Warning: Contains spoilers for The Righteous Gemstones season 2!
The Righteous Gemstones season 2 just ended its nine-episode run, and its complex ending requires some explaining. The massive Gemstone family has loads of plotlines, which each interweave and entangle to create the show’s engaging story. Although The Righteous Gemstones seems like a simple comedy on its surface, there are a lot of complex themes and ideas that may be missed by some viewers.
The Righteous Gemstones follows the wealthy Gemstone family, a dynasty of megachurch pastors who are not as holy as the facade they put on. Eli Gemstone, the patriarch of the family, is the lead pastor of the church, and his children Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin work under him. Each character has various elements from their seedy pasts rear their ugly heads, and the show follows them as they try to hide these past mistakes from the public and the rest of their family. Similar to the locations of Danny McBride’s Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones takes place in South Carolina, giving the family’s struggles for power and wealth a unique southern flair. Fans love the series because of its signature style, comedy, and ideas, all of which play into the show’s story and themes.
Season 2 of The Righteous Gemstones mainly focuses on two things: Eli’s past with Junior and Jesse’s partnership with the Lissons. As is learned in the season 2 premiere, Eli comes from a life of crime, one which he shared with wrestling promoter Glendon “Junior” Marsh Jr. In the present, Junior reappears in Eli’s life, threatening his public image and his life. At the same time, Jesse and his wife Amber attempt to partner with the Lissons, a duo of wealthy pastors from Texas, to fund a Christian resort known as Zion’s Landing. After Eli declines to fund it, Jesse desires to take over the ministry, turning Eli into an evangelical Logan Roy-type figure. These two wild storylines constantly overlap, involving assassinations, suicide attempts, and a battle with cycle Ninjas using an electric cattle prod.
Early in season 2, it is revealed that Eli used to work as a professional wrestler for Junior’s father, Glendon Marsh Sr. On the side, though, Eli and Junior acted as mob enforcers, breaking the bones of those who were in debt to Marsh Sr. However, since then Eli turned to the Lord, and now runs the massively successful Gemstone Salvation Center. When Junior arrives back in Eli’s life, they initially start out as friends, although Eli is cautious the entire time. However, after a journalist who is investigating the Gemstones is murdered, Eli instantly suspects it was Junior and breaks off the friendship. Gunmen then start going after the Gemstones, and the family immediately assumes it was Junior, escalating the situation.
At the end of the season, it is revealed that Junior, although he did want to hurt Eli, did not send the motorcycles assassins. As it turns out, Eli’s father accidentally murdered Junior’s father years ago, and Junior is upset about that and the fact that Eli is so successful while he is such a failure. After Eli apologizes, Junior forgives him, and the duo ends on good terms. However, if Junior didn’t send the so-called cycle Ninjas, then that means someone else is out to take the Gemstones’ lives.
The main mystery throughout The Righteous Gemstones season 2 is the question of who hired the cycle ninjas. Tons of red herrings are presented, such as Junior, the Butterfields, and Kelvin and Keefe’s musclemen. However, it is revealed in the last episode that Lyle and Lindy Lissons, the founders of Zion’s landing, are actually the ones who want Eli dead. Apparently, the Lissons didn’t get their wealth