It's all panties, prayers, and paternal problems on an outstanding The Righteous Gemstones
TV Reviews Recap
The entire Gemstone family is built upon a foundation of men. I’m not just talking about Jesus, though that dude is certainly part of it. Rather, it’s the men in the Gemstone family that have control of everything. They make all the decisions, and see themselves as the only ones able to execute the family vision. It never even crosses their mind to involve the women in their family in the business. It takes Eli 40 years to give Judy a shot, and then when she confronts him about it taking so long, he immediately says he knew he couldn’t trust her. Even when the women get a shot, they’re expected to be grateful and submissive.
The first season has been telling a few interesting stories about the Gemstone family. There’s the very underdeveloped and surprisingly toothless part about the family’s expansion into small town territory, where it swallows up local churches and congregations. There’s the multiple storylines involving women attempting to make their mark in this family, whether it’s Amber attempting to reunite her family when Gideon comes home, or Judy having to choose between two manipulative men just to get a shot at what she wants. Then there’s the focus of this week’s episode: fathers and sons and the complicated relationships they share.
This week’s cold open flashes back to the Prayer Power Convention in Atlanta, the site of Jesse’s debauchery as fuelled by cocaine and prostitutes. Gideon walks into his father’s hotel room and sees him partying with his friends, well on their way to being drunk. He tells his dad that he skipped out on their dinner together, that he heard he’d gone to the bar and then never came back. Jesse not only plays it off like it’s no big deal, he also shames his son into not appreciating time to himself. The look on Gideon’s face when Jesse tells him to just pack up and leave if he really wants to is one of heartbreak, but not surprise. You can tell some version of this situation has happened numerous times, where Gideon has attempted to connect with his father and received nothing in return. Skyler Gisondo’s baby face works wonders.
Gideon isn’t a rebellious kid who got sick of living under his father’s rule. Instead, he’s a kid who feels betrayed by his father, a man whose image and template of morality don’t match the man himself. When he leaves that hotel room, it’s because he’s sick of being told what the path is by a man who doesn’t walk it himself. So, he heads to Hollywood to try and make it on his own, and in the meantime sets up his phone to record the night’s raunchy proceedings.
Who knows when Gideon decided to actually get back at his dad and concoct this plan to blackmail him and get a hefty dose of the Gemstone money; what matters is that when Gideon saw through the facade of his father, he replaced him with somebody else. Scotty stepped into that role, manipulative and angry, but just nice enough to make them a team. He’s the surrogate father here, the man who may be selfish and brutal, but who’s also able to justify Gideon’s anger towards his family. Scotty knows exactly how to use Gideon for his own gain. Now, he’s in the house, weaving a lie about Gideon saving his life with the power of Jesus, and getting ready to hit the family’s vault on Easter Sunday.
There’s the sense that Scotty himself has his own paternal problems. It’s hard to say how much of it is an act, because he’s desperately trying to stay close to the Gemstones, but when the family is on their yacht and Jesse announces that he’s doing Easter’s main sermon, Scotty acknowledges that “lots of dudes and dads don’t get to share special moments like this,” before mentioning that his dad is in prison. I wouldn’t take Scotty at his word, but I also think this is the show imbuing each of its male characters with some form of troubled paternal past as a way to complicate and deepen the heist storyline.
The entire episode hinges on the fact that a son is torn between accepting his father and seeing him as a flawed person, or latching onto a surrogate father who’s just as or more terrible. Judy is in the same boat (or yacht), finding herself torn between her father and Baby Billy, both of whom fail to truly understand her. I’m not sure this episode, or even the season, has any sort of profound larger message about fathers and sons and masculinity, but it does acknowledge that such a bond is particularly difficult to forge because of what’s tied up in masculinity. “And Yet One Of You Is A Devil” is one of the best episodes of the season because it’s able to delve into ideas about men and cultural expectations while also morphing into a family drama and a high-stakes thriller. It’s a balancing act that the show has consistently pulled off this season.
Stray observations
- Shout out to Edi Patterson for delivering a powerhouse comedic performance this week. She steals every scene.
- “I took it to Geek Squad, had some Incel fix it.”
- “You can’t gobble the pie if you didn’t help bake it!”
- “I’m not a little girl anymore. I have regular woman panties where the string goes up my crack. I have tits. I do sex.”
- “Singing and dancing at church has changed you.”
85 Comments
I felt very sad for BJ. I hope he and Keefe get to hang out and enjoy peaceful ice cream cones somewhere offscreen. Good hearted and loyal, supportive (if submissive and confused) pair of secondary characters.
I am not a fashion person. I have never particularly cared about where I buy my clothes, or how others are dressed.Every fucking outfit Gideon has worn on this show is perfect and I want to own them all.
Whatever led Gideon to hope that Scotty was going to just walk away after Gideon aborted the heist?Scotty needed to be ended.
They did a good job at Scotty getting in good with the gate guy. It bothered me he just let him in still.
Gullibility seems to rule the day a lot, maybe it’s infectious?
judy’s outfits this week were on another level.
that what grownup woman panties do . . .
