He Gone showed us that Jesse’s actions have far-reaching consequences as he pushes away those closest to him, and several flashbacks give the details about what happened the night his father was murdered.
He Gone opens right where the last episode left off. The pamphlet falls to floor where Eugene was standing and the words written on it are much clearer…
“With God all things are possible.”
Jesse walks back into the sanctuary and picks up the flyer as he looks for Eugene, but when he realizes that he truly sent him to Hell, he straightens up and turns back for the door.
The camera pans away and we see that Cassidy was watching the whole thing, and he knows what Jesse just did.
Church service goes on as planned, and the church is so packed that people are sitting in chairs outside listening to the sermon through the speak Jesse installed. Onward Christian Soldiers plays before Jesse takes to the pulpit and tells them that their lives can change in a moment.
He looks uncertain for a several seconds then says, “Serve God,” but he lacks the power of Genesis.
Sheriff Root sits a few rows back, looking for Eugene. When service is over, he asks if anyone has seen Eugene but no one has, and he walks off with Jesse looking on.
When the congregation has left, Jesse returns inside and stands looking at where Eugene disappeared then walks over it.
QUICANNON’S OFFICE
The camera pans through the floor (HELL) and into Quincannon’s office. We see he’s finished The Alamo diorama, and he’s listening to the slaughterhouse on full volume.
It’s becoming clear that the God who Jesse told him to serve is not the same God he believes in.
FLASHBACK
This is another look into Jesse’s past. He was taken to the principal’s office with Tulip. They sent three kids to the infirmary, and Tulip bit off a kid’s nipple. When Jesse looks to Tulip to make sure she didn’t actually mean to bite anyone’s nipple off, she gives him non-convincing “Um hm.”
When Jesse’s dad starts to take him home, Jesse mentions Tulip needing someplace to go to. When his dad asks about her mom, she tells him that she’s in jail. When he asks about her Uncle Walter, she tells him that he’s drunk.
Jesse’s dad lets Tulip go home with them after Jesse tells him that they can’t just leave her at school.
Later that night, Jesse is praying. We find out that his mom is gone somewhere else and he tells God that he’s trying to not be so bad.
Tulip is asleep on their couch.
UNCLE WALTER’S
Tulip is carrying her heels and running as fast as she can through backyards and over fences. Finally, she hides behind a car and waits as two kids on bikes ride by.
She knocks the kid down and tells him:
“Gimme the pants.”
She goes back to her Uncle Walter’s and finds him passed out on his steps. His pants are off because the kids took them. She tries hard to get him up the stairs but he’s too far gone. As she cradles his head against her legs, people walk and drive by and give her some horrible looks.
You can’t help but feel bad for Tulip. All of these people judging and not helping. No wonder she does’t believe in God.
THE CHURCH
Jesse lists off his schedule to Emily, and it’s finally full up. He’s happy about it, and Emily seems happy, too.
EUGENE’S HOUSE
All the while, Eugene’s home is empty, and his dad has no idea where he could be.
THE CHURCH
Jesse is in his kitchen when Cassidy walks in. He tries to make small talk and ask him how he’s doing, but the conversation falls flat when Jesse doesn’t answer him truthfully.
“Well, see, to me, I think what’s up with you seems like the the more interesting question here, don’t you think?”
Jesse tries to dismiss Cassidy by saying he has Bible study soon, but Cassidy finally breaks down and tells Jesse that he saw everything that happened between him and Eugene earlier in the day.
Jesse isn’t too concerned at all that Cassidy saw, and Cassidy tells him that he’ll help him however he can. He’s earnest and shocked that Jesse doesn’t seem to think that what happened earlier is a problem.
It’s only then that they both notice Emily standing in the doorway. She’s heard what Cassidy said, but she doesn’t know exactly what Jesse did to Eugene, so that’s the only plus for Jesse in this scene.
Emily leaves and Jesse goes to teach his class.
Next, Tulip walks in and sees Cassidy in the kitchen. She tells him that she’s cooking dinner, and Cassidy asks about her plan to kill Carlos. Tulip tells him that it’s just on pause for now.
Cassidy makes fun of her grocery shopping then casually mentions that he hasn’t told Jesse about them.
“Well, that’s good. Because he’d probably kill you.”
“He won’t kill me. I’m his best friend.”
“And I’m his girlfriend, doesn’t mean I tell him everything.”
“Alright, well, if you’re his girlfriend then why did you..”
“Why did I what?”
“Why did you make love to me the other night?”
“Make love? Oh, I didn’t.”
This breaks Cassidy heart, but Tulip pushes on and asks if Cassidy has told Jesse what he really is, and when he says that he has, Tulip doesn’t believe him.
“‘Cause he wouldn’t be okay with it.”
Would Jesse really hang Cassidy out to dry just because he’s a vampire? They seem pretty close, but Genesis and a sense of self-righteousness seems to be overwhelming Jesse.
Cassidy says that Jesse’s job isn’t to judge.
