The Righteous Gemstones has had more than its fair share or great cold opens this season, but this week’s might be the best. An unhinged, hilarious bit of madness, with a pitch perfect Walton Goggins performance to boot. Having finished up with their performance, Baby Billy drops Judy off at home, excited about what the future holds. As he puts it, “your career will go much further without the needless encumbrance of a lover.” Goggins is perfectly suited to slither that line, and it’s the first of many memorable ones throughout the episode.
With Judy dropped off, Baby Billy has other things on his mind. “Now, who wants to suck and old man’s dick?” he says, and the shift in tone is so jarring and wonderful. As Tiffany does her thing, they’re sideswiped by Scotty’s van screaming through an intersection. Baby Billy gets out of the car and approaches the front seat. “Is it yucky stuff?” asks Tiffany, hilariously. Scotty is out, and Tiffany finds the Gemstone money in the back.
Finally, Baby Billy has what he wants. He loads up the money, Tiffany snags Scotty’s gun, and then Baby Billy checks to make sure Scotty is dead. He’s not. He jolts awake, gasps, and Tiffany is so scared that she accidentally pulls the trigger and shoots him in the head. Cue the title card as they scream, and once again The Righteous Gemstones is off and running.
“But The Righteous Will See Their Fall” absolutely nails the trademark Hill/McBride balance of crude and sweet. It’s exactly what a penultimate episode should be. It sets up a lot for the finale, while also wrapping up a few stories to clear some room for bigger moments. The chaos is all starting to take a more coherent shape, and the catharsis here is palpable and exciting.
The cold open is unhinged, and that sets the table for the rest of the episode, where there’s a reckoning around every turn. Baby Billy and Tiffany think they do everything they can to cover their tracks, but when they push the van into a marsh it doesn’t sink. He says there’s nothing to worry about because high tide will come and take care of that, but the next day it’s dry as a bone, and by the end of the episode the cops are pulling the van out of the muck.
Judy’s reckoning comes in the form of BJ and a woman named Denim. It’s a hilarious sequence of events, peppered with little jokes and asides. There’s BJ’s earring that’s meant to suggest he’s edgier. There’s Denim, who’s genuinely disappointed she doesn’t get to beat the hell out of Judy. There’s BJ saying that “Mr. Walker” is waiting for an appointment, only for the camera to cut to a young kid with an eyepatch. All of that is followed by a shopping cart attack that’s shot in the maximalist style that’s been deployed by this creative team before. It’s beautiful.
The smaller reckoning comes in the form of Kelvin believing that everything happening to his family is a punishment from God, and that makes him unfit to be any sort of leader. That anger comes out when he screams at Keefe and banishes him from the house. In all seriousness, I know we all believed Keefe and Kelvin to be the purest relationship on this show, and it’s genuinely heartbreaking (and very, very funny) to see Kelvin yelling at him.
Of course, the episode’s biggest moment comes from Jesse, who finally decides to fess up to what happened in Atlanta, all so that he can protect Gideon. The scene where he reveals everything is hilarious. Chad and the rest of his buddies all moaning, groaning, in complete disbelief about what Jesse is doing. Then everyone gathers in the screening room to watch the footage, including Chad’s children, who watch him snort coke and have sex with a prostitute while everyone else cheers him on.
The whole thing is tonally perfect. It’s funny and weird, but it’s also got these moments of insight, like Jesse making this all about him and how this honesty is him being brave. He’s not really reckoning with what he’s done, because he doesn’t want to accept any consequences. But he is finally doing the right thing, and that’s something.
By the end of the episode, Jesse has been shot in the ass by his wife, Eli is bailing Judy out of jail, Keefe is on the road, and Tiffany and Baby Billy are rolling around in money. There’s certainly more reckonings to come.
Stray observations
- That’s right, there’s only nine episodes in this season, so buckle up, because next week’s finale is bound to be a treat.
60 Comments
Jesse just absolutely torching his crew without any heads up was cold as ice. Even when he’s doing “the right thing” he can’t help but be a world class asshole. “I wish I had someone special to get mad at me when I do bad things.” “You do. Jesus Christ. Now get the fuck out of here.”
I laughed really hard at “You’re a bitch, Jessie.” Ice cold!
The fact that it was the actual video was the most beautiful non-twist twist for me. I was expecting a demo reel of Scotty on “CSI: Miami”.
