"The Possibilities" is the third episode of the supernatural drama television series, Preacher. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on June 12, 2016. The episode was written by Chris Kelley and directed by Scott Winant.
Tulip (Ruth Negga) meets a woman named Dany (Julie Dretzin) in Houston, Texas and receives a slip of paper with the address of the enigmatic Carlos, with Tulip intending Jesse to aid her in confronting and killing the man who ruined their lives. Jesse (Dominic Cooper) tests the limits of his newly found abilities of persuasion and finally understands the nature of his abilities when Donnie (Derek Wilson) confronts Custer with a gun, with Jesse later holding control over him. Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) tells Jesse of the possibilities of his abilities, while discovering the true nature of government agents Fiore (Tom Brooke) and DeBlanc (Anatol Yusef); subsequently ending with a quasi-partnership between the mysterious two and the vampire. The episodic title is a reference to a speech given by Cassidy convincing Jesse about imagining the different possibilities of what he can do with his power.
"The Possibilities" received mostly praise from critics, who noted Jesse's interaction with Donnie, Cassidy learning the truth about Fiore and DeBlanc, and Tulip's performance with the cop as being the high points of the episode. The episode garnered a Nielsen rating of 0.7 in the 18–49 demographic, translating to 1.75 million viewers.
Plot Tulip (Ruth Negga) meets a woman named Dany (Julie Dretzin) in Houston, Texas and hands over the stolen map. In return, Dany gives her a slip of paper with an address. In a flashback, a car zooms past Tulip in an alleyway as an alarm blares nearby. Back in the present, Tulip tells Dany that was the day she lost everything — including her relationship with Jesse. Afterwards, Dany sits behind a mysterious Man in White in a pop-up movie theater and hands him the map. He dismisses her. The Man in White leaves the theater.
At the Sundowner Motel, Sheriff Root interrogates Fiore (Tom Brooke) and DeBlanc (Anatol Yusef). They explain that "something" got loose and ended up in Annville. When Sheriff Root (W. Earl Brown) asks if they're talking about an escaped prisoner, they say yes. Sheriff Root bemoans the state of humanity. After Sheriff Root leaves, Fiore suggests they try using the can again on Jesse, revealing an assortment of guns. At the Loach residence, Mrs. Loach (Bonita Friedericy) tells Emily that Tracy's (Gianna Lepera) eyes opened after Jesse prayed with her.
Donnie (Derek Wilson) walks his son, Chris (Thomas Barbusca), to the bus stop and tells Chris not to worry about noises coming from his parents' bedroom. Donnie adds that adults' relationships can be "complicated." Chris apologizes for ratting out Donnie to Jesse and says he attacked a boy who mocked Donnie for getting beat up by Jesse. Linus (Ptolemy Slocum) picks up a line of kids in his school bus. He smiles at the young girl he once desired and asks her name—his memory of the girl having been wiped out by Jesse. The kids on the bus erupt in squeals when they see Donnie, mimicking the sound Donnie made when Jesse beat him up. Donnie hollers at them.
At church, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) answers a knock at the front door and finds a coffin with the body of Ted. Emily (Lucy Griffiths) tells Cassidy to handle the body. Cassidy grabs the van keys and sees Jesse (Dominic Cooper) sitting in the common room. Jesse tries out his new power on Cassidy and barks out a list of commands. Cassidy's excited about Jesse's new power.
A cop pulls Tulip over for speeding and asks her to step out of the car. The officer catches sight of a ring Tulip's slipped onto her finger, prompting him to ask where she served. He lightens up as she lies about her time in the military. Tulip explains she was speeding because she's desperate to help a friend who's been making bad life decisions. The cop lets her go.
At Quincannon Meat & Power, Ms. Oatlash, the receptionist, leaves an envelope on Odin Quincannon's desk. At church, Cassidy brainstorms explanations for Jesse's superpower and asks what it feels like. Jesse describes it as "all of God's creation inside of me." At the motel, Fiore and DeBlanc are outfitted in helmets and bulletproof vests, ready to deal with Jesse. In Quincannon's office, Donnie reads a letter from the owner of a company called Green Acre. Donnie offers to beat up the owner. Quincannon (Jackie Earle Haley) does not reply but tells Donnie to clear his lunch tray. Donnie struggles to pick up the tray with his one good arm. "A right-hand man with no right hand," Quincannon says.
Cassidy cremates Ted's body. As he returns with Ted's ashes, he sees Fiore and DeBlanc. Jesse drives down the road, with Tulip pulling up next to him, showing Jesse the address that Dany gave her. In a flashback, Jesse stands over a dead security guard whom he's shot in the head, as an alarm sounds in the background. Tulip screams at the getaway car as it speeds away. In the present, Tulip proposes they kill Carlos. Jesse and Tulip drive off together.
At night, Fiore and DeBlanc walk toward the church, armed with guns. Cassidy runs them over with the van, killing them. Cassidy looks at the bodies and recognizes them as the men he killed in the chainsaw fight. Believing them to be clones, he heads back to the church to find clean-up supplies. Inside, Cassidy runs into Fiore and DeBlanc. Before he can kill them again, they explain that they have come for Jesse, not him.
