I have probably been unnecessarily harsh on the overarching plot a.k.a the search for God. I assumed from the premiere that this season would be a road trip to find God. Thus far it’s been a road trip to well, New Orleans and we haven’t left since. The search is moving at a snail’s pace with a handful of scenes peppered throughout the season. I feel a little like Tulip in this episode – agreeing to go with Jesse to dig into a God clue only to find myself distracted by something else, ultimately leaving Jesse alone on his mission.
Jesse’s biggest clue has been the audition tape of fake God. He takes that to Circuit Work to get the Dork Docs, what a name, to enhance the image and find a serial number on the gun. Thinking that he’s trying to hide a crime, the lovely employees decide to help him and erase the serial number.
I sat there wondering why? Because he’s a priest? He certainly didn’t pay them. They thought he was a murderer and still decided to help him. Why? Because the plot needed Jesse to reach another dead end to prolong the search. The serial number didn’t work, the reflection in the slate was a coffee pot. He left with less than he came in with. Unfortunately the biggest clue actually was the Grail Industries logo on the dvd. Somehow Jesse completed missed that and left the dvd to be destroyed.
Meanwhile, Eugene is settling into prison life. He’s working out, has a back tattoo of Tracy’s name and is cozy with their prison yard leader. Those nice guy tendencies – a thing of the past. Good for him. It doesn’t pay to be nice in hell jail. That is repaid with a trip to the hole.
They’re stuck in this communal room because their block has too many people for its power allotment. As soon as the warder figures out who isn’t supposed to be in hell, everyone will go back to their individual cells. With an evil smirk, she offers that person a trip out of hell if they step forward. Eugene says nothing. Has he gotten smarter? Maybe. Does he feel like he’s super evil for kissing Tracy? Definitely.
Hitler tells Eugene that no one is getting out. The person who doesn’t belong will go somewhere worse. He engineers a situation where Eugene gets to see first hand to what worse is in hell. It’s Eugene’s turn in the hole. It’s solitary confinement with an especially messed up version of your hell. For Eugene, that’s kissing Tracy but this time she’s receptive.They even awkwardly sing while holding hands. It was weird. I cringed through it. He’s happy and in hell, that can’t last. Even now Tracy can’t be with Eugene. She’s promised herself to God in the form of Jesse Custer. Jesse did send him to hell so I can understand why he’s featured in Eugene’s scenario. They start making out in front of him while he yells for them to stop. After enduring that, Eugene is more receptive to Hitler who is going to help him escape. Can I say again how uncomfortable I am that Hitler is the one helping him?
While Eugene is in a literal hole, Cassidy is a figurative one built out of a combination of his selfish actions and his inability to change despite regretting them. In a flashback, we see him singing to a baby Denis, promising to be the best dad before taking a drink from his flask. Cassidy isn’t a bad person but he is a self-centered one. How much of that is to do with his personality or the negatives of being immortal is up for debate. In the present, Denis’ health has deteriorated since the last episode. Cassidy asks Jesse to use Genesis to do something for Denis to which Jesse refuses. Jesse has used it for so many ridiculous or selfish reasons, why not try to help a dying man? The episode ends with Cassidy singing the same song he sung to baby Denis while staring at the adult version. A menacing cloud hangs over the entire. Either way, Denis isn’t long for this world
Little happened in this episode. I wish they would focus on one or two characters rather than pad the episode with unnecessary subplots so that everyone gets screen time. Tulip’s new ‘friendship’ will probably prove important but in this episode it felt shoehorned in. While the rest of her subplot spoke to her continuing efforts to process her trauma, it too barely fit in this episode. We are still nowhere in the God search. Denis is still human though it looks like he won’t stay that way for long. We still know very little about Cassidy. I still can’t pronounce his first name. Eugene is still in hell though Hitler of all people may solve that. There are five episodes left. I wouldn’t mind if they picked up the pace a little.
