The Righteous Gemstones Review: Is This the Man Who Made the Earth Tremble (Season 1 Episode 2)
Opening up the narrative a little more allows The Righteous Gemstones Season 1 Episode 2, “Is This the Man Who Made the Earth Tremble,” to fill in gaps and broaden the Gemstone rift.
The Gemstones aren’t murderers, after all, or at least not yet. The show’s darker tone underneath its comedy is a refreshing way to take the story, as it shows there’s consequences to the shenanigans of others, while the Gemstones are currently without any consequences of their own. Despite their level of exposure, they’re able to walk away free.
photo: Ryan Green/HBO
The reveal of Gideon being the third accomplice comes as a fun twist (though it’s Skyler Gisondo, who is excellent on Santa Clarita Diet, so his inclusion on the show is expected to be larger than a bit part, if you know him as an actor). As the mastermind of the blackmail attempt, it shows the great rift he has with Jesse, but it also signals something larger.
The way Scott threatens him after their fight shows that Gideon is perhaps in hotter water than anticipated and owes the wrong people money. There’s a level of anger and hate behind the threat that shows that despite being fairly incompetent, the people Gideon are dealing with aren’t to be messed with.
The thing Danny McBride shows always gets right is the height of incompetence in everyone who are way over their head. It’s an endearing incompetence, though, where half the fun is characters trying to figure something out for themselves or trying to pull off a confidence they most certainly should not have.
The way Jesse and Judy argue their percentage of the stolen money, the way Gideon and Scott halfheartedly fight in the hotel room, the way Jesse’s lackeys struggle to get the security footage from the auto shop; it’s all far too much work to come to a simple solution.
photo: Ryan Green/HBO
The ending montage as Jesse prays shows a lot of unfulfilling lives, continuing on the idea of having excess not being a fulfilling notion. Two moments strike an intriguing juxtaposition, with Eli snatching a rattlesnake before it’s about to strike just as Gideon returns home. It’s on the nose, but it’s a good way to put the return of Jesse’s son. There’s sure to be a descent with his arrival.
The comedy continues to come out of character and their ridiculousness, Danny McBride’s writing sharp and full of venom. With Eastbound and Down and Vice Principals, Danny McBride shows he’s at his best telling offbeat and off-the-path stories of broken people; The Righteous Gemstones, so far, is fitting into that genre of madness quite nicely.
The Righteous Gemstones Season 1 Episode 2, “Is This the Man Who Made the Earth Tremble,” is a solid continuation, its focus on Gideon leaving Eli a little on the sidelines as the blackmail story closes out and becomes something new. But it’s a sign the show is not going to be a simple comedy of a corrupted family; it’s going to take some interesting risks and show something new.
What did you think of this episode of The Righteous Gemstones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.