Tulip fills up at a gas station. Jesse wanders off to the bathroom. In the bathroom, Donnie sneaks up on Jesse with a gun, but Jesse tests his power on Donnie, who obeys his every command. On Jesse's orders, Donnie puts the gun in his mouth and pulls back the hammer. Jesse now understands how his power works. He tells Donnie to leave. Back at the car, Jesse tells Tulip he changed his mind. Despite her protests, he walks away leaving her at the gas station.
At the church, DeBlanc tells Cassidy that people will die if they do not retrieve what is inside Jesse. Cassidy asks what they want to do with it, and DeBlanc says they do not want to do anything with it, as it must never be used. Cassidy asks what branch of government they are from, and Fiore replies that they are from heaven. Outside, Cassidy tells Fiore and DeBlanc that he will talk to Jesse about their mission and convince Jesse to come to them. At Sheriff Root's house, Eugene (Ian Colletti) tells his father about Tracy opening her eyes and suggests they pay a visit to the Loach house. Sheriff Root warns Eugene to stay away.
The next day, Jesse recites his eulogy for Ted to only Emily in the church graveyard. In a nearby field, the lid on a vent flies open, emitting a gas, before it closes shut again.
Production Writing
"The Possibilities" was written by Chris Kelley. elements in the episode are based on the first seven issues in the Preacher series, "Gone to Texas", of which the script was first read and reviewed by Preacher co-creator Garth Ennis, as with the other episodes of the series. The elements adapt, or at least provides allusions to Herr Starr from "Until the End of the World", in the form of an opening sequence, as well as from "Salvation" with Odin Quincannon.
Shortly after the airing of "The Possibilities", AMC released a featurette titled "Inside Preacher: 'The Possibilities'" which went into greater detail about Jesse's latest discovery about his powers, why Tulip is so fervent in her quest for revenge and the dangers of Donnie learning Jesse's secret. Showrunner Sam Catlin was interviewed for the segment, and stated "This episode is a lot about Jesse imagining the different possibilities of what he can do with his power. He's sort of spooked by the fact he's got this power because he doesn't trust himself with it. Jesse needs to tell somebody." Catlin then acknowledges that both Custer and Cassidy "take his power for a ride". Speaking about the revelation of Carlos' location, Catlin noted about Brienne and Jaime's reunion that "I think he agrees to go with Tulip and kill Carlos for two reasons: Carlos is on Jesse's radar, and they've been looking for him for years [...] Tulip's found him. Also Jesse's in a place where he doesn't trust himself to be a preacher and to be a good guy with his power [...]. Catlin continued by mentioning Donnie's staged ambush in the gas station bathroom, where Jesse comes to learn the terrifying extent of his powers, "The bathroom scene is a test ... because Jesse has the perfect excuse and alibi to use the power for violence." He continued mentioning it to be an integral scene, "The fact that he's so directly tested in that moment and he passes that test gives him new confidence and he realises, "Now I know what I want to use it for" [...] He can actually be a good preacher."
Tom Brooke, who portrays Fiore, spoke of the story progression as being the thing which excites him the most, with Brooke stating, "[...] If you imagine where you think it's going to go, I guarantee you that it will go somewhere completely different. I've seen a lot of elements in this show that other shows have, but they're not used in the way that we use them. Nobody's got a vampire like our vampire." Joseph Gilgun, who portrays Cassidy, spoke about his character's encounter with Jesse in "The Possibilities", "Cassidy's someone you can go to. He's not gonna judge you 'cos he's nuts, who is he to judge? I think Cassidy sees Jesse's power as being an opportunity."
Dominic Cooper, who portrays Jesse Custer, spoke with AMC about the progression of Custer in this particular episode, to which he states, "He feels a responsibility towards everyone, and each and every time he's confronted by such desperation." Cooper furthers this point by suggesting: "Jesse's been convinced by Tulip to go back on the road and find this man, who he feels is responsible for the breakup of their relationship, and the death of the security guard." to which he then adds, "It reaches a point with Jessie where the balance is tipped and you can see the furiousness of his past come out." Cooper concludes by making mention of Custer's scene with Donnie, wherein Cooper remarks, "When you are looking for signs you find signs, it's a sign. Then Donnie approaches Jesse in the toilet cubicle prepare to blow Jesse's brains out, and he remembers again his reason for being in the town and what he's promise his father and what he must accomplish."
Ruth Negga, who plays Tulip O'Hare, spoke of O'Hare involvement with Custer in "The Possibilities", with Negga stating, "Someone hurt them very badly. Her way of making peace with that is getting revenge. It's like she needs [Jesse] to bare witness to it with her. Tulip represents the past, and the past for him is full of regret. All he can hear is his father." Derek Wilson spoke of his character Donnie Schenck and what the events set in "The Possibilities" may set in stone, with Wilson remarking of Custer, "I think in that moment he realises that this power could be use for something much grander. It's unbelievable." Wilson begins to speak of Donnie's discovery, "Donnie's whimpering on a toilet with a gun to his mouth. He's beaten. He doesn't need to die. The thing that that sets up is how Donnie, a very dangerous person, and unhinged person, knows about this power."
Casting The episode saw the return of special guest star Jackie Earle Haley reprising his role as the villainous Odin Quincannon. Actor Graham McTavish's name is featured in the newly constructed opening title sequence, though he does not appear.