The Righteous Gemstones (2×05) Interlude II Review

For our review of the last episode of The Righteous Gemstones, click here.

Synopsis: Christmas, 1993. While Eli considers a tempting offer from an old friend, Baby Billy crashes the Gemstones’ celebrations. (HBO)

Interlude II goes back in time, forcing viewers to wait another week to see the result of the assassination attempt against Jesse and Amber is resolved. Instead, this episode focuses on a very important Gemstone Christmas in 1993 marking a pivotal shift for the Gemstone family and the decades that follow while finally answering what The Exodus means to Eli.

While last season’s midpoint offered a flashback that centered around Amy Lee and the early formation of the Gemstone empire (not to mention the undisputed banger, “Misbehavin'”), this episode focuses on Eli as he wills his growing church into a new expansive era despite the protests of some around him. This is fortuitous because it allows for the addition of Martin, who cements (pun intended) his place in the Gemstone inner circle in this episode. More importantly, this specific moment in Eli’s life is shown because it marks the moral precipice that causes him to directly address his past and bury whatever remnants are still left of it for good, both literally and figuratively.

Glendon Marsh, Eli’s longtime wrestling promoter from his former days, reconnects with him after his church is publicly known to be dangerously close to financial hardship in order to offer him a business proposition that would immediately alleviate Eli’s struggles but would require his church to launder money for Marsh as he enjoys retirement. Meanwhile, Baby Billy decides to crash the Gemstone family Christmas after leaving Harmon at the mall pet store. Of course, he’s welcomed with open arms by his sister who quickly surmises the reason for his arrival and attempts to persuade him to return to his family, but despite her best efforts, Baby Billy still has a long way to go with his fatherly duties.

As things come to a boil between Amy Lee and Baby Billy, things are even more strained between the Gemstones as Amy Lee discovers the extent of Marsh’s donation and balks at the idea while Eli is considering it. Yet again, Amy Lee serves as the family’s moral compass, helping to guide Eli out of this dilemma but through this, it further emphasizes their vastly different backgrounds and how both approached the notion of money, but more importantly, security. In the end, Eli sees the right path and turns Marsh’s offer down believing the issue to be resolved. However, Marsh had different plans ultimately confronting Eli at his home and threatening violence against his family if he didn’t agree to his deal. But it’s not Martin or Eli that saves the day but Grandaddy Roy armed with a shotgun and his memories intact (for now). From the aftermath, we see Martin firmly placed in Eli’s circle of trust and why the Exodus is so significant for Eli as it houses the grave of Glendon Marsh unbeknownst to anyone else beyond that fateful night.

Interlude II takes the interesting narrative of Eli’s past, showing in previous episodes and snaps them into a more meaningful focus that continues to build upon Eli’s morality being tested. Now that Amy Lee is no longer around to guide him, his temptation to regress back towards the man he used to be has reached a tipping point, and it remains to be seen where his decisions lead him next. Meanwhile, Junior (Eric Roberts) is on a similar collision course to that of his father those many years ago, but knowing the Gemstone family, they are more than likely preparing for the inevitable.

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