I am so much more invested in this show than I ever thought I could be when it first started out. Don’t have much insight to lend, but goddammit Kelvin better get his shit together and go out and beg for Keefe back because I will be devastated if this show is missing his sad, strange, gentle, and delightful energy for very long.Also, I would love to see Keefe and Levi interact. They are very nearly the same person, just tragically attached to different Gemstone brothers. Levi saying he wished he had someone to be mad at him for doing bad things nearly broke my heart (though of course he does, in Jesus Christ).So sad next episode is the last of the season, but I can’t wait.
Levi’s sadness reminds me of no one being upset that Barney visits the burlesque house on “The Simpsons.”
I forget, is Levi the one who can’t toss his “We Did It!” coin in the swamp? Or was it Gregory who just drops it off the dock? Cause that seemed like a MacGuffin at the time.
Pretty sure it was Gregory because he made them.
Gregory, because he was the one who had them made (lollllll)
The only reason “hey, how do you smoke crack?” isn’t the funniest line of the year is because last week’s “I don’t like to watch shows where people solve things” is one of the funniest things Danny McBride has ever said.
I’ll always be partial to this.
‘honey i love you but you have clothes like a fucking dickhead’ is the funniest line anyone has ever said.
“If there’s one thing I hate, it’s losing. If there’s two things I hate, it’s losing and getting cancer.”
“I thought you were a whore with a heart of gold. Instead you’re just a whore with a regular old whore’s heart.:
My favorite moment of this episode was that Levi watched the footage with his feet up on the ottoman.
damn theres only one more?
The half-hearted wave from Mr. Walters as he waited patiently to try on some transitional lenses absolutely murdered me. Slain. I am dead.I can’t wait to see emo Kelvin. I hope he lip-syncs a My Chemical Romance song or something. Adam Devine is muuuuuurdering this role. So weird and fun.Looks like my ‘Scotty is Baby Billy’s son’ theory went up in smoke, although I was half expecting BB to have some weird reunion with him right then and there as he pulled his bloody head off the steering wheel. Would’ve been even weirder had Aunt Tiffany shot him directly afterward, too. Oh well. Still wondering who the hell BB’s son is going to turn out to be. Keefe?Judy screaming ‘COME GET SOME!’ into that rando woman’s phone at the end of her supermarket spree was the cherry on top of that disaster sundae. Holy shit.‘Come on in the back! We’ll touch backs and dicks!’
Ya, the little “yo” wave the kid gave was the highlight of the whole episode for me.
Mine was ‘that’s not your daddy, that’s CGI baby.’
There was SO much awesomeness in this episode. To me, John Goodman talking to Kelvin and breaking down was a highlight as well. I forgot just how great of an actor he is. Judy’s breakdown was fucking great. We’ve seen glimpses of her like this, but after Baby Billy just flat out eviscerated her with those comments and to have BJ not come running back was the final straw I guess. I legit felt so bad for Judy and I hope that Eli bailing her is a sign of her getting some self realization on how she might need to change. But this is also a Danny McBride joint which makes me think she’s just going to get crazier.
Speaking of Baby Billy’s evisceration of Judy– His friendly wave goodbye to her as he speeds away in his car, having just wrecked her dreams, is fucking hysterical.
That also cracked me up. His GF and her gum was pretty great as well.
I love how “blowjob in a moving car” always inevitably ends in a car accident.
Thankfully usually only in movies or shows…
I legit that Eli was having a stroke or heart attack during that scene, because he kept holding his arm.
I must’ve missed any mention of Baby Billy having a kid…I suppose it makes sense, what with all the divorces he’s paying alimony for. But I can’t imagine who it could be. Something for next season, maybe?
It was in the flashback episode. You see him playing football with his son. And doing it cruelly.
Baby Billy’s son is the little weirdo from a few episodes ago that put the booger on the paper ninja star. The flashback episode.
Aaaaah…and JFC how could I have forgotten that?!
I normally can’t stand Adam Devine*, but he has been excellent in this….actually playing a new character and disappearing into the role. And Walton Goggins has just been stellar.* the sole exception being the cougar/fully-torqued episode of “Workaholics”…he was hee-larious in that one.
Keefe’s tattoos. I’m still laughing.
I remember Scotty early saying that hard drive with the video also had his porn stash. When the curtains opened in the screening room, as I was expecting that to be showing, then Jesse fumbling through the files while trying to explain why he’s showing everyone porn.
