The Righteous Gemstones (2×06) Never Avenge Yourselves, But Leave It to the Wrath of God Review

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

Synopsis: After surviving a harrowing attack, Jesse takes matters into his own hands. Eli attempts to make amends, while Kelvin struggles to control his flock. (HBO)

After spending last week’s episode in the past with many answers surrounding Eli and the Gemstone family being revealed, the season jumps back into the present storyline as Jesse and Amber try to piece together who is behind the assassination attempt on their lives…and of course, the revenge plot that will follow.

After the revelations from “Interlude Part II, ” the Gemstones are led to believe that it is Junior who is behind this evil deed and so in an effort to strike back Jesse tries to receive his father’s blessing only to be told to not get involved. Naturally, the eldest Gemstone ignores his father’s warning and instead takes his group of “Second Chance” men, a support group for men having trouble in their marriages, and seeks Junior out on his own. In doing so he issues a warning of his own to Junior to stay away from the Gemstone family for good or else it will be his life in danger. This builds to one of the funniest moments of the episode (aside from BJ finally receiving the much-coveted handshake from Eli Gemstone) as Jesse and his Second Chance men’s weapon of intimidation is the Old Testament sling which ultimately proves an odd enough selection to ward off Junior’s goons for the time being.

But Jesse is not the only Gemstone sibling experiencing problems at the moment. After Kelvin’s infamous showdown with his father resulting in both of his thumbs being broken, his position of leadership with the God Squad has finally been tested beyond the limits of his control. He was able to thwart Titus‘ attempt to supplant him as leader but because of his injury, he is no match for Torsten (Brock O’Hurn) who overcomes the test of the Cross and takes the mantle as the leader from Kelvin removing him from the very group he helped to create. Adding further to his suffering, Eli emerges at Kelvin’s lowest point in an effort to make amends for what he’s done only to be rebuked by the youngest Gemstone as explains how much the God Squad meant to him as an accomplishment within the family whose place he had to always compete for attention only to be seen as a child no matter what.

While Jesse and Kelvin are both enduring trials and tribulations of their own, it’s Judy who is being changed the most through hers as she and BJ have tried to take Tiffany Freeman under their wing after she was abandoned by Baby Billy during her pregnancy. Unbeknownst to Judy and BJ, they are experiencing stages of parenthood and are strangely successful with it. The future remains to be seen but as their attachment to Tiffany grows, it’s progressively endearing to see how they help her through this dark time in her life. Truthfully, this has been one of the best relationship dynamics within this season and it’s exciting to see how this will end up for not only Tiffany but Judy and BJ as hopefully, it gives them the confidence to bring a life of their own into the world.

Any feelings of hope and happiness are always short-lived within the Gemstone family as the cycle ninjas make their return, this time for another Gemstone target in Eli. This time, it seems they did not miss their mark and the Gemstone patriarch’s status is unclear heading into next week’s episode. What is certain, is that Junior’s days on this Earth appear to be numbered and retaliation is on the horizon.

Next week’s episode will prove to be one of the most important for the entire Gemstone family not only for Eli but for the siblings who have all thought of this moment but are nowhere near ready to take it on.

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