I think i could be Judy’s BJ … betchya she’s a real tiger
judy is fine, no doubt
I was struck by that outfit with the black circular shield over her right boob … that was such a very odd design
i love my bi son.
Danny McBride’s resemblance to Conway Twitty is even more obvious in still shots. It’s both distracting and awesome at the same time.
those sideburns are a lotta scruff
For those that watched Santa Clarita Diet, is it not great to see Skyler Gisondo get another great break? Kid deserves it.
You should check out the movie ‘Booksmart’. He’s fantastic and absolutely hilarious, and the rest of the cast follows suit. One of my favorites of the year.
Fun fact: he was also the voice of B-Dawg in the Disney ‘Buddies’ franchise.
That’s more like a tragic fact.
I’ll take your word for it on that one. lol
He’ll always be the fifth or sixth Young Shawn Spencer to me.
He’s also great as the alpha-jerk “King of Camp” in Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.
He was absolutely believable as able to kick Scottie’s ass.
I mean is it “another break”? The kid’s been heavily involved in acting roles before Santa Clarita Diet, and even in that show—which arguably only existed as a Drew Barrymore/Timothy Olyphant vehicle—he stole the scenes he was in. He’s talented, and people know it.
I wanna raid Cassidy Freeman’s panty drawer.
kill yourself
Yes! We got ‘em again bro.↑This is my best friend, everyone.↑ We talk all the time and joke and laugh together.
“I’m not a little girl anymore. I have regular woman panties where the string goes up my crack. I have tits. I do sex.” A new glorious meme is born.
Goodman’s expression during that was aces.
He is a real treasure.
Of course Aunt Tiffany eats Fun Dip.
Are you the main guy, or are you the one who gets it?
Which is, of course, what someone like Jesse would be worried about Even as he dreams about getting pegged ever since he heard of it. And not that any man in this family would ever let any woman have that sort of power over them.Mist scolds like this just need a blowjob. The men of this family clearly need a good pegging.
Great episode. Jesse can be a real asshole, but it is evident that he really loves his family. Also, I want more of Jesse’s middle child. He “doesn’t give a shit” and I want to know why.
Maybe because they named him Pontius. I think it was alluded that he and Gideon were very close and Jesse forbidding the mention of his name probably jaded Pontius to his father.
Pontious is such a great name choice. i mean, they named him after the man who judged Jesus and gave him his death sentence, that’s gotta mess a kid growing up in a preaching family up!
It’s like the ultimate middle child name
For twins I’m thinking Pontious and Judas.
I don’t really get that Jesse “really loves” his family … he’s not a real touchy-feely kinda dad and is pretty opportunistic and manipulative to get power & money & hallelujahs. That ATL conference cannot be first time he fucked around on Amber. Just the thought of that family on that fucking yacht is sickening. Yeah … Jesse is out for Jesse.
Scotty has got to be Baby Billy’s booger picking son. He’s gotta be. It’s pretty obvious, both because there’s really no one else he could be, and because they left the carrot dangling of how Jesse recognizes him. Just curious how and when they’re going to pay that off.So glad to see BJ finally come to his senses, both because Judy treats him like garbage (albeit in a hilarious way) and because it gave us the opportunity to see his weird-ass run back to his oh-so-appropriate smart car in the parking lot of the church.So damn many Emmy nominations need to go to this cast. I can’t wait until next year.
I thought he recognized Scotty because of the numerous telephone conversations they had…
Could be that too.
It could definitely be that, but what if it was both? We do eventually need to find out who BB’s kid is. They wouldn’t have made him so prominent if they didn’t intend to pay it off.
It’s gonna be Keefe, that’s my bet.
And from seeing him in security footage (albeit masked)
I feel like he (Scotty) isn’t the booger eating kid though. It just seems like too much coincidence and while Gideon’s part makes sense, that’s just too…I dunno, Dickensian of a plot twist?Did you see the trailer for next weeks episode with BJ now having an earring? He’s gone rogue!
Ahhh, I love it when that actor goes rouge! He goes goth in Bajillion Dollar Properties and it’s hilarious.
It is pretty convenient, you’re right. I guess we’ll see.Can’t wait to see BJ’s rebellious side. Maybe he’ll have something other than milk with dinner.
Dare we say…a White Wine Spritzer…?Also I noticed Judy looked REALLY into him when he stood up to her.
Yeah, that chick’s daddy issues are way too dominant for her not to be.
he stood up to her by not giving the D before her big show … any she pantsed & spanked him. Judy dominates down …
working in a grocery store optometrist outlet brings out the crazy azz in some folks
That earring is fantastic. This show just crushes the little details.
wow … not sure how you came up with that Scotty / Baby Billy theory but … but it doesn’t float.
damn i never made this connection but i think you’ve hit it
I might be wrong, but someone else suggested it a few weeks ago. It is a little convenient, but it might be fun.
Mind blown.
I’m betting the son turns out to be Kelvin’s ummm…. buddy Keefe, the ages match up well as well.
