The Righteous Gemstones Season Three Early Review

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

Having last left the Gemstone family with the comical inheritance of Zion’s Landing by way of a failed Young Guns finale attempt, matters could only approach one direction as season two of The Righteous Gemstones left the family on top of the megachurch world – down.

Entering its third season, The Righteous Gemstones continues its march through uncomfortable decadence and abrasive confrontations mixed with subtly dark humor briefly crossing whatever presumed line of tact the show has set forth for itself before gently winking to its audience and withdrawing from ever truly going too far. It remains a wonderfully constructed satire of the megachurch, and by proxy, the religious community that might strike some as too aggressive, and yet, in many ways rings true with certain perceptions towards this community. In doing so across the previous two seasons, it has managed to carve a pathway of storytelling that has served it well but is narratively predictable causing its weekly episodic release to not fully possess the necessary power and demand for viewers that is must-watch viewing each week.

Season three of The Righteous Gemstones focuses on the Gemstone siblings as Dr. Eli Gemstone, now having retired as pastor of his church, has ceded his leadership role to Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin Gemstone in a passing of the torch. However, the process quickly goes off the rails as each sibling attempts to apply what they perceive to be the best form of leadership to the amount of power they have now been given, leading to dwindling attendance numbers and declining donations. Pressure further mounts through their forced participation in yet another family squabble as a member from Eli’s past, May May Montgomery (Kristen Johnston), emerges in search of help from the family. Adding to these troubles is the growing impatience from the Board of Ministers and congregants that are not impressed by the change in regime for the church.

This season follows the narrative formula of its predecessors exactly by taking the opportunity in the first two episodes provided to establish the “line” for its characters before presumably wrecking through it (with a Holy monster truck) presenting the Gemstones in their worst possible state before reaching the bottom and learning something on the way to their redemption arc. Knowing this narrative structure is not a weakness, especially for a series such as this. However, in its current release format, it proves to be a hindrance that would best be left until the season has concluded before bingeing all episodes together. Of course, this varies through personal viewing preference but it nevertheless impacts the reception of its first episodes and each one subsequently after.

Thankfully, the Gemstones’ personalities and comedic situations are on full display through the main conflict as Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin are collectively dealing with the pressures of leadership, but where the series truly excels is through its secondary narratives and supporting cast. This season not only features the return of Baby Billy, Tiffany, and Baby Lionel, who spearhead a personal favorite running joke throughout the season but also expands the Gemstone family tree from Eli’s side with the Montgomery cousins, who are congregants of a religious doomsday prepper sect. As the series comes to rely more on its supporting storylines, it becomes increasingly stronger and funnier, and where its true comedic power lies that can easily be seen this season with Kelvin’s new youth ministry endeavor “Smut Busters” or series favorite, BJ’s inability to still assert himself as a true family member and more.

In the end, The Righteous Gemstones continues to lean into what has made it successful its past two seasons. And while some impact can be lessened due to its formulaic approach and weekly release structure, it remains a hilariously dark depiction of a community that is not immune to satire. Its characters, while featuring repetitive behavior at times, still offer enough intrigue that fans of the series will continue to return, and new ones will find their way to the show and be rewarded. This season furthers that cause through the expansion of Gemstone characters as well as developing the ones fans know and love just enough to keep them wanting more.

still courtesy of HBO

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.

Critics w/o Credentials

Trying my best to get all thoughts about TV and Film out of my head and onto the interweb.