“Who’s his favorite movie star?”
“What?”
“Who’s his favorite movie star? Who does he think pretty much shits sunshine? Who would that be?”
“It’s Ryan Phillippe. It’s Ryan Phillippe!”
“John Wayne. Wake up, Cassidy. Jesse’s a preacher’s boy from West Texas.”
“So what?”
“So, tell him. If you really want to, see what he does.”
That’s when Cassidy drops the bombshell that Jesse can make people do things just by telling them to, but Tulip tells him that he can’t tell her what to do.
The scene fades as Cassidy turns his head toward the classroom, and we hear Jesse teaching class, but his voice is different, and you can tell that Genesis is front and center for the teaching.
FLASHBACK
We see a young Jesse and Tulip play fighting, and Jesse’s father walks in. He asks them about their homework and tells them to do the dishes.
Everything seems to be going very well for Tulip while she’s living with the Custers, but then she overhears Jesse’s dad on the phone.
“She’s stubborn. Strong-willed.”
He’s on the phone with someone discussing Tulip and how she’d be a lot for anyone to take one, and Tulip backs away from his office.
That night, she sneaks into Jesse’s room and tries to wake him up, but he’s not really all there.
“Till the end of the world, right?”
He grunts.
“You have to say your part of it or else it doesn’t count.”
“Till the end of the world.”
Tulip lays down beside Jesse, but she doesn’t sleep. The next day, two women show up and take Tulip away.
The whole time Jesse is fighting for her to stay, yelling at the people taking her and chasing the car.
He asks his father why he did it, why he took her away. Tulip was doing good with them and barely got into any trouble at all.
“Because she’s an O’Hare, alright? There’s always gonna be trouble.”
That night, while Jesse prays, he asks for God to kill his dad and send him straight to Hell.
THE CHURCH
They’re having a rehearsal for a skit. This one is focusing on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife turns around and turns into a pillar of salt.
Emily asks him what he thinks, and he tells her,
“I think they should be more scared. An inferno at your back, consuming every man, woman, and child in its path, and you’re what? Smiling? They should be terrified. The world’s ending. Otherwise, who gives a shit?”
“Okay.
“Well, keep going.”
Emily cuts the tension and tells everyone to start over at the part where Abraham is bargaining with God to be merciful.
At that moment, Quincannon shows up and asks to speak with Jesse.
They leave the rehearsal and go to his office.
At first, Quincannon just tells him about finishing his model of The Alamo then we get to the serious subject matter.
Jesse asks why Quincannon wasn’t in church and he tells him that he’s been busy. Why would a man who agreed to serve God a week prior now be too busy to come to church? Why would he murder innocent people?
The answer is simple…Jesse told Quincannon to serve God, but he didn’t specify which God, but it’s certainly not Jesse’s.
He tells Jesse about a meat processing plant in Brazil that processes five million head of cattle a year, and how his business has been going south since it got handed down to him.
He hands over paperwork for Jesse to sign which would give him the deed to the church and his father’s land. Quincannon tells him it’s all above board.
“I didn’t agree to this.”
“Yes, you did. In my office.”
“The bet?”
“If I agreed to come to church, and I did, I came to church.”
“And you left a Christian which is what we agreed.”
“Jesse, you should know better than anymore that I’m no Christian.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You agreed to serve God. Everyone saw it. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Preacher. You saw wrong. Sign.”
Jesse refuses to sign the paperwork, and Quincannon leaves, but not before quoting William B. Travis’ letter from the Alamo, citing “victory or death”, and tells Jesse that he’ll be back.
It’s quite clear now that Jesse didn’t reach his Christian side at all, and that maybe his gift isn’t as specific as he hoped.
It’s worth noting here that the symbol of idolatry in the Old Testament is the golden calf. Quincannon just so happens to own a slaughterhouse that he wants nothing more than to see back to its original glory.
His God isn’t the God of the Jesse’s Bible at all.
THE CHURCH
Cassidy is outside the church smoking when Emily comes out. He tells her that she told him he could smoke as long as it was tabacco.
Emily ignores that and dives straight into what she heard before. That she doesn’t know everything about Jesse, but some things wouldn’t surprise her. Cassidy tells her that Jesse’s a good guy.
Emily doesn’t say anything else but tells Cassidy that dinner’s ready.
At the table, Cassidy is giving a long winded speech to everyone that “plot matters”, and i couldn’t agree with I’m more. In fact, this entire episode, I just adore Cassidy. He’s funny and sweet and vulnerable.
Emily tells him that she’s never seen anything by the Cohen brothers, and he tells her not to start with The Big Lebowski. Once again taking a swipe at Jesse’s favorite movie. Tulip looks to Jesse, but he’s just eating and not paying attention.
She asks how the hash browns are and Cassidy cuts in with telling her how great they are, and Emily compliments her on them. Jesse remains silent as the most awkward dinner every resumes.
