"The Righteous Gemstones" is a television series that delves into the world of American hustlers, who exploit faith as a means to amass wealth through outlandish Sunday spectacles and an array of branded money-making ventures, all serving a family that accumulates sins as effortlessly as they rack up miles on their private jets. Yet, beneath its satirical exterior lies a tale of redemption, where characters occasionally humble themselves to confess their wrongdoings and seek forgiveness from those they've harmed. While it's evident that the Gemstones are prone to self-forgiveness, often committing sins almost anticipating their own absolution, they genuinely believe in the message they preach on stage. Though the show often shares comedic parallels with "Succession," the Gemstones exhibit a stronger bond as a family compared to the fractious Roys.
This transformation begins with Eli Gemstone, a far cry from the unredeemable, avaricious monster that Logan Roy embodies. Despite the contempt their father inspires in the Gemstone siblings — and the power struggle that ensues over who will succeed him — his hospital stay impacts them more profoundly than they anticipated. (Their vomiting fits serve as graphic testament to this internal turmoil.) When Jesse attempts to usurp Eli's position at the head of the table in last week's episode, it strikes an uneasy chord with both his siblings and himself, despite the power fantasies he and Amber indulged in during their intimate moments. In fact, Jesse's reluctance to seize power so brazenly threatens to create as deep a rift this season as his debauchery did last. Amber questions why they didn't utilize their position at the church's helm to fund the Lissons' Zion project, but for Jesse, such betrayal is unimaginable.
Emerging from his brush with death, Eli transforms, akin to Ebenezer Scrooge after his spectral visitations. He yearns to treat his children with kindness and inspires them to do the same. He seeks to reconcile with his past in Memphis and end his estrangement with Junior. John Goodman, an actor noted for his ability to convey gentleness and grace, imbues Eli with such authenticity that one cannot help but be moved. The gravity of Eli's sins prevents him from assuming righteous indignation towards the faults of others. The episode's, and perhaps the series', core message unfolds in his response to Junior, who inquires if he believes himself superior to everyone else. "No, son. I too have the devil within me. I believe we all do, but that doesn't mean he must prevail."
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Granted, Eli is a stroke of incredible luck at this juncture. He approaches Junior with the stark truth about his father, Glendon, whose lifeless corpse serves as the grim cornerstone of his amusement park. Unbeknownst to Eli, Junior and Glendon's relationship was fractured beyond repair, as they lacked the Gemstones' familial bond. A pre-credits montage in 1993 Memphis unveils that Junior and his dad parted ways over a business venture Glendon was hell-bent on not handing over to his son. The cash Glendon attempted to launder through Eli's church represented the liquidation of his fortune, with Junior left out of the equation entirely. Eli's moral decision to decline the money, albeit imperfect, saves his relationship with Junior. Though both are connivers, there exists a code of honor among their deceitful circle.
After last week's humorous, high-octane episode, "The Prayers of a Righteous Man" executes a surprising and audacious pivot, taking a brief pause before a finale laden with unanswered questions. (So much has transpired that the grim scene at Thaniel Block's rental cabin seems like a faded memory from another lifetime.) As Eli extends his forgiveness to Kelvin, Judy, and Jesse, and finally agrees to invest in Zion's Landing, Baby Billy embarks on his own journey of redemption. After distancing himself from Tiffany and his soon-to-arrive second child, Billy finds himself yearning to reconcile with his firstborn, Harmon, the child he'd abandoned in a mall in the '90s. Now a grown man, Harmon resides in a suburban home that could be plucked from a John Hughes film—only here, he's not home alone, thanks to another casting coup by the Gemstones, with Macaulay Culkin portraying him.
Alongside Goodman, Walton Goggins stands as the most versatile actor in The Righteous Gemstones, and his scene with Harmon encapsulates the multifaceted nature of Baby Billy's character—his slick charm, his childlike vulnerability and sincerity, his misplaced hope that a fleeting moment of benevolence can atone for a lifetime of neglect. The difference between '90s Billy allowing Harmon to pick whatever he desired in the mall and present-day Billy enduring Harmon's punch to the face is minimal, save for the fact that Billy is now seeking forgiveness from his son rather than dashing out of the mall. Billy's unannounced return into Harmon's life, ready to make amends at any cost, though ultimately futile for a son content in a prosperous life with a normal family, is both audacious and heartwarming. Receiving a punch in the face serves as a far better gift to Billy than the cat Harmon once received, functioning as a surefire remedy more potent than his miracle elixirs. The Gemstones have now cleared the decks. More sins await their indulgence next week.
