The Righteous Gemstones

First, I think this season may be funnier than the first. Second, at the same time it's really leaning into violence and gore (which has been a DGG/MCBride mainstay since at least Pineapple Express). Three, in the middle of the long God Squad segment, my wife, who likes this show more than I do, nonetheless muttered "I think the writers are having just a little too much fun," and then when the episode was over kind of grumbled "what a weird show."

No matter how over the top and ridiculous this show gets, Edi Patterson is a goddamn treasure.

I wonder how many takes it took John Goodman to very sheepishly recount the entire story of why he had blood on his pants

Tbh given his sleepy performance I'd say ... one.

Wait, did we ever find out why he was riding the rollercoaster? Especially after he supposedly seriously injured his nuts?

shooting b-roll for that ad where he’s a thumb

The difference in Eli’s reaction to BJ’s family and the way his kids reacted feels like it captured a generational difference pretty well. Eli’s kind of passive-aggressive about “oh, you’re secular, sure, we’re here if you need us” while Judy and her siblings act like saying “we’re secular” is an affront to their very existence.

Not that BJ’s family is completely normal, kind of dweeby (his sister is KJ!). But this nice family, with a loving stepdad, seem to genuinely work well together and their support for their son, mild riffing on how weird the whole baptism celebration is, was an excellent reminder of how far off the norm the Gemstones are. And the Gemstones reacting was o_O

Edi Patterson and Tim Baltz both absolutely killed it in this episode, just a joy to watch. This show usually has a pretty good soundtrack but last night's was particularly killer.

I havent thought much abt the show since 2019 and honestly forgot most of S1, so this season a few times I've found myself watching the characters and assuming that deep down they're not actually religious, since I'm so used to seeing characters like this eventually get exposed as fully nonreligious grifters. And then I'll catch myself feeling surprised when we're reminded that the Gemstones, or at least Eli, are believers who take what they imagine to be their religion seriously, even if they are also objectively amoral monsters. Like Eli is a hypocrite and grifter, but would still totally have been thrilled if BJs family ever decided to get baptized.

There are a few gems in this article that reminded me of the show:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/inside-jerry-falwell-jr-unlikely-rise-and-precipitous-fall

Well I mean Sherman's not hiding it!

On August 24, 2020, Falwell resigned from Liberty in the wake of a sensational tabloid scandal that could have been dreamed up in the writers’ room of The Righteous Gemstones.

Yeah, a little on the nose but I don’t know how you could publish this in 2022 and not say that!

I kind of wonder how many times “one of the kids watches someone in the hospitality business have sex with their spouse” has been rejected in the writing room as too easy. At least once?

although, wasn’t the investigative reporter’s line that he had questions about how Eli’s wife had treated servants? eek

it's probably not really that funny but I did hoot with laughter at "she was a toilet baby"

it was good. baby bill is always good

glad other people really want to find the closing credit song from righteous gemstones s2e4 pic.twitter.com/txLKvOtCde

— Doug Avery (@averyvery) January 25, 2022

amazing

I was halfway listening to that as I did the things you do as you end a show, stand up and stretch, gather up your bowl of popcorn, and paused as I noticed they were doing a bizarre credits song thing

songs that only exist in one instance, haunt your dreams, etc

BJ’s whole baptism party including the playlist & romper w cummerbund was outstanding

That’s wild, I thought that song might be a weird cover. My wife Shazammed it and it of course turned up nothing.

Holy shit did this episode take some turns.

The bit with Baby Billy explaining the “toilet baby” thing, it’s not quite an economic or social class difference, maybe oversharing and not judi g your audience, but BJ’s family going from awkward nodding to revulsion. And they’re not bad people for being revulsed because it’s just so weird and gross to have this stranger explain it that way, in that place. And oh god when she says she wasn’t a poop

haven't caught up yet, but the third episode of this season had me doubled over in tears. love this show.

i could watch a whole episode of nothing but the Gemstone kids ripping on each other at Sunday brunch

Eric Andre pulling out the guitar and soloing and then making everybody fall over.....dying

i could have watch 10-15 more minutes of just that

pretty sure that was him playing too, Eric Andre went to Berklee apparently (things I didn't know prior to today)

I’m only up to the first season flashback episode so maybe I shouldn’t click this thread but I just wanna say the actor for teen Jesse was almost too on-the-nose

Jesus christ last week's episode

Omg THIS week's episode.

