Preacher S02E12 "On Your Knees" Recap

Eugene is being coached by Hitler in the loop of his worst moment so they can find the backdoor to escape Hell. Finally, Eugene stands up to Tracy to tell her that she is a mean person and declares that her suicide is not his fault. Eventually, the school mascot emerges and Eugene kills him because he had molested Eugene in his youth. Then a version of Eugene's father, Sheriff Root, emerges with Eugene's facial disfigurement and once again blames Eugene for his mother's death. He tells Eugene to kill himself but Eugene refuses, saying he was just a scared kid and he does not need to apologise for his father's pain. The key to being able to escape from Hell is for Eugene to show that he does not belong in Hell and this act of love is what finally allows Hitler and Eugene to escape through a window in the vision, which is a shaft of sorts out of Hell.

In a flashback, the Saint of Killers is shown to be tormented with memories of his lost wife and child while trapped in the armored truck. Then the Grail track down his location and remove the van from the swamp while dropping in a decoy version of it in case Jesse returns to it. They then open up the truck to let the Saint out and remove the bit of a new soul that Jesse had put him in. This means that his powers are restored.

Tulip and Cassidy are still harboring feelings of resentment and betrayal towards Jesse. They contemplate the power dynamics of their group and Cassidy is disgruntled at the claim that he is third in their hierarchy. But once Jesse returns, the group seems to be taking a step towards mending things, as Jesse declares he no longer wants to think about God. When Tulip heads out into the hallway, she is confronted by the Saint who knocks her out when she tries to attack him. The Saint heads into the apartment and is intent on attacking Jesse but also fights Cassidy and Tulip when the two attack him to defend a drunkenly passed out Jesse. When Jesse wakes, he is overpowered by the Saint who intends to scalp Jesse. But before he can do so, the superintendent from Hell appears with some guards from Hell that say he must return to his place in Hell or else his wife and child will be the ones to fill it. The Saint leaves willingly and the superintendent tells Jesse he is fortunate to have Herr Starr on his side.

Tulip and Cassidy are checked out by some EMTs and head to the hospital to be patched up. Afterwards, they visit Herr Starr who advises them that they should let Jesse go and are holding him back from fulfilling his potential. The entire universe is at stake, according to Starr. Starr tells them of all the plans and how Jesse needs to take God's place. He also claims that Jesse doesn't truly care for him. They return to Jesse and express their disdain at the prospect of his taking on this role, despite their love for him. But Jesse had seen a TV address by the Pope that claimed that God's disappearance means that the Messiah is coming. He is weary of the idea of Humperdoo being elevated to Messiah status.

Down in Hell, Hitler and Eugene are still crawling through a vent, in an effort to escape from Hell. Jesse decides to take over God's job and pays a visit to Herr Starr, who kneels before him.

Preacher airs on Mondays on AMC at 9/8c.