The Righteous Gemstones Review: I Speak in the Tongues of Men and Angels/ After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come (Season 2 Episodes 1 and 2)
Hallelujah! HBO’s megachurch dark comedy The Righteous Gemstones is finally back from its extended hiatus. The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 Episode 1, “I Speak in the Tongues of Men and Angels” and Episode 2, “After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come,” follow the family coming out of the pandemic as rich (and ridiculous) as ever.
Episode 1 starts with a flashback to patriarch Eli’s (John Goodman) life as a young man working as an enforcer and pro wrestler. At first watch, the flashback feels out of place but everything starts fitting together as the episode progresses.
Season 1 was primarily focused on Jesse (Danny McBride) and his siblings. Season 2 takes a closer look at Eli’s past and present. How did a wrestler from Memphis become one of the most influential televangelical figures in the South?
It’s hard to not want to compare the Gemstones to another HBO family full of drama and dysfunctional dynamics, the Roys. From Eli as the scrappy patriarch disappointed in his spoiled children to Jesse as the would-be successor feeling stifled by his dad’s control, there are plenty of parallels to explore.
Season 2 even has its own streaming platform storyline with the introduction of GODD (Gemstones on Digital Demand). Lukas Matsson could never.
While Succession is a comedy parading as a drama (or maybe it’s the other way around), The Righteous Gemstones is very clear about its identity. McBride and collaborators Jody Hill and David Gordon Green have established a signature comedic style through their work with HBO (Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals), and The Righteous Gemstones is a natural addition to that legacy.
The jokes aren’t trying to be overly clever or witty. It’s not about which kid is the smartest (it’s none of them) or who Eli can manipulate to do his bidding.
The show is about clueless and emotionally stunted relatives getting themselves into ridiculous situations and how they attempt to get themselves out of them. The show doesn’t pull punches in pointing out the hypocrisy of commercial evangelism but doesn’t prioritize those messages so much as it lets them fit naturally into the developments of these characters’ antics.
That was the formula for Season 1 and so far appears to be the formula again. The look at Eli’s past coincides with the arrival of big-city journalist Thaniel Block (Jason Schwartzman), who is on a mission to expose the grifters who take advantage of the devout.
Junior (Eric Roberts), one of Eli’s past associates from Memphis, also conveniently arrives around the same time to reconnect. The Gemstones have plenty they want to hide, more than Thaniel probably even realizes.
The story intensifies when Jesse, Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine) go to confront Thaniel because their father won’t. They find him murdered alongside two other bodies burned beyond recognition. Mirroring the blackmail plot of last season, the siblings end up in over their heads instead of taking care of things.
What might be a horrifying shock on another series turns into a hilarious sequence of physical comedy as the siblings slip and slide all over the pool of blood while trying to run away. Arriving back at Judy’s Tesla only for them to keep hitting the wrong buttons to close the doors is the cherry on top of their bumbling escape.
Naturally, they go to tell their daddy who arrives home around the same time covered in blood. The mystery of whether Eli killed Thaniel and what they’re going to do about it is the perfect setup to keep viewers who need more than just jokes hooked for the rest of the season.
The murder mystery is likely to be the center of the story moving forward but there’s still plenty else happening in the first two episodes to add to the chaos and generate gags.
Other subplots pick up through lines from Season 1. Jesse once again attempts to assert his independence, this time by investing in a Christian timeshare pitched by a celebrity Christian couple, the Lissons, who may or may not be scamming them.
At least Jesse gets a chance to connect with Joe Jonas and almost run over a valet during their trip to Texas to meet with the Lissons. Lyle Lissons (Eric Andre) seems a smidge smarter than Jesse and reflects back his entitlement and desire for success in a canny way.
Although the outcome of this venture seems predictable, it’s fun to see McBride and Cassidy Freeman (Amber) be on the same side this season. Freeman gets plenty of humorous moments, including a savage showdown with Judy, that proves she can hold her own among the comedian-filled cast.
Patterson continues to steal scenes as Judy whether she’s accusing her father of having a torrid homosexual affair with Junior or defending her choice of Disney character wedding officiants for her and BJ’s (Tim Baltz) elopement.
We don’t see nearly enough of Keef (Tony Cavalero) in these episodes, but Kelvin’s homosexual subtext inches closer and closer to becoming text with his creation of the God Squad, a group of shirtless male disciples.
As of now, none of these subplots are servicing the murder mystery, but that’s part of what makes The Righteous Gemstones so ridiculously fun. Even with evidence that their father may be a murderer, the siblings still care more about their absurd personal dramas and battle for power.
There’s no doubt that how these smaller plotlines play out will be just as interesting, and hilarious, as the murder. During the lull of winter TV, The Righteous Gemstones arrives just in time to be your comedic saving grace.
Additional thoughts:
- The first episode mentions the pandemic but also shows a packed house of unmasked people for Sunday service. It’s frustratingly ambiguous about whether this is because the pandemic is “over” for purposes of the show or because of where the show takes place (South Carolina).
- “You’ve got to marginalize your siblings,” actually does sound like a quote from Succession as well as the Lissons’ rant about Boomers.
- Judy and BJ getting married at Disney World is painfully on brand.
- I know it’s only January, but that Joe Jonas cameo has to be in the running for best surprise TV cameo of the year.
- I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Jason Schwartzman’s arc seems to be over already. Hopefully, we’ll get some flashbacks at least?
- Speaking of which, I’m curious if he actually has something on Aimee-Leigh or if that is just a ruse to get Eli to talk to him.
- Skyler Gisondo was such a revelation last season but aside from the traumatizing scene about masturbation doesn’t get much to do on these episodes. Hopefully that changes soon.
What did you think of The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 premiere? 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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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture enthusiast who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.