On the surface, it really doesn’t feel like “Damsels” has as much going on as the first two episodes of this season. But where this episode lacks in spending on the VFX budget, it more than makes up for in laying the foundation for the rest of the season. We meet Herr Starr, the promised Big Bad for the second season; Jesse’s past is creeping up on him; and Tulip’s past has her in a stranglehold. All with New Orleans’ most famous attraction, Bourbon Street, as the backdrop.

Jesse is convinced that God is in The Big Easy, and he’s determined to find him even it means scouring every bar in the city. His quest gets off to a rocky start after their search for God leads them to a dank basement where they find themselves in the middle of an expensive kink scene, involving sex toys and a man in a dog suit. As disgusted as Jesse is, it’s impossible not to laugh as Cassidy causally reaches into his pocket to pay the man for service.
Crazy encounters aside, Jesse is well aware that Tulip is keeping something from him, but he doesn’t press her for information. She claims she’s got a stomach ache and that she doesn’t feel good, but she’s visibly anxious in the crowd, worried that someone she knows will spot her. Tulip has been weird since she had the run in with Gary in “Mumbai Sky Tower.” Cassidy knows she’s on the lam from someone named Victor, which is already more than Jesse knows. The knowledge is just another secret in the growing pile of things Cass can’t tell his best mate. But Tulip, being Tulip, is too proud to ask for help even though she’s clearly shaken by this Victor character.

There’s no mention of the name Victor in the comics, but given the situation, it could allude to Tulip’s first stint as a hit-woman that went terribly wrong. When Cassidy says he can help her, she just replies, “all that matters is that I screwed him, and now I’m in his backyard.” Comic Tulip borrowed money from a criminal and was unable to pay back the money. In a recent interview with Complex about Preacher‘s second season, Negga promised a deep dive into Tulip’s history, and it looks like fans won’t have to wait on the slow burn.
While Tulip’s story feels urgent, there’s still a lot viewers don’t know about Cassidy. Yes, he’s a vampire, yes he’s on the run from a different group of religious fanatics, but other than his penchant for strippers, drugs, and alcohol, we don’t have a lot of insight into him. He promised that while in New Orleans, the three of them could stay with his good friend Dennis, but Tulip isn’t convinced that this Dennis character doesn’t hate Cass. When they arrive, Dennis is a surly old Frenchman who doesn’t seems to speak of a word of English (and neither Cassidy nor Tulip speak a lick of French).
With both Tulip and Cass having left him alone, Jesse finds himself wandering from bar to bar drinking and asking anyone who will listen if they’ve seen God. He’s met with jeers, hostility, and even suggestions about the man-dog he’d already met earlier. Eventually, a kind bartender sends him to see a lounge singer, suggesting she might be able to help with his quest. After talking with her, he sees the woman get kidnapped by a bunch of men in white suits, red ties, and ski masks. Jesse uses Genesis to make them stop their getaway van, then proceeds to beat the lot of them in hand-to-hand combat. The singer tells him about another man who had told her that God was missing and that he was being chased by men in white suits, but now that man was dead.

Jesse, so desperate to find God, eats up everything this woman is telling him. Turns out she is one of the higher ranking officials in Herr Starr’s organization, which in the comics is called The Grail. The bartender that sent Jesse to see the singer is also in on it, and they escalate Jesse’s “file” all the way up to the big boss.
Starr, as per the comics, is ruthless, unfeeling, and doggedly determined to see his plans through no matter what. Oh, and as we’ve come to expect with Preacher, he’s a complete sexual deviant. As the second in command of The Grail (behind a figure called the Allfather), Starr becomes increasingly more interested in pushing his own agenda forward. Without potentially spoiling too much of this season, Herr Starr wants Jesse’s power for his own means, and suffice it to say that being on this man’s radar is not a good place to be.

After Jesse’s drunken bar crawl turns up no new leads, he heads to a jazz bar to end his night with a little music. As he’s walking into a bar, he notices a poster that says, “Welcome to Angelville.” He’s immediately mesmerized and frightened as the symbol on the poster is the same one tattooed in the middle of his back. In season 1, when Cass asked about that ink, Jesse said he got it from “a mean old lady.” What he failed to mentioned was that old woman is his grandmother, Marie L’Angelle.
When “Damsels” opens, Tulips reminds Jesse that he doesn’t even like New Orleans, which is why they should look for God in Mexico instead. He corrects her saying, “I like the city fine. It’s the swamps I don’t like.” Angelville supposedly rests on the border between Texas and Louisiana, in the swamplands. Series faithful will also remember that the man who killed Jesse’s father also had the “Angelville” tattoo on his arm. If AMC is setting up an inevitable showdown with Jesse and his psycho, bloodthirsty family, this season is really shaping up to be one explosive road trip! Perhaps we will finally get some backstory into how Jesse was shaped into a criminal, combat expert, man of God.
Preacher returns Monday, July 10th, at 9/8c on AMC.
Jasmin
Related posts
Classics
Andrew Walker Talks Christmas Island and the Magical Hallmark Community
[Warning: Spoilers for Christmas Island.] Now that the Screen Actors Guild strike has been resolved, we’re able to resume regularly scheduled programming and interview our favorites and yours. Up first, earlier today, I spoke with Andrew Walker about Christmas Island, which premiered last weekend and encores tonight and through the…
George Olson and Danishka Esterhazy Talk SurrealEstate “I Put a Spell on You”
[Warning: Spoilers for the episode.] Tonight’s fun new SurrealEstate found Luke caught up in an especially bewitching woman, Kay, played by Tara Yelland, Susan trapped in her house, and Zooey learning the ropes. In the next part of my conversation with showrunner George R. Olson and producing director Danishka Esterhazy,…
Danishka Esterhazy Talks SurrealEstate: “The Butler Didn’t”
[Warning: General spoilers for the episode]. Tonight’s new SurrealEstate, “The Butler Didn’t,” follows the team as they investigate the years-earlier mysterious death of a woman whose ghost now reenacts her hanging by dropping over the banister from the second floor to terrify anyone on the landing or at the bottom…
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk the From Season 2 finale
[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale.] How’s everyone doing after that finale? While we wait and wonder and hope for a third season announcement, soon, here’s what Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders had to say about their parts of the finale, and where they hope they get to go next….
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk From Season 2 + A Season Finale Preview
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] It all comes down this, #FROMily. As Sunday’s episode wraps up Season 2, we begin with the aftermath of the terrifying onset of seemingly simultaneous attacks on Julie, Marielle, and Randall, which accelerate the “We gotta get out of this place” of it all. Sara comes…
Alison Sweeney Talks About What’s Next for Hannah and Mike After Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
[Warning: Spoilers for Carrot Cake Murder.] Everybody OK after that Hannah Swensen Mystery twist? Thankfully, our favorite crime-solving couple is still on speaking term, even if they’re on a break (hopefully not that kind of break). Most importantly, we already know this isn’t the last film in the series. No…
Counting Down to From Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] We’re just shy of two weeks away from Season 2 of last spring’s obsession, From, which premieres at 9 pm/8c, Sunday, April 23rd, on MGM+ (formerly EPIX). If you never picked it up last year, now’s your chance, and you can do it for free, catching…
Thank Me Later: Will Trent
[Warning: spoilers ahead.] I’m on record as loving and losing shows over at ABC so I’m usually very reticent to pick something up on the network until it’s been renewed, and I seriously hope I’m not jinxing it, but I took a chance on the deeply odd and very sweet…
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…