At the dawn of the season, I penned reflections on the intriguing parallelism between the debut of "The Righteous Gemstones'" third season and the conclusion of "Succession," another drama centering around three wayward offspring vying for supremacy over the dynasty forged by their patriarch. However, a pivotal distinction lies in the title "Succession" itself, which bore a hint of irony; Logan Roy tantalized his progeny with the promise of inheritance, yet harbored doubts about their competence. Despite evident signals of his declining health, he persisted as though endowed with immortality, partly self-deluded into believing his invincibility and partly due to the mortifying prospect of bestowing his formidable multinational enterprise upon the "frivolous souls" he nurtured. For him, death would serve as a merciful reprieve from witnessing such a fate.
Such is not the fate of Eli Gemstone. He has stepped down, relinquishing the reins of his ministry to his offspring, with consequences as catastrophic as they were foreseeable. The leap of faith required to envision Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin's triumph is akin to trusting in a Y2K survival kit to withstand the impending societal collapse—a leap fraught with absurdity yet undertaken nonetheless. Eli's plunge could stem from personal exhaustion after years without his beloved Aimee-Leigh or from a forlorn hope that the Gemstone church transcended individual reliance, embodying a greater, more enduring entity. Yet, retirement has proven a saga of trials and frustrations for Eli, his serene moments of fishing and tranquility perpetually disrupted. He yearns for his children's self-sufficiency but has reared them as entitled brats, unable to preach sans a backing band, choir, and cutting-edge lighting effects.
Eli's errors extend beyond fatherly shortcomings; they haunt him profoundly in tonight's episode. May-May's return, seeking his aid to rescue her grown sons from their father's influence, presents Eli with an opportunity to affirm his righteousness and atone for virtually dismantling May-May's family. "Interlude III" revealed that May-May's ex-husband, Peter, was ruined by the Gemstones' Y2K scheme and ended up incarcerated following an ill-fated bank robbery. The attempted rescue of the Montgomery boys, Chuck and Karl, emerged as a hasty, ill-conceived solution to a profound issue: Eli and his progeny were convinced that terrycloth robes and a monster truck could mend a bond shattered beyond repair. This week, they reap what they have sown.
"Burn for Burn, Wound for Wound, Stripe for Stripe" unfolds as an episode charged with action, leaving little room for contemplation on how these characters have stumbled into such an absurd quandary. Rather, it serves as a gratifying culmination to the tensions simmering throughout the season between Eli and his offspring, the Gemstones versus the Montgomerys, and the ministry against the underprivileged who have been its silent pillars. However, refrain from labeling Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin's ordeal a kidnapping: "For your enlightenment, when adults are involved, it's not kidnapping," corrects Jesse to Kelvin, confined within an abandoned silo at Peter's militia stronghold. "It's abduction, moron." Peter, notorious for his flawed strategic acumen—the bank heist is over before we blink, mere seconds after his entrance—pulls off a triple abduction with startling efficiency. Yet, the remainder of his plot remains unresolved.
Peter demands $5 million per Gemstone, with the money slated for sinister endeavors like tainting the water of some liberal metropolis. What he overlooks is Eli's unwavering refusal to cough up the ransom. This could generously be seen as an act of faith: Eli doesn't credit Peter, a supposed Christian, with the capacity to slay his own flesh and blood, nor do his children, who are more exasperated than fear about their predicament. Again, what father wouldn't sacrifice his wealth to safeguard his offspring? Eli's stance evokes the obstinate trust of William H. Macy's affluent father-in-law in "Fargo," who paid dearly for doubting his son-in-law's judgment. Eli might face a different, agonizing fate.
For now, the repercussions of Eli's ransom denial are set aside. This elongated episode revolves around the hilariously chaotic quest to liberate the Gemstone kids. Amidst this apparent life-or-death scenario, sibling discord and squabbles persist, haunting them as they have all season. Jesse blames his siblings for never backing his schemes. His brainchild this time? "Once I finish this orphanage slop," he declares, "I'll fashion this bowl into a blade. When that door creaks open, and the runt steps in, I'll strike. Slice his mug off and wear it as a mask. Then, I'll stroll out, hotwire the Redeemer, trash everything in sight, and make my escape." Kelvin and Judy poke holes in this plan in the funniest manner possible, Kelvin hung up on the absurdity of someone's face fitting over Jesse's chunkier visage, as if this will be his undoing.
The actual endeavor to liberate the Gemstones from the Montgomerys' vice-like grip may not have been an epitome of brilliance, but it embodied the chaotic, daring escapades that have come to define this series. The conversation about terminating the hostages' plight ultimately prompts Karl to seek refuge in his mother's aid, prompting Gideon to trail her to the fortified compound. This sets the stage for an exhilarating breakout scene, reminiscent of the daring escapades in "The Dukes of Hazzard," where Gideon pilots a monster truck amidst a flurry of rednecks futiley discharging their firearms as the getaway vehicle speeds off into the horizon.
"How on earth does he possess the prowess to maneuver such a beast?" Judy inquiries of Jesse, as Gideon tears through the terrain in the Redeemer. Jesse, filled with pride, responds, "'Because he's my flesh and blood, dammit!'" In that fleeting moment, Jesse savors the triumph of being a paragon of a father—a father who has surpassed the legacy of the man who nurtured him.
