Eli Gemstone spends a lot of time worrying about his sons. He frets over their performance, their ability to carry on the family name, and what they’re doing with their personal lives. The first season has threatened some sort of coming apart for this family; namely, the looming threat of the leaked video tape forever tainting Jesse in the eyes of his father. Eli’s always assumed his boys were the ones that needed to be watched, because they were the most likely to disappoint him. But in doing so, he neglected his daughter, Judy, and “Now The Sons Of Eli Were Worthless Men” shows that she’s the one with the power to divide the Gemstones.
“Now The Sons” might be the funniest episode of the season so far. It begins with a cold open that features Jesse and Kelvin trying to hide the blackmailer’s totalled van, Keefe creepily eating a slice of processed cheese, and Judy commenting on Keefe’s “mushroom tip.” It’s a hilarious start to the episode, and it doesn’t let up from there.
Two events drive the jokes and plot this week. There’s Jesse trying to wrap up this whole deal with his blackmailers, and there’s Judy getting fed up with being sideline in the family business, and finding a compassionate shoulder in Baby Billy. These two stories work in tandem to show how the Gemstones family dynamic is one of competition and one-upmanship, as encouraged by the family patriarch. While Jesse tries to cover up his misdeeds, Judy tries to get noticed. Neither attempt will probably work out how they hope.
For his part, Jesse believes he’s put his problems in the past. When Scotty calls him and says he’ll release the video unless he gets his van back, Jesse calls his bluff and leaves the man flustered. Jesse celebrates, proud of his moment of bravado, and arranges for a symbolic ceremony to declare the end of this nonsense. Of course, his problems aren’t going away. They literally show up on his doorstep in the final moments of the episode.
That storyline is moving along nicely, but it’s also the least interesting part of the season. Skyler Gisondo is doing good work as Gideon, portraying a young man increasingly torn between rebelling against his family and embracing them for who they are, and any shouting match between Jesse and Scotty is worth a few laughs, but the whole thing is just missing something. It doesn’t quite have the emotional undercurrent happening elsewhere in the show, even as Jesse does his best to reconcile with Gideon. It also feels a little too predictable, too by the numbers. The planned heist, the eventual acceptance of Gideon back into the family, and the moment that should be coming soon, where Gideon must choose between Scotty and the Gemstones. It’s all entertaining, but it’s lacking that extra substance that’s present in the feud between Eli and Baby Billy.
That feud is tremendously intriguing because it carries so much history. Walton Goggins and John Goodman are able to do so much with so little. They’ve taken a silly story and imbued it with gravitas and emotional heft. You can feel the bad blood between the two, even in the rare moment when they’re getting along. Having Aimee-Leigh as this hallowed figure, adored in different ways by both men, gives the relationship a complexity that’s fascinating, and that grounds all the middle fingers and insults.
Last week’s flashback episode was a perfect bit of storytelling, a funny, compelling ode to the joys and frustrations of navigating the family unit. This episode isn’t better, per se, but it does expand on Aimee-Leigh’s story in a way that feels more consequential. Last week’s episode was necessary to understand what happens here, as Eli and Baby Billy go toe-to-toe once again, this time as Baby Billy recognizes that Judy is feeling unappreciated by her father. So, he brings her on as the new Aimee-Leigh, adorning her in clogging shoes and performing “Misbehavin’” at the next church function.
We know Baby Billy. We know he’s doing this for his own good. He’s using Judy—she’s billed on the poster as “Aimee-Leigh’s daughter”—and Eli knows it too. What Eli doesn’t understand though is that Judy doesn’t care. She just wants a chance to prove herself, and Baby Billy, no matter how manipulative he is, has given her that opportunity, and it comes on the heels of yet another dismissal from her father.
Once Judy is given that moment, she shines. Eli sees that, and the episode executes a truly beautiful moment of recognition and regret. As Eli watches Judy sing “Misbehavin’” he sees Aimee-Leigh. He sees that Judy is the purest connection to the wife that he loved so much. He’s spent so much time mourning the loss of his wife that he failed to see he hasn’t completely lost her, because Judy is still here, ready to step into her momma’s shoes. Eli, standing in the back, smiles. It’s a smile of mixed emotions. He’s proud, but he’s also filled with regret. Goodman, so great in these small moments, conveys Eli’s realization with the slightest change of expression; a face that beams, and then subtly falls, a pit-of-the-stomach reckoning settling in. The Righteous Gemstones is so good at executing these types of moments.
