HOLLYWOOD—Episode seven of AMC’s “Preacher” was a filler episode, in my opinion. Not a lot of excitement, but some information about our main characters came to light.

We started where we left off last episode in Jesse’s church as the paper Eugene had been holding floats to the floor, because Jesse just accidentally sent him to Hell. He shows shock for about one second before going to open the church doors. Little does he know, Cassidy was watching from the balcony the whole time.

Our first flashback begins as elementary school age Jesse and Tulip are sitting outside the principal’s office. They are in trouble for fighting, but Jesse’s father takes pity on Tulip when he hears her mother is in jail and her uncle is an alcoholic.

We see exactly how bad Tulip’s uncle Walter’s alcoholism as we see Walter drunk, asleep and pants-less on the front porch steps. Tulip tries to help him as people look on and judge her.

Cassidy tells Jesse he saw what happened to Eugene and offers his help, but Jesse seems to be feeling no remorse. Jesse gets called away by Emily and Tulip enters. Cassidy and Tulip have a back and forth ending with them both pointing out that Jesse doesn’t know everything about them.

Young Jesse and Tulip are shown as having an almost unbreakable friendship bond until Jesse’s father has her taken away by the Texas Department of Human Services. When Jesse, eyes full of hate, asks his father why, his father replies simply that it is because she is an O’Hare, and trouble always comes with O’Hares. In response young Jesse prays for his judgmental father who took Tulip away to die.

Unfortunately, Jesse does not seem to have fallen far from the tree. As Emily tries to show him a church play she is working on, he judges it harshly and seems to have little care for anyone’s feelings.

Quincannon interrupts to have a meeting with Jesse about signing the deed to Jesse’s father’s church over to him. It seems that the effects from Genesis do not last long, because Quincannon says he will never be a Christian. This means that through the rules of their bet Jesse’s father’s farm now belongs to him. Jesse says that will never happen, and Quincannon says he will be back.

Tulip makes the meal for one of the most awkward dinner scenes I have seen on television. Cassidy rambles away about the Coen brothers’ movies, Tulip and Emily try to keep up a nice conversation, and Jesse sulks in silence.

The Sheriff interrupts dinner looking for Eugene; Jesse gives him a blank stare and is unresponsive to everything around him. Even though Emily knew she had sent Eugene in to see Jesse, she covers for him in front of the Sheriff.

The climax of this episode is pretty epic for a filler episode. Cassidy follows Jesse outside and hits Jesse in the face with a fire extinguisher to get Jesse to give him a real answer. At first Jesse says it was a mistake, but when Cassidy points out that Jesse is not showing remorse, Jesse pretty much says Eugene deserves to go to Hell.

Apparently Eugene had fallen in love with Tracy Loach when they were both whole and healthy teenagers. When Tracy rejected him he shot her in the head with a shotgun, causing her current comatose state, and then turned the shotgun on himself, hence his weird scarred face.

Cassidy says Genesis is messing with Jesse’s head. Jesse says it is all part of God’s plan and if God wants to send a sinner to Hell he is supposed to just stand there and watch them burn. Cassidy says he is a far worse sinner than Eugene, gives Jesse the fire extinguisher, takes off his jacket and shirt, and then steps out into the sun.

Cassidy’s skin starts to burst into flames as he asks Jesse if he will just watch him burn. Another cliffhanger! Jesse returns to the dinner with everyone left to wonder what happened to Cassidy. When Tulip questions Jesse, he asks what an O’Hare is doing there and makes fun of her dinner. After she leaves, Emily tries to be supportive, but Jesse calls her stupid and tells her to leave.

In the last scene of the episode Jesse has a flashback to when some bad people came to his house and killed his father in front of him while Jesse cried and told him it was all his fault, because he had prayed for it. Present day Jesse begins digging underneath the church to try to bring Eugene back as Quincannon with his armed men begin to march onto the church’s property.

Until next Sunday “Preacher” fans!