1881
A sick young girl is sleeping in her bed, and wakes up when a couple comes in. The woman sings to the girl and bathes her forehead with water, and then tells her husband--the Cowboy-- that he has to go. She gives him directions and tells him to stay to his affairs, and asks him to come back to them.
The Cowboy rides across the plains until he comes to a wagon train. A boy, Silas, runs over and invites the Cowboy to join them for dinner. He accepts the invitation and his father says that they had the opportunity to put a claim on the wilderness out west. He says that they've seen a lot of things, and notes that the man doesn't say much, and insists that the new land is paradise. The Cowboy says that it ain't paradise and stares at the fire.
The next day, the Cowboy comes to scalped Indians strung up from a tree, outside the town of Ratwater. He rides past them without reacting.
Now
Jesse is baptizing people outside of his church, including Eugene. DeBlanc and Fiore watch from nearby, as Tulip comes up and asks Jesse to save her. She readily admits that she's a sinner in need of saving. After Jesse baptizes her, Tulip whispers that it's time to get to work. She gets in her car and drives off, and inside Emily makes cappuccino as Miles looks on. Once Miles leaves, Cassidy comes over and assures Emily that she has it under control. He tries to hit Emily up for an advance, and she points out that he hasn't done anything yet and walks away.
Hugo tells Miles that Ted ripped out his own heart in front of his mother. Meanwhile, Emily brings Jesse some cappuccino and complains about Cassidy. Jesse says that he'll talk to him, and points out that the turnout wasn't too bad. Emily says that he needs to meet with the Loaches after everything the family's gone through. Cassidy bumps into Eugene and jumps back in surprise, and Hugo angrily calls his son over. Once Jesse and Cassidy are alone, Cassidy wonders what happened to Eugene's face. Jesse explains that he tried to kill himself with a shotgun. A man, Linus, asks to talk to Jesse privately. Once Jesse agrees and Miles leaves him alone, Jesse warns Cassidy that he can't have any more trouble. Cassidy says that he won't.
Hugo takes Eugene out to his car, and a man calls "Murderer." Hugo turns and asks who said it, but Eugene tells his father that they should go. After a moment, Hugo continues to his car.
Inside, Miles tells Jesse that he has urges pulling at him to go after a little girl in the school bus he drives. Jesse points out that the girl is young, and Linus says that's why he's confessing. He confirms that Jesse can't say anything because of confidentiality, and Linus says that he came to get baptized and fight the urges. Jesse stares at him and hears a ringing in his ears, and then tells Linus that he has to truly repent of his sinful thoughts and not act on his urges. Linus insists that he can't act on the urges, and Jesse tells him that he has to stop sinning. Linus agrees and they hug, and Linus says that he'll never be the same.
That night, Jesse goes out on the porch to smoke and keeps hearing a dog bark. He yells at the dog to stop and his voice echoes. The dog stops barking, and Jesse, surprised, goes back in.
The next day, several vans with the QM&P drive into town escorting a truck. Inside the truck, armed men wait. They arrive at a house, and Odin Quincannon and his men visit the couple living there and Odin explains about all of his workers. He tells the couple to sign, and they do. Odin escorts them out and the workers take out the remaining furniture and demolish the house. Donnie gets into Odin's limo and slams the driver's head into the steering wheel until it breaks his nose breaks. The horn goes off, and Donnie slams the driver's head into the wheel to stop the horn.
Jesse and Emily go to the supermarket to solicit suggestions to make the church better. Jesse watches Linus drive by in his school bus. He gets into his car and realizes that someone has taken the steering wheel. Tulip pulls up and asks him what happened, and says that the baptism changed her before driving off. Jesse gets and sees the steering wheel hanging by a ribbon from a nearby streetlight.
Eventually, Jesse reattaches the wheel and drives back to the church. Cassidy is waiting outside on the porch and invites Jesse to have a drink with him. Inside, Jesse drinks and insists that God has a plan for him. Cassidy doesn't believe it, and Jesse says that the plan is to be one of the good guys. His drinking companion says that God has a plan for him, too: to let Jesse know how boring His plan is for Jesse. Cassidy insists that at least he's honest, and points out that Jesse is a hypocrite. Jesse calls Cassidy a loser, and then says that boring isn't the worst thing a person can be. Cassidy says that boring is the worst, and Jesse chuckles. He wonders who taught Jesse to fight, and Jesse says that it was someone other than his father. He avoids saying who and asks about Cassidy, and Cassidy admits that he's a 119-year-old vampire. He takes a drink from a flask, and Jesse asks to see it. Cassidy warns him not to drink it, and explains that it's a combination of rubbing alcohol, coffee-machine descaler, and some liquid out of the AC unit. Jesse takes a drink anyway and collapses. Cassidy takes his wallet and leaves.
