The Righteous Gemstones Review
A Satiric Expose On The Gluttonous, Corrupt World Of Megachurches
Kai Meyer | December 11, 2024
Over the Thanksgiving break, I immersed myself in Danny McBride’s insanely hilarious HBO show, “The Righteous Gemstones.” The show centers around the extremely wealthy and dysfunctional family, the Gemstones, leaders of several Megachurches in South Carolina. It is not the most relaxing show, however it is insanely compelling and impossible to stop once you begin.
The first episode opens with a 24-hour baptism marathon in China, with Eli (John Goodman), the head of the patriarchy, and his two sons, Jesse (Danny McBride) and Kelvin (Adam Devine), standing waist-deep in a pool, repeatedly dunking saved Chinese souls in “the name of Jesus Christ.” Immediately, Jesse begins antagonizing Kelvin on how he’s not dunking people correctly, and the entire ceremony devolves from there. The two begin competitively bickering, splashing each other, then the wave machine accidentally gets turned on and EDM starts blaring from the speakers—a snapshot of the Gemstones’ dynamic.
Ryan Green/HBO
When they emerge from their three private jets, named “The Father,” “The Son,” and “The Holy Spirit,” we begin to understand the deep irony between what the Gemstones preach and who they are. Eli preaches the good word and the importance of donation in stadium-sized prayer centers, and the family indulges in God’s riches. However, Eli’s three children may not be so adept at upholding the global empire that seemingly runs like a machine.
The Gemstones are maladjusted and entitled, but their humanity shines through in small doses, like how they grieve together and love each other. The series begins in the wake of Aimee-Lee’s death, Eli’s wife, and the mother of the three adult children. Eli and Aimee-Lee built their holy, money-making empire in the 80s and now Eli is trying to fill her shoes with their children, who are morally concerning at best and deranged at worst.
The youngest is Kelvin, who finds his role in the church as the fun-loving, eccentric, youth minister, whose passion project is converting Keefe, a former Satanist, to Jesus. The two live together and share an unexplored homoerotic bond that is both wholesome and unsettling.
The middle child, Judy (Edi Patterson), is vying for a place in the spotlight. Eli holds Judy back because of her gender, but her foul, sex-driven, out-of-pocket remarks do not make a convincing case to put her on a pedestal in the church. However, her forward-thinking, feminist husband, BJ, is always there to support her, even though he is the laughingstock of the family.
The eldest, Jesse, is arguably the most appalling. Egotistical and entitled, his “beautiful, god-loving family” knows nothing about the mysterious video that has just been sent to him, showing Jesse doing drugs with prostitutes. In the end, the blackmailer demands $1 million or the video will be leaked, effectively ruining the Gemstones’ reputation.
The siblings, Kelvin, Judy, and Jesse team up to figure out how to maintain their image and who is blackmailing them. That is the basic premise on which the hypocrisy of the Righteous Gemstones is based.
It is an insane premise that hinges on the incredible acting, directing and design that brings the entire show together. I highly recommend this show if you enjoy dark comedies and have a high tolerance for cringe. It is the perfect escape that will make your family appear perfectly normal after the holidays.