Dirty Little Secret: Exposing Some Harsh Truths In ‘Preacher’

By Liz Baessler

‘Preacher’ makes progress and makes a baby.

“Dirty Little Secret,” the tenth episode of Preacher, exposes its characters’ secrets—it reveals Jesus’ secret child, the Grail’s secret messiah, Featherstone’s secret identity, and Jesse’s secret pistols.

It also ensures that All-American Rejects song will never leave your head.

The repercussions of these dirty little secrets are relatively minor, at least in this episode. Featherstone just manages to convince Tulip. Herr Starr wants Jesse to know about Humperdoo. Tulip doesn’t confront Jesse about the Saint of Killers… yet.

This episode is less about the fallout from keeping secrets and more about the secrets themselves. But despite the slow advancement, it still manages to be engaging.

Tulip O’Hare (Ruth Negga), Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun)

Lately, the show’s been suffering from a certain amount of stasis. Tulip’s been stuck in her dazed state for a good half of the season now. And Cassidy, while moving forward, has been traveling a path with Denis that’s touching but not entirely unpredictable.

In this episode, however, Jesse’s storyline suddenly lurches forward. He finally gets some of the answers he’s been looking for, and we get to go along with him. It’s nicely satisfying.

I predicted last week that Cassidy and Tulip wouldn’t get much progress in this episode, and I was only half correct. Cassidy doesn’t have much to do—the joke that Denis is a rebellious teenager carries on, while their relationship goes nowhere good. 

Tulip, on the other hand, gets some interesting developments. Featherstone may be feigning her interest, but she’s exactly the friend that Tulip needs right now, offering her complete interest and assurance.

Thankfully, it seems to be working. Tulip may not be able to forgive Jesse when he gets back, but with any luck, that anger will help her to heal. As a bonus, Julie Ann Emery’s master of disguise Featherstone is lovely to watch.

Lara Featherstone (Julie Ann Emery)

While Tulip’s advancements are welcome and Cassidy’s antics are always a joy to watch, the most interesting storyline clearly belongs to Jesse, who meets Herr Starr, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Pope, and the son of God all in one day.

It’s too bad each is more disappointing than the last.

Anyone who’s read the comics knew exactly what was coming with Humperdoo’s introduction, but the payoff was still great. With any luck, even more of the Grail’s inner workings will make an appearance soon. I heard mention of the Allfather when Jesse had his head in that bag…

And with even more luck, those dog drawings will turn out to be important. They look suspiciously reminiscent of that man dog in the basement of episode three. I’m still putting smart money on him being a very key player, if not God Himself.

Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper)

“Dirty Little Secret” is a satisfying advancement of the plot and introduction of more source material. Jesse and Herr Starr are a treat to watch interact—two men from very different walks of life who can bond over their disgust with the way things are going.

And watching Jesus Christ have very vocal and very drawn out sex is a satisfyingly shocking way to open.

It’s no handjob suicide, but what is?

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