At the Sundowner Motel, a maid knocks on a room door and Fiore looks out. He says that he doesn't want any towels and the maid sees that he has a gun. Once she leaves, Fiore turns back to DeBlanc, who asks if he's ready. They drive to the church and find Jesse passed out on the floor. They then get trunks from their car, unload a sheet, and put Jesse on it. DeBlanc and Fiore then take out tools from their trunk, put a can nearby, wind up a gramophone, and play it. As Fiore cranks the gramophone, DeBlanc sings to the music. When nothing happens, DeBlanc says that's it's time for Plan B and Fiore gets out a chainsaw and prepares to cut Jesse open.
Cassidy comes in, assumes that they're the vigilantes, and yells at them to get away from Jesse. They shoot him in the chest, shrug, and Fiore tries to get the chainsaw going while DeBlanc checks on Cassidy. Cassidy grabs DeBlanc's leg and struggles with him, stabbing him in the neck. Fiore charges over and Cassidy knocks a pew into him, and Fiore swings and this DeBlanc. Cassidy knocks DeBlanc out and then beats him with a hymnal, and Fiore charges at the vampire. They fight and Fiore gets the chainsaw going, and Cassidy finally manages to drive it into Fiore's neck. The chainsaw moves across the floor, heading toward Jesse, and Cassidy manages to grab it just in time.
At the Toadvine Whorehouse, Tulip is playing poker with the locals. She wins another hand and one of her opponents, Clive tells his girlfriend Lacey that it's time to go. The madame, Mosie, tells Clive to go easy and Clive takes Lacey upstairs. Mosie sits down at the table and asks Tulip if she's still staying out at Walter's place. Tulip says that her uncle has a bad case of the DTs, and once killed two kids in a petting zoo. She smiles and says that she's just joking, and then takes a call from Dany. She tells Dany that she has hers and says that she'll see him, and then asks Mosie if she can borrow a room. Mosie agrees and tulip sits down to play some more poker.
Cassidy licks up the blood and heals the gunshot wound. He then cuts apart the two men with the chainsaw, puts them in their own trunk, and cleans up the blood. However, he discovers the sun is up and he can't leave.
Later, Emily comes in and kicks Jesse wake. She reminds him that he had an appointment with the Loaches, and Jesse says that he was up late talking with Cassidy. Emily has a casserole for Jesse to give the Loaches, and complains that it smells like something died in the church. She suggests that she reschedule, but Jesse says that he wants to go and then asks where he's going.
Terri Loach moisturizes her comatose daughter Tracy's skin and tells Jesse that they're going to watch TV together because Tracy can still hear. Jesse offers his condolences, and Terri appreciates the sentiment. She says that she's fine, but Jesse doesn't believe it and says that she's in daily pain. He knows because it was like it for him, and says that someday the light of the Lord will reach Terry and Tracy, and something will change. Terry thanks him for the lovely words, but says that's all that they are. She says that words won't help bring Tracy back, and pulls off the wig hiding her crushed skull. As Hesse goes, he sees Linus drive by in his school bus.
That night, Jesse is driving back to the church and sees something up ahead. He pulls over and walks to a baby seat lying next to the side of the road, and someone jams a taser into his neck.
Later, Jesse wakes up chained to a chair in a cell. Tulip comes in, wearing a gas mask, and Jesse realizes who it is. He tells her to get him out, and Tulip says that a client of Dany wants the map. In return, the client is going to give them some information. Jesse refuses to ask about the information, insisting that he doesn't care, and Tulip says that she's going to meet Dany in Houston to make the exchange. She doesn't believe that Jesse has retired, and says that the real Jesse is the one that hurt Donnie, and soon that will be Jesse all over again. Tulip sits on his lap and says that she's not doing the job without him, and she'll keep asking until he gives in. She tells Jesse to think it over and then kicks the chain over, revealing it isn't fastened to anything, and walks out.
Back at the church, Jesse tries to cut the chain off of his ankle without success. Eugene arrives and finally says that he lied to Jesse after the baptism. He hasn't changed and can't hear God, and he felt bad again. Eugene wants Jesse to try the baptism again, and Jesse says that all he can do is keep trying. In the end, change comes from God. Eugene wonders if he is what God wants, and Jesse says that he understands.
Jesse goes to Linus' house and breaks in. He checks the house and hears Linus coughing, and follows the noise to the bathroom. Linus is flossing his teeth, and Jesse punches him. He then tells Linus to forget the girl and runs water in the tub. Linus insists that he's addicted and it isn't his fault, and then says that he has to try harder. He promises to forget all about the girl and looks nervously at the tub, and insists that Jesse can't do it. Once the tub is full, Jesse says that they're going to do it right. He grabs Linus and shoves him into the water, and tells him to forget the girl. Linus says that he can't, and Jesse tells him one more time as his voice echoes. He releases Linus, startled, and Linus has no idea what girl Jesse is talking about. Jesse walks out as Linus demands to know what happened to him.
Cassidy buries the trunks with Fiore and DeBlanc,
The next day, Hugo meets with Fiore and DeBlanc in their motel room and asks who they are and what they're doing in town. DeBlanc says that they're with the government.
Jesse visits Terri and says that he wants to pray with Tracy. Once the mother lets him in, Jesse goes to Tracy's room, sits by her bed, and calls her name. He says that he wants to try something and commands her to open her eyes.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 6, 2016