TV Review: ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Season 3, Episode 2
by Frank Martin
If it’s not already clear, The Righteous Gemstones is a very weird show. It’s first and foremost a comedy, but it also has a lot to say about the state of organized religion. Although it was certainly handled to a degree in the past, just the two episodes this season have proven that it’s going to tackle the issue head-on more than ever before. The first episode did so by introducing a rival family of evangelists that appeared to be on the more moral side of the spectrum. The second went in the complete opposite direction as it tackled what is, in many ways, the polar opposite type of Christianity from what the Gemstones preach.
After Eli’s (John Goodman) sister came to him for help, he takes his kids to visit his brother-in-law (Steve Zahn). For the first time, the show expands upon Eli’s extended family. The brother-in-law runs a fanatical Christian militia that believes the end times are upon them. Eli’s nephews left their mother to join the group, and they view the Gemstone’s brands of Christianity as heretical. However, when the group gets raided by the government, the brother-in-law believes his sons inadvertently gave up their location. Now fearful, they leave the group and call Eli for help. He picks them up, but the militia finds them, which leads to an action-packed high speed chase.
The show certainly isn’t afraid to embrace violence, but this subject matter is another matter entirely. Fanatical Christianity is a completely separate issue from televangelism. This militia and what they represent is the show putting these two opposing forces against each other in a way that is certainly going to clash on an epic scale. The show didn’t wait to build to this moment either. In just the second episode there was a high-speed chase that ended in two horrific crashes. It’s clear that this season of The Righteous Gemstones isn’t holding back in either comedy, content, or action.
The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays on HBO.