Cassidy is still on about the Cohen brothers movies, and finally Tulip confronts Jesse and asks him what’s wrong but he shuts her down really quick. Emily and Cassidy pretend not to notice the tension between them, but Tulip slams down her silverware and asks him again what the heck is going on, and that’s when the Sheriff makes his appearance.
He’s looking for Eugene, and he figured he might have come to see Jesse, but since he’s not there, the sheriff stumbles over his words. He asks if Jesse saw him, and at that moment, the smoke alarm goes off, and fire comes out of the oven right behind Jesse.
The sheriff starts to leave then tells them that Eugene was going to go see Jesse that morning before church, and asks again if Jesse saw him. Jesse lies and says that he didn’t see Eugene at all, but Emily tells the Sheriff that Jesse did see Eugene, but he left before church started and no one knows where he went.
With that out of the way, Jesse follows the sheriff outside and Cassidy follows them.
Once the sheriff drives off, Cassidy hits Jesse in the face with the fire extringuisher. Cassidy tells him that everyone makes mistakes, and he wants to know how he can help.
Jesse tells him to look into the balcony because they’re bound to have more people next Sunday, and Cassidy says,
“I meant, what are you going to do about Eugene?”
“Well, what can I do? You tell me.”
“You just sent an innocent kid to be forever poked by piping-hot pitchforks. I think acting like you give a damn might be a good start, mate.”
“He’s not that innocent.”
“What?”
“You know about Eugene and Tracy Loach? Tracy Loach was Prom Queen, Rodeo Queen—queen of everything. Everyone loved her. Eugene loved her, too. One day, he gets the courage to confess his love, and she rejects him. Now any normal kid would sulk, nurse his broken heart, let it go. Not Eugene. Eugene got a shotgun, put it to her head and blew half her head off. Once that was done, he turned the gun on himself. So…Eugene is not that innocent.”
“So he deserves it? That’s what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying better men than Eugene Root have been cast down. Much better men.”
Cassidy launches into a tirade, telling Jesse that he needs to give Genesis back to the angels and that there’s no plan. Everything is messing with his head, and he’s not behaving how he should be. He sent an innocent kid to hell, after all.
“If his reason, if his judgement is to send one more sinner, one more lost soul into the fire, what can I do? Except stand aside and watch him burn?”
Cassidy then lays it all on the table. He asks Jesse what about him? He’s a horrible person with no ambition and doesn’t believe in God. Then he tosses the fire extinguisher at Jesse before takes off his jacket and shirt.
“Or will you let me burn, too?”
He steps into the sunlight and immediately starts burning as Jesse stands in shock watching as he burns.
This is placed in direct contrast to the way Cassidy thought he would react because he considered him and Jesse to be very close, but it seems he was proven wrong because when Jesse goes back inside to sit down, he places the fire extinguisher on the table in front of Cassidy’s chair.
Tulip asks if he’s alright and Emily asks where Cassidy went, but Jesse doesn’t answer. Then Tulip starts in with the Cassidy questions, but Jesse doesn’t answer instead, he questions her, asking if she knew what he was.
Jesse realizes right away that Tulip knew, but when he questions Emily, she doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
“Throw someone out of their ass just because they don’t live up to your uptight, redneck Christian standards. Your daddy would be proud.”
“Don’t you talk about him! What do you know about standards, O’Hare? Frozen vegitables? Vanilla hash browns. Gimme a break. What are you even doing here?”
“That’s a real good question. Dick.”
Tulip leaves and Emily tries to talk to him, but he’s just as horrible to her. She tells him that when he came back, she believed in him.
“From the day you came back here…first moment I saw you…I just believed in you. I believed in you.”
“Well, that was stupid. Go home, Emily.”
Jesse is left sitting at the table by himself, staring at the fire extinguisher.
FLASHBACK
It’s the night that Jesse’s father was murdered, and he’s waking Jesse up in the middle of the night. Jesse hides under the bed while his father faces off with the men who have broken into their home, but he’s no match for them. We never see the man, only his feet as he walks toward the bed Jesse is under.
They eventually all get taken out into the desert.
His father tells him not to cry. That Custer’s don’t cry, they fight. Jesse confesses that he prayed for this very thing to happen right as his father gets shot in the head in front of him.
THE CHURCH
Jesse tears up the floorboards of the church where Eugene disappeared and uses his Genesis voice to yell “Come back!” repeatedly. It’s his The Tell-Tale Heart moment.
Outside the church, Quincannon and all his men are on their way up the driveway with guns, ready to tear down the church and take what he thinks Jesse owes him. (Onward Christians Soldiers is playing again…)
Things are spiraling out of control for Jesse as we come to the end of this season. He seemingly let the only person who really thought he could be good, die. He’s pushed away Tulip and Emily, and he’s sent Eugene to Hell.
Can he take back control before he destroys Annville? What will he do with Quincannon about to bulldoze his church down?
Take a look at these stills from next week’s episode!