Maybe the best line was Judy to Denim, something like “you were looking to sample suck some clean dick” (someone correct me if I got that wrong). Edi Patterson is great at unhinged.For the finale I’m wondering if Dermott Mulroney makes a return, maybe an alliance with Baby Billy (who seemed sympathetic to him when they met). I feel his story was so half baked right now, and he’s enough of a “name” actor that the viewer (or me at least!) thinks “that can’t be all there is with him…right?”
I don’t think Baby Billy needs to ally himself with anyone now!
No, he doesn’t. I just wonder if he will because he resents Eli so much for taking his sister. And my idea is more to try to figure out if that was all they had for Dermott Mulroney or if they planned to take it somewhere.
Good call!
I did a rewatch of Conners s1 the other week before s2 dropped. I had forgotten Dermot played a lawyer when Dan hurt his arm, subbing for DJ’s vending machine route.Not sure of the filming schedules, but I know John said he jumped on TRG while the Barr drama was unfolding and he had no idea what was going to happen to that show.Also, Dermot oozes total Smarm with a Capital S.
Great show. it just seems more of a drama than the comedy it is advertised as. also every HBO fan was thinking you don’t run is a strait line. Jesse pulled a Rickton Stark. zig zag you fool.
My money would still be on Amber nailing Jesse’s fatass, zig zag or not.
They literally showed her being a great shot. She’d nailed that butthole anyway.
Yes she i, three gun challenge and all. I was trying to make a HBO joke.
I had the same thought and appreciate your joke. 🙂
You forgot to leave your coffee cup out.
Serpentine Shel! Serpentine!
Shout outs to Cassidy Freeman as Amber. She’s been great all season, and she really sold rocking that sniper rifle at the end there.
I feel like I didn’t know I was waiting for that moment, but when she grabbed the gun and he started running it just all felt so right! And she looked AMAZING in that dress!
Cassidy Freeman really is one of the gems in this brilliant, bizarre show. Interesting costume note, Amber is mostly shown in neutrals, white, or animal prints. When she kicks Gideon out, she is washed in beige, when taking those spot-on family shows, glaring white. Sometimes the leopard or cheetah prints peak thorough the more conservative ensembles but for Jesse’s revelation, she was full-on wild-cat. Even Jesse’s run through the jungle-like yard was an excellent contrast to her focused gaze.
damn good catch! can’t wait to rewatch this with an eye on the details after i know what’s gonna happen.
Nailed it. Best episode yet. Endless madness and hysterical moments (Edi Patterson’s meltdown at the market is amazing).
Even with how good everyone else is, she’s the MVP for me. She’s mastered a perfect blend of chasmic neediness and stunning assholery.
What type of gun was Amber using to shoot Jesse there? Seems ok me it would be a high caliber rifle, but shot out a. 22 or air pellet? I mean that would be sorta in brand for the Gemstones to have a tricked out air pellet gun.
That scene between Jesse and Gideon where Jesse takes ownership for why Gideon did what he did was really powerful, and I’m surprised nobody else is talking about it, but that might just be because it made my own daddy issues start creeping up.
No, I don’t know why it’s not mentioned either. It’s pretty harsh, especially when Gideon is leaving and he’s hugging his brothers, and Jesse wants to go out there but he feels he can’t because he’s trying to hide his shit from Amber.
Well if he hasn’t already, that episode surely locked up the Emmy for Walter Goggins. I hope he channels Baby Billy by riding a hobby horse and drinks champagne in his acceptance speech
Can it be a hobby unicorn?
“I must still be under the effects of toxic shock syndrome.”
“Now, Mr. Walters here has been waiting patiently to try on a pair of transitional lenses. If you’ll excuse me!”
“I wish I had somebody special in my life to get mad at me for doing bad things.” “Well, you do. Jesus Christ. Now get the fuck out of here.”
“That’s Gregory attempting to do cocaine. And that’s Matthew successfully doing cocaine.”
Gregory is the background MVP. Every single thing he’s done has been ptch-perfect. He wants to be one of the guys so bad!
This was a great episode, but I will be incredibly disappointed if we’re now deprived of seeing the Baby Billy and Judy Lee Misbehavin’ 2020 tour. I’m thinking of running through the house with a pickle in my mouth to express my frustration.
Seeing the full ATL video was glorious, and I could not stop laughing.
Judy could have easily been played by Sarah Silverman