To merely characterize the cold open of this episode of "The Righteous Gemstones" as Baby Billy engaging in nude waterskiing—a sort of antics sequel to his casual nudity reveal after a telethon rehearsal in the season's second episode—would be a gross understatement and an insult to the writers and artisans who crafted this scene. Baby Billy's inaugural full-frontal appearance is more a celebration of Walton Goggins' unparalleled rustic audacity. ("Behold, take a gander at this. These are my private parts right here.") However, the waterskiing segment transcends mere cinema; it is an artistic endeavor, meticulously planned to stage the funniest sequence conceivable. Notably, the revelation that Baby Billy dropping to one ski would produce an intense jet of water shooting towards his scrotum is nothing short of genius. This is not juvenile humor; this is artistry at its finest.
It also marks our introduction to Galilee Gulch, the lavish Gemstone family lake house, which, according to Jesse, must be treated with utmost respect as it is "our ancestral family vacation home." Yet, disrespect is the overriding theme of the weekend as the Gemstone offspring have convened, bringing together their family and the Milsaps in a typically clumsy endeavor to dismantle Eli and Lori's relationship. Their chief strategy hinges on the belief that Galilee Gulch will evoke numerous memories of Aimee-Leigh, shaming their father into abandoning Lori and returning to a more dignity-befitting retirement shrouded in solitude and melancholy. While the prospect of Lori making a claim on the family's affections does arise in this episode, the humorous irony lies in the Gemstone siblings' apparent oversight of this possibility. They are preoccupied solely with the revolting notion of their aging father engaging in intimacy once more. ("Ugh," wails Judy. "Just envision Daddy's member penetrating Lori's elderly love canal.")
What ensues is an escalating series of provocative actions, thinly veiled as magnanimous gestures of olive branches. Eli, overjoyed that the children are affording Lori a chance, overlooks the wardrobe full of Aimee-Leigh's old clothes still lingering in the bedroom closet. By their standards, this is a subtle enough maneuver to afford them plausible deniability. (Not so the subsequent reappearance of those clothes.) Later, Jesse stumbles upon a surefire winner when Corey, who is warming up to the relationship, confesses that he prefers Eli over Lori's former beau, a Mercedes dealership salesman monikered "Big Dick" Mitch. Now, the kids can feign support for this union, confident that it will inevitably crumble due to their father's embarrassment and jealousy. ("For me, it's a resounding 'no' to 'Big Dick' Mitch," declares Kelvin.) But once again, Eli and Lori hash it out and reconcile with such swiftness that even more drastic measures are necessitated to separate them, such as a talent-show musical number reminding the group that "Mom's here," watching over them. Ultimately, the blissful couple realizes they are caught in the midst of a tantrum.
One of the most captivating facets of "The Righteous Gemstones" lies in the family's equal propensity for swift forgiveness and rapid anger. (Ironically, while The Bible underscores the virtue of being slow to anger and prompt to forgive, this family only embraces half of this wisdom.) In a prior episode, Casey marveled at the Gemstones' art of "ripping" one another, but his attempt to replicate this with his wife fell flat, as he couldn't disguise his seething resentment as a mere joke. The actions undertaken by the Gemstone offspring—and Keefe, in his full-fledged "Psycho" mode—to undermine their father's relationship are both extreme and utterly predictable.
When Judy opts to "turn out" Lori by making an aggressive sexual advance in the bedroom ("Why don't you slip out of that cotton dress and let me indulge in some pleasure?") and writes a hefty check to send her away, Lori accepts it with equanimity. "This is precisely how you behaved when your mother fell ill," retorts Lori. These children are beyond redemption!
In stark contrast, Amber's response to Eli's curt "shut the fuck up," after Keefe invades his bedroom dressed in his late wife's clothes and is eventually subdued by Sola, a kung fu-proficient German nanny, is starkly different. (Hints of Danny McBride and Jody Hill's groundbreaking 2006 comedy, "The Foot Fist Way," are evident here.) Amber, attempting to mediate between a furious Eli, received a rebuke unfamiliar to her but routine for her husband and his siblings. Judy chuckles in appreciation at her father's "perfectly timed 'shut the fuck up,'" but even after marrying into the Gemstone clan, Amber cannot stomach such harshness.
Despite their antics, the Gemstone siblings are prepared to reconcile with their father and bestow their blessings upon him and Lori. Such is the rhythm of their bond. Is this grace or a manifestation of madness?
However, the episode concludes with another rift as the Gemstone offspring march into their father's bedroom to make amends, only to find him engaging in the 69 position with Lori, a favorite of his, as evidenced by their boat tryst. Now, the Lord has punished them for recoiling at the mere contemplation of their father's sexual escapades by presenting them with the blinding reality of it. "You were licking another woman who wasn't Mama," is a delightfully juvenile reaction to their discovery, though perhaps the funniest moment of the ensuing confrontation is Eli plucking a strand of public hair from his teeth. Once again, the Gemstones find themselves in the throes of forgiveness, the cycle inexorably repeating itself.