Grandpa Roy killed Glendon Marsh!

ok just finished S1, one thing that was kind of bothersome/funny is that Jesse never figures out who is blackmailing him. you keep expecting him to have that Breaking Bad Hank sitting on the toilet moment but he doesn't get it until it's literally told to his face. its especially weird when they show the actual scene and it's clear that there's only ONE PERSON who could've actually filmed him...otoh the central theme of this show is that all of the characters (save for Eli) are pretty dumb

well, we found out the reason for the rollercoaster riding!

so there's really no chance that Junior didn't kill Thaniel Block, because he knows what happened to his dad somehow, and is out to destroy the Gemstones, right? that last scene of him flipping his gun was unsettling af.

also "EVERYBODY STOP SAYING 'PUSSY'!!!"

I didn't find it as funny as the last ep but still highly enjoyable.

most of it was disturbing and creepy rather than funny, but I found it compelling for that reason. some eps just go full on pathos.

yeah pretty mad tonal shift this week

I feel like the shift was necessary, the baptism party was so hilarious and OTT that trying to 1-up it already would be a misfire.

Wow at finding that mini McBride.

I realize that watching this show for the plot is missing the point, but at the same time, they keep throwing plot at us, and knowing this is the same team behind (among other things) the most recent shitty and sloppy and stupid Halloween movies, I have no faith the dangling threads and detours will lead to anything. For example, the brutal murder of the journalist and all the other people at that house, sure, it's possible or likely we'll get more on that. At the same time, that kind of carnage would make headline national news for weeks on end. Or Gideon Gemstone, he was more or the less the entire focus of season one, but he's barely been in this season. I realize we are seeing this show more or less through the self-obsessed eyes of the Gemstones, but still. And then again, I guess we did find out why he kept riding that rollercoaster.

Unrelated, I love Walton Goggins, but anyone else notice how sweaty he is in all his scenes? Not intentional sweat, either (which would suit the character), just inconsistent speckles of sweat on his face in half his scenes that either the make-up people have missed or maybe just can't keep up with? Could it be a choice? Perhaps, but it's so subtle and inconsistent I doubt it. Sets can be hot, and he's a pretty physical performer. But so's everyone in this show.

i'm....almost definitely sure we are going to see the journalist/house murders tie back. I am fairly sure that was Junior's doing in an attempt to take down the Gemstones in some kind of massive framejob or something

the journalist might also have been lying about why he was investigating the Gemstones. Aimee-Leigh was "rude to staff"? seems a rather thin reason for a hit piece.

possible that Junior gave Thaniel a tip that Gemstone might have killed his dad and Thaniel lied about the reason for wanting to interview Eli so that he'd agree to be interviewed.

pretty sure the main plot arc of the season is:
1. where did the money come from
2. what is Eli hiding
3. who killed the journalist because he might have found out about 1 & 2

that guy that started out as Eli's accountant seems like a very wholesome man

Pretty sure Eric Andre and his wife were behind at least the attempted hit at the end of e4.

Eric Andre and his wife = Virgil Solozzo? would be an interesting touch.

Goggins is spectacular in this. my first cousins and I have a text chain going about how the Baby Billy character reminds us specifically of one great uncle and various other distant relatives from my mother’s south Mississippi family.

the “natural water birth” bit 2 weeks ago made me seize up so hard my girlfriend thought I was going to need medical attention

lol, the same

this show would be better as just a comedy but on the other hand i do appreciate how weird what it is is

I do appreciate how they spent the last 20 minutes of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 showing the Gemstones as finally being a more unified unit, other than ripping on each other at lunch, but by the end of S2E1, it had already unraveled.

Pretty sure Eric Andre and his wife were behind at least the attempted hit at the end of e4.

― Chris L, Thursday, February 3, 2022 9:52 AM (forty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah for sure you could see how upset they were by jesse and amber pulling out of the deal, they really needed that money are prob in deep financial distress so they figured theyd kill eli who was supposed to be on that bus and then jesse would be in charge and give them the cash

was thinking maybe the time share development was just a scam to get the money from the gemstones and whoever else and they had no real intention of building it

i totally forgot about them stealing Eli's bus!

also lol at completely breaking the hidden text in that reply

feel like if youre not up to date and dont want spoilers then dont read the thread, pretty standard agreement, also reading the hidden text is annoying on zing you have to tap through to the individual message view