Pleasantly surprised by McBride’s acceptance of gideons homosexuality (his assumed sexuality). It was totally within character but also perfectly funny and surprising still.
Charcuterie!! On an effin Yacht!!
“It takes Eli 40 years to give Judy a shot, and then when she confronts him about it taking so long, he immediately says he knew he couldn’t trust her.”Small point, but crucial if interpersonal dynamics is your chosen subject to opine on. Eli didn’t say he knew he couldn’t trust her until she explicitly announced that she would not be performing, a day after he ‘gave her a shot’ and an hour before the service. When she ‘confronted him immediately’ after the opportunity was offered, he humbly admitted his error.
I’m with you on this, although I should probably re-watch and see if I’m remembering it wrong. I think he felt hurt more than anything, but can’t acknowledge that so of course he has to attack as it were. And he’s right in that Baby Billy is turning her against him. What I don’t think Judy gets is that Baby Billy is all about himself and is probably a lot worse than Eli about a woman’s place. Remember the flashback episode where Eli says how Aimee Leigh stood ‘beside him’ and Billy wanted him behind her? And Billy comes back with how that’s a woman’s place. I think Judy is not going to like where she ends up.
you think Baby Billy is gonna hit on Judy? I definitely thought he’s grooming her for more than dancing.Every scene with Walt Goggins with that smile and that hair just drives me crazy … but then I realize he’s so goddamned close to Swaggart or Bakker or that contemptible Robert Tilton. Fuck, they are a disgusting breed.
UGH – I didn’t till now. That being said, she’s his niece and while we make lots of Southern jokes here, I’d like to hope they don’t explore that angle.Goggins with that hair NAILS that sort of Church charlatan dead on. I can’t believe how good of a comedic actor the guy from The Shield and The Wire is.
There’s only 2 episodes left and Billy hitting on Judy would just pack too much plot into a short time frame. Plus, there’s no indication Billy is attracted to her and the story has only implied that he’s manipulating her into giving his career a revival.
leading her on or into a sexual kinda thing is true manipulation. You gott believe Billy is capable of a helluva lot of crap … getting his nephew drunk & ruining Princess’s birthday but only after giving Princess the greatest gift ever! Billy hates Eli and his hatred knows no bounds.
I think the point of the post (I agree the details are wrong) was that Judy is still being used by both Eli and Baby Billy. She’s right to be hurt by the neglect Eli showed to her for decades – he points out she’s nearly 40 and he’s just now giving her a shot. She’s hurt because Eli assumed that she would come into the fold immediately, despite the fact that Baby Billy, regardless of his intentions, was the one that gave her the shot. I agree she is not going to have a happy ending on this path.
Do you think that maybe Eli actually wants her to do well and actually isn’t as concerned about ‘using’ her though? I thought that smile at the end of her performance was kind of a sign that he realized he was wrong (plus the title of that episode – something about the sons of Eli being useless or something, right?)I didn’t put it in for that review (the week before) but the moment when she decides to go and dance and you can see she realizes she can do it…the smile and joy compared to the face of panic before should earn her an Emmy.
I guess my point is that regardless of whether Eli intends to use her, she still feels hurt by his decades of neglect. I think those feelings are valid! Baby Billy is totally going to break her heart though.
Anyone else think the DUI, and I think Hit and Run, referenced on the tv when Eli is awoken is Judy?
big meaty dad hands
Anyone catch where David Gordon Green appeared?
can we all agree Keefe needs longer shirts … ;}
Disappointed we didn’t get more of Kelvin’s youth hip hop dance performance. The few short parts we got were glorious
More Cassidy Freeman, that is what every TV show needs.
I never saw her before this show but I absolutely agree. She’s a stunner.
I first saw her in Smallville where she wore some amazing outfits…
I was just thinking that. What a fox.
One of my favorite lines that was hidden in the episode:Judy: “I’m not a little girl anymore.”Eli: “I know, you’re almost 40 years old!”
I love how this episode reminded us, once again, this season is probably going to end in an insane gunfight.
I lost it at Amber and Jesse aggressively trying to accept Gideon “coming out”. For their many, many faults, at least they’re not homophobic. “I LOVE MY BI SON.”
I’ve never been much of a Danny McBride fan and always viewed him as a one trick pony but damn if this show isn’t hilarious. I love the fact that every person on this show is able to shine equally and not one character is wasted.
Lordy this show is off-kilter enough, and then comes Judy’s speech about being a woman. This show is killing it.
Jesse’s line about “not watching things where people solve stuff” was my biggest laugh of the episode. His scoffing delivery cracked me up.
Car pranks :-}
when they opened the vault at the end a couple thoughts were “yeah that’s a lot of money” and “they have so much more money though…” so i wonder if they’ll pursue scotty or not to get the money back cause the video being released would be worse to them. partly think that because jesse said “i don’t like watching things where people solve stuff” but we’ll see
This show is good; however, that fucking Misbehaving song is catchy and has been in my head for days, and it’s driving me crazy