Preacher, Ep. 109 “Finish the Song,” Recap and Reactions

Preacher’s unrelenting penultimate episode, “Finish the Song,” (Episode 109) starts with a bang and keeps the shocks coming until its ominous conclusion.

Emily’s dark deed is by far the most heinous and shocking. Determined to release herself from a trap of her own creation, she lures Mayor Person to Cassidy’s feeding den.

That’s right, she mercilessly slaughtered the man who tended her children and yearned for her affection.

What drove Emily to this bloody act? Was she tired of feeding an injured vampire fluffy creatures? And what did Mayor Person represent that she couldn’t simply break up with him?

Maybe, when she ushered Person to his slaughter, she was trying to kill a part of herself that she deemed weak.

But will she be able to live with her act? Will this be an act of liberation or damnation?

Poor judgment abounds as Deblanc and Fiore buy a black-market ticket to Hell. Desperation spawns bitter fruit. The two, though, like Emily, are holy, devout servants of God. Despite their divine appointment, they are as flawed as humans.

Nothing good can come of the angelic duos quest to Hell, especially since their decision, like Emily’s, is rooted in selfish motives. If the two throw themselves on Heaven’s mercy, they will forever be separated.

Deblanc and Fiore’s journey to Hell reveals the Saint of Killers relives the worst episode of life for eternity.

The angels continue to tarnish their divinity when they commission the Saint of Killers to do their dirty work—kill Jesse Custer.

Again, like Emily, they exploit someone’s fate and nature of an “abomination” for their personal gain. In this case, Deblanc and Fiore hope to regain God’s favor.

The Saint of Killers has one remaining episode to finish Jesse’s song. Just in time for Jesse’s coup de grâce—he promises to bring God to Texas. There are a number of loose ends remaining for Preacher’s season finale.

Will Tulip emerge Emily’s foil in the most ironic and delightful way? Tulip travels to Albuquerque, poised for revenge.

Face to face with her betrayer, Carlos, will she put the meat tenderizer to work, or will she suffer a crisis of conscience?

As she stares down her nemesis, Jesse leaves her an endearing voice message—“until the end of the world.”

She is his one and only. Does this mean Jesse embraces his dark nature, the nature that Tulip sees? Is she the light to his darkness?

And if he does indeed embrace that dark nature, just what will he do when he attempts to use the direct phone line to God?

Sherriff Hugo Root may also struggle with his conscience. When he discovers a mutilated woman in an icy hotel bathtub, he has no way of knowing she is an angel. He obliges her pleas for death, allowing her (unbeknownst to him) to regenerate. Will she beat The Saint of Killers to Jesse?

Is the Sherriff’s act one of mercy or is he giving in to his inner darkness? After all, he told his suffering son to kill himself in a previous episode. That’s darkness at its finest. He also reveals his dark side when he threatens Jesse with a fate worse than Hell.

If Preacher teachers viewers anything, it’s there is a thin, moveable line between good and evil. Nothing is as it seems.

What did you find most shocking in “Finish the Song”?

You can leave your insights, predictions, and questions in the comment section.