Stray observations
- “When you’ve got star talent like this, a little Jesus house in shit town don’t seem so hot.”
- Judy: “I’m going to move to Malibu, shave my pussy, and learn to surf.” Jesse: “Shave your pussy? Why are you going to shave your pussy?” Judy: “So I can surf faster, Jesse!”
- Those Gemstones family photos, my goodness.
70 Comments
So the Righteous Gemstones is kind of brilliant is a lot more emotionally complex than Vice Principles.
Yeah, but Goggins’ VP portrayal of a swishy closet-case has to be his greatest creation to date.
I don’t know how many episodes are there in this season of TRG, but I’m hoping that sooner or later I really want to see a Gemstone interpretation of Christian cinema.I really want to see a Gemstone interpretation of Pureflix, and I want to see who Danny McBride casts as TRG’s own David AR White.
There’s this movie coming out about this! I remember seeing an article about a while back on reddit….FaithBased I think?
So the Righteous Gemstones is kind of brilliant is a lot more emotionally complex than Vice Principles.
Edi Patterson is so damn funny. The way she delivers “So I can surf faster, Jesse!” is perfect.
Her slamming the door over and over again was hands down the best thing in the episode.“SHIT!”
That’s just begging to be a reaction gif
also ..the “ I already did ,shit!” line ending the scene.
“Judy, don’t shave your pussy. Your time will come”.
When she’s harassing her ‘fiance’ for sex before the show I couldn’t stop laughing.
“I want some of that snow white dick!”
Saying she would have to get someone in the audience to finger her killed me.
Her fiance REALLY came through in that scene though. You could totally see why she loves him, he was super calm and reassuring and totally believed in her when no one else does. He had such a great delivery of a line I can’t quite remember – something about getting her “all different syrups, babygirl” that just made me love him. Great little scene for them as a couple!
Ok I looked it up, it was “Don’t worry girl. I got you a variety of different syrups.” That very awkward man made me melt in that scene!
He doesn’t work AT the grocery store, he works IN a grocery store.
He definitely loves and supports her. Considering the men she grew up with I get why she’s with him completely. Edi Patterson absolutely kills it. I remember thinking how great she was in “Vice Principals” but somehow she’s even better on this show.
More Tim Baltz!!
She is absolutely adorable. I loved her in Vice Principals and was way excited for her expanded role in this and she’s gone way beyond my expectations. Just killing me. She has this way of semi-garbling her dialogue so that it comes out in this stunted slurring that is one of the funniest character voices I’ve ever heard.
Bringing the coins back is a nice touch.
Poor Bryan
As irritating as Judy is, I’m rooting for her. A little attention might make her a nicer person.
Or, you know, worse.
Yeah. Pretty sure that the only direction for character development for her is “worse.”
If you’ve watched Vice Principals I highly doubtSpoilers kinda?that they would do the same character arc with her again.
I think Judy is going to be the one who brings down the Gemstones in some way– not Gideon.
But remember what she was like as a kid … I dunno, I think she’s probably the worst and just going to come into her own once she’s not under the shadow of her brothers and father.
Good point
So “Misbehavin” is stuck in my head for life. 2 weeks of it has burrowed deep. They did a great job on it, really feels like something of that time and place.
“Misbehavin” is simultaneously the best and worst song of 2019. Any genre, any artist, nothing has been this annoying of an earworm (but I also kinda like it, too?)
I’ve started absentmindedly whistling it, and my girlfriend will yell out from another room “are you whistling Misbehavin?” I can’t get it out of my head!
It’s driving me insane. Literally fucking insane. They’re going to lock me in a padded room and all I’ll be able to hear is an endless loop of “Runnin’ through the house with a pickle in my mouth”. It’s nightmarishly catchy. Horrible, horrible song. I mean, it’s perfect, but it’s so awful. I am seriously haunted by it. Help.
Making up alternate versions is a lot of fun. [blank] be [blankin’]. I’ve made up three versions so far: Dogs Be Fartin’, Trump be Tweetin’ and I Be Eatin’.
