her voice can be heard on the other side of her daughter's bedroom door.


 * Actor Kim Collins also played an alligator poacher named Lee on the "Boy Parts" episode from the "Coven" storyline of American Horror Story.


 * Actor Mark Adam Miller also played an unidentified character on the "Village of the Damned" episode of Scream: The Series.


 * Actress Rhonda Dents also played a character named Janet on the "Fearful Pranks Ensue" episode from the "Coven" storyline of American Horror Story.


 * Cassidy continuously mis-pronounces Denis' name, even after Denis corrects him (in French). With a French accent, his name is actually pronounced "den-ee".


 * Tracy Loach appears in a flashback vision from Eugene Root's punishment in Hell. This is the earliest chronological appearance of the character to date, and predates the beginning of the series. She appeared last in Call and Response", which was the final appearance of the character.


 * Eugene Root's prisoner number is 3787211725.

Allusions

 * According to Cassidy, there are 187 jazz clubs in New Orleans.


 * Herr Starr is one of the major antagonists presented in the Preacher comic book series published by Vertigo. He was introduced in issue #13 of the title in 1996 and is presented as the head of a secret society known as The Grail.


 * Reference is made to Viktor in this episode. Viktor is a New Orleans crime boss whom Tulip O'Hare is deathly fearful of. The Grail was originally introduced in issue #13 of the Preacher comic book series.


 * The men in white that Jesse Custer fights with belong to an organization known as The Grail. They are not identified as such in this episode. This episode reveals that Lara Featherstone is a member of the group, and Herr Starr is the leader.


 * Lara Featherstone is based on the character of Sarah Featherstone, who appeared in the comic book series. She was introduced in Preacher #13.


 * The bartender who directs Jesse Custer to find Lara Featherstone is F.J. Hoover. He is a member of The Grail and first appeared in Preacher #13 in 1996.


 * The man that Eugene Root encounters in the corridor in Hell is none other than one mister Adolf Hitler. The mustache gives it away. Hitler was a German politician and complete psycho-pants who really made life miserable for Europeans back in the 1930s and 1940s. Credited with being responsible for the deaths of more than six million Jews, it is no surprise that he should end up in Hell. But what's his interest in Eugene?

Quotes

 * Jesse Custer: I like jazz.
 * Tulip O'Hare: I like tacos. Doesn't mean I go to Mexico.
 * Jesse Custer: You have gone to Mexico.
 * Tulip O'Hare: I didn't go to Mexico for tacos, Jesse. I went to kill a guy. That's my point.

Crew

 * Jeanie Bacharach - Casting
 * Dave Porter - Composer
 * Tyler L. Cook - Editor
 * Dave Blass - Production designer
 * Andrew Voegeli - Director of photography
 * Matt Tauber - Supervising producer
 * Philip Buiser - Co-producer
 * Mark Stegemann - Consulting producer
 * Craig Rosenberg - Supervising producer
 * Sara Goodman - Co-executive producer
 * Mark McNair - Co-executive producer
 * Michael Slovis - Executive producer


 * Garth Ennis - Executive producer
 * Steve Dillon - Executive producer
 * Ken F. Levin - Executive producer
 * Jason Netter - Executive producer
 * Ori Marmur - Executive producer
 * Vivian Cannon - Executive producer
 * Neal H. Moritz - Executive producer
 * Seth Rogen - Executive producer
 * Evan Goldberg - Executive producer
 * James Weaver - Executive producer
 * Sam Catlin - Executive producer
 * JoAnne McCool - Co-producer