That was one outrageous hour of television.

Heading into Preacher Season 1 Episode 0, I had a slight knowledge of what it was all about. I've read about ten issues of the comic series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon from which the show is based, and I'm glad I did.

I'm not sure I would have understood everything that was going on if I hadn't.

Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed every minute, there just would have been a lot of head scratching.

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely loved the premiere and can't wait to see what's next for Jesse Custer and his cohorts.

Jesse is a preacher from the small Texas town of Annville, and he's not a very happy guy. I suppose if I lived in such dusty place, I'd be pretty depressed and miserable too. 

From a very short series of flashbacks, it's evident that the only reason he's doing this is because of a promise he made to his dad who was shot in cold blood right before his eyes. It's a promise he can't seem to keep, but this time he's trying really hard to keep it.

And part of that reason is because he's become inhabited by a being who's been bouncing around the earth looking for the perfect host. 

Hopefully, Jesse won't blow up the way the African priest exploded a few minutes after the entity entered him. It's not clear why that happened to the African priest or the Satanic one in Russia.

Maybe the third time's the charm? Or may the entity needed someone who's as troubled as Jesse is?

Whatever this entity is, it came at the right time as Jesse was just about to throw in the towel. I can't even imagine the thoughts racing through Jesse's mind when the entity came into the church. I'd be as shell-shocked as Jesse was.He had to have been thinking that God was finally coming to answer his questions.

After knocking him out for three days, the entity has given him hope and some sort of power as evidenced by Ted taking what Jesse said about "opening up his heart" to his mom quite literally at the end of the hour. Ugh. His poor mother.

Jesse definitely has a past. When the kid that looks like the kid from Jurassic Park approaches Jesse to do something about his abusive dad, it's clear something dark lurks just beneath the surface.

Violence makes violence makes nothing much at all. That what you want, kid?

Jesse

• Permalink: Violence makes violence makes nothing much at all. That what you want, kid?

That darkness rears its ugly head when he's challenged at a bar by the kid's dad. Jesse takes as much as he can, then basically goes full throttle nasty on the guy and his friends, beating them to a pulp before he's stopped by Sheriff Root.

It certainly makes Jesse's past a lot more intriguing. 

Part of Jesse's past includes one badass chick who goes by the name of Tulip. She is, without a doubt, my favorite character so far. It was so cool watching her make the homemade bazooka with those kids from the cornfield. Nothing like a little arts and crafts project to make two kids' day.

Tulip: Hey, guys. Yeah. So, he was a really bad man. Your parents around?
Little girl: My mom's dead, and my dad's at work. But, I'm 10. I'm in charge.

• Permalink: My mom's dead, and my dad's at work. But, I'm 10. I'm in charge.

The little boy was adorable, and I have to agree with him that Tulip was pretty awesome. After all, she kicked some major ass driving through that cornfield with two guys in her backseat trying to kill her.

And she pretty much took down all the rest that came later all by herself.  But the best part was when she killed that guy with the corncob while Carly Simon played in the background.

So what's the deal with the map? 

Another character we meet this hour is a vampire named Cassidy. His whole introduction was absolutely nuts. We first meet him on a plane where he's entertaining a bunch of what look like businessmen, but turn out to be vampire hunters. How did he get up in that plane to begin with?

And even if he didn't figure out what they were, would they really have been able to kill him, because he kicked their butts in short order after he discovered the Bible in the bathroom.

The most over the top moment of the hour was when he stabbed the pilot with the jagged top of a champagne bottle, then used that same bottle to pour the guys blood into an empty bottle before he jumped off the plane to escape its inevitable crash. 

Were those his innards spread out in the crater? He was pretty smashed up, but yet had enough strength to pull in that cow and devour it. But, how was he able to put himself back together?

Eventually he makes his way to Annville's bar where he meets Jesse and ends up helping him in small way in Jesse's fight with Donnie. It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship when he and Jesse end up in a holding cell and they discuss the value of promises.

Cassidy: Promises are nasty little things. I try to stay clear of them.
Jesse: That's wrong. Promises matter. They are the currency of Christ.

• Permalink: That's wrong. Promises matter. They are the currency of Christ.

There are two cop-type guys who are also curious. They showed up in Africa and Russia and at the end of the hour they're walking up to Jesse's church. "It's here," one of them said, so they're obviously after the entity. So what does this mean for Jesse? We'll have to wait and see.

Other Thoughts:

• The sign in front of the church: "Open your ass and holes to Jesus." 
• The music this hour is awesome. I especially enjoyed "Voodoo Doll" by Son of Dave at the end of the hour. 
• The raw meat blender meal Sheriff Root made for Eugene was absolutely gross, but in par with the rest of the hour's gore.
• "I can't understand a word you're saying, pal." What Jesse said to Cassidy at the bar when they first met. Yeah, I couldn't understand that Irish accent of his either.
• The girl playing an electric guitar version of "Amazing Grace" singing completely off key. Love.

What did you think of the premiere? Will you be tuning in again? Share your thoughts in the comments below! If you missed the premiere you can watch Preacher online right here via TV Fanatic.