We thought we was just messing around, til we met that man in the thorny crown. He taught us that tricks and mischief leads to Satan. So from now on there’s no Misbehavin’The lyrics are just so bad. Just when you think that the next line will contain a similar rhythm or rhyme, it goes off the wall. Genius.
It truly is the best song Sugarland never wrote.
I’m afraid they are going to go the same route as Game of Thrones on this one though. I mean, over the course of 150 seasons of that show we got four or five songs repeated throughout Westeros. The fact that Amy Leigh and Baby Billy had enough of a career to allow for reunion tours would lead me to hope for more than one song over and over, but I suspect that we are going to get a single per season rather than the whole damn eight track.
Oh God, it has been TORMENTING me. I grew up in a church where my youth group had to perform songs like that all the time and I just got THOSE out of my head at age 25.
Yep, that’s some legitimately tight songwriting there.
On instagram Walt Goggins said “welcome to the song I’ve had stuck in my head for the past 6 months” … nailed it.
I didn’t know Goggins was on Instgram. My life just changed.
He’s super sweet with it too – always paying compliments to his wife, son, and colleagues. If it’s any indication of the real him, it confirms my real love of Walt Goggins.
This show is funny, but am I the only one that thinks it might be better with another actor playing Jesse?
yep!
“When you’d get a fried chicken soda machine?”
I love that the only two songs Tiffany knows on the piano are “This Little Light of Mine” and “Toxic”.
Both are great.
I dunno. I’m not even sure what a piano version of Toxic would even sound like.
Whoa! Thank you.
NEEDS MOAR WALTON GOGGINS
*Everything* would benefit from MOAR WALTON GOGGINS.
The acapella rendition of the Pixies’ “Mr. Grieves” over the credits was magnificent.
By TV on the Radio no less.
I didn’t realize that was them. Even more impressive, really.
“What the fuck? Come on, bitch”Tiffany coming in out of nowhere with a line of the week candidate.
Can’t top Judy’s surfing convo though.
*Aunt Tiffany. I wouldn’t correct, but it just means so much to her.
That line was fabulous!
What is the deal with the last two episodes being 35-40 minutes long? WE WANT MORE GEMSTONES, NOT LESS.Seriously, last two Sundays the eps finished and my husband and I were like WTF? That’s it? Last week’s we figured it was because it was a flashback so didn’t need to drag it out but this week’s clocked in at 35 minutes and we felt robbed.
The show is only 30 min. The opening ep was a double shot and this ep ran long ‘cause it’s HBO, they’ll allow it.
FX does that too. There was an episode of “American Horror Story: Hotel” that ran 90 minutes.
Keefe! That shirt is… not as long as you think it is, buddy. 😆
That’s how you do a cold open.
I think this one is still my favorite of all time:
Tonally the show is all over the map and still hasn’t found its groove. But Goodman and Goggins are pros and their scenes, both separately and together, give the sit-com staying power.
So, did they do a time jump in this episode? Because I don’t think Johnny Seasons’ church would lose members in a couple weeks, especially since it was over 1,000 at the beginning of the show. And Judy seemed a lot more confident in her dancing than before.
Late to reply, but I think the time jump was between episodes 3-4. You can tell by Scotty’s recovery.
I just watched this episode to get caught up for tonight, and man, that scene of Judy on stage with Eli watching was some powerful shit. This show clearly set out to be a comedy, but sneaks in some real profundity, while it’s Sunday night partner, Succession, gives the appearance of a prestige drama (and kind of is), but sneaks in some A+ comedy. Who says HBO can’t own Sunday nights without a show about thrones?
It has been really weird watching this show after reading the deeply reported story from Politico about Jerry Falwell’s church from a few weeks ago. Strange things are afoot in the evangelical community.
Showing dick or balls is not really funny. No one wants to see that anyways. And it’s also sexist. How did the show’s writers and directors get him to expose the “mushroom tip” anyways. Fake tip? Has been done a few times already on this season anyways. When do we get to see some a women’s ass cheek, or nip-slip, or shaved beaver? Oh wait, that will never happen nowadays on HBO (or most stations). But it would be just as funny (if not funnier) and more pleasing to see a glimpse of; as agreed upon by most men and women
how do you not mention that dressing room scene, at least in your stray observations! funniest scene i’ve seen in a looong time. my boyfriend and i watched it SIX more times after we finished the episode haha, soo good