Preacher has closed its second season, bringing the tales of Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy to an end for now. On the whole, Season 2 delivered a much better story than the show did in its initial outing. Managing to stay a bit more true to the original source material, this season saw the introduction of Herr Star, Featherstone, Hoover, Humper Doo, and even gave us our first look at the bizarre interpretation of God in the seedy streets of New Orleans. The gang battled against their inner demons, the unstoppable juggernaut called the Saint of Killers, the nefarious workings of the shadowy organization “the Grail,” Cassidy’s vampiric son, and one another.

As this season wrapped, we saw Tulip take a bullet and die in front of Jesse and Cassidy, with Jesse realizing that there may yet be a way to bring her back in the mysterious compound known as “Angelville.” While the series seems to be taking events from the comic and portraying them a tad out of chronological order, it’s clear which direction the show will be heading toward in its eventual third season. Warning: some comic spoilers are below.

Gran’ma

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The main ringleader of the Angelville estate is none other than Jesse’s “Gran’ma”, Marie L’Angell, who tormented her grandson specifically to lead him into a life wherein he served God. Gran’ma is one of the most terrifying villains to be found in Preacher and that is certainly saying something. Marie runs her compound with an iron fist, punishing young Jesse by placing him into a coffin at the bottom of a lake for weeks at a time. When Jessie was still a toddler, L’Angell kidnapped both him and his parents, forcing them to live under her roof and live a “godly life.” In one escape attempt, Jesse’s father was killed by two of Gran’ma’s most well-known goons and eventually, Jesse’s mother was hauled away as well (though she was later revealed to be alive in the comics). Gran’ma works hand in hand with God himself to try to re-capture Jesse, but is eventually killed by her grandson, who blows up her mansion. Fun fact, Marie herself was over 100 years old, yet still managed to torment Jesse at every turn, even finding immunity from “the Word” thanks to the Almighty’s help. The TV series changes her backstory a tad to imply that she has some expertise in the dark arts, with an ability to even bring back people and animals from the dead, which is something she certainly couldn’t do in the comics.

L’Angell wouldn’t be nearly as terrifying as she seems without the help of her two right-hand men, Jody and T.C. The best way to sum up T.C. in a single word is “pervert.” The bald redneck sports his overalls proudly, and flaunts the fact that he will “have sex with anything that moves,” which he does numerous times throughout the comic series. The real threat is in Jody though, whom Jesse describes as the meanest man alive. Think of Jody as Preacher’s version of an evil Batman -- someone who knows how to do most anything, but uses that ability to be psychotic and cruel. Jody teaches Jesse how to fight, how to fix cars, how to hunt, and generally makes him the man he is today, though Jesse is always adamant to not be pulled into Jody’s worldview. The trio were shown briefly throughout the second season with their faces covered probably so they can find the right actors for Season 3 I’m sure. Most certainly, they’ll be the main threat that Jesse and crew have to tangle with for their next outing.

The Allfather

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Allfather D’Aronique is cruel, vicious, the true head of the Grail, and happens to weigh nearly a thousand pounds. Mentioned in passing by Herr Starr at the halfway point of the season, the Allfather believes that Jesus’ progeny will be the true messiah to the world at large, despite his problems. D’Aronique may seem to be less threatening due to his stature, but he always makes sure to know everything that is going on around him, which he uses to eliminate his enemies in a fast and grotesque manner. The battle of the minds between the Allfather and Herr Starr is definitely a great story in the pages of Preacher, as the two plot against one another. The Grail itself has nearly unlimited funding, and controls all heads of state across the globe, which the Allfather oversees. The Allfather is also a worthy and on-brand disgusting cast member, as he will usually eat a huge amount of food then proceed to vomit it all back up into a bucket. Needless to say, if you don’t know what you’re getting from Preacher at this point, I don’t know what to tell you.

In the comics, the Allfather brings Jesse to his compound in France, revealing that he is the nephew to Jesse’s Gran’ma, feeling particularly peeved when Jesse kills her in a fiery inferno. D’Aronique pits Jesse against Starr in a battle to the death, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Saint of Killers, who kills most of the guards on duty in a bloody display. As the situation becomes more hectic, the Allfather attempts to make his escape via helicopter, only to be kicked off by an angry Starr. D’Aronique falls to his death, humorously falling right on top of the young, mentally challenged messiah at the same time. Following his death, Herr Starr became the new Allfather and D’Aronique never returns. It will be interesting to see how the Allfather is portrayed in Preacher, as they haven’t seemed to pull many punches so far, so him resembling his portrayal in the comics as a giant evil “cardinal” may be reflected in the television series.

Les Enfants Du Sang

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Much like the Allfather, Les Enfants show up in the blink of an eye in Season 2, when Cassidy finds a website that his now-vampire son is searching. The website disturbs Cass to his core, with screams erupting, but without us seeing what specifically is being shown. In the comics, the “Enfants” are a joke, a group of teenagers and trust fund kids who want nothing more than to become vampires themselves. In order to do this, they attempt to hunt Cassidy after the Irish vampire kills their leader Eccarius, a vampire who tried to keep his existence in that of the gothic architecture created by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. When Cassidy tried to take Eccarius under his wing, the vampire killed an innocent girl for her blood and was subsequently killed by Cassidy in the light of the sun. As is a pattern with “good ole Cass,” his past dealings with the group spell nothing but trouble for Jesse and Tulip who are caught up in their wake. “Les Enfants Du Sang” translates into “Children of Blood,” which is a fairly apt title all things considered.

Much like in the show, Cassidy is about as much of an antihero as you’re going to find. He is just completely messed up, and it's what makes him a great character overall, with the “Enfants” being a direct consequence of his lack of forethought. Granted, he did put a stop to Eccarius, but Cassidy lives a life of irresponsibility and that of a never ending party to drown out his sorrows. The books convey this a bit more than the show does, but that’s understandable considering the depth that the comic when into with character building in general.

What did you think of the Preacher Season 2 finale? Are you looking forward to Season 3, or are you burned out? Let us know in the comments!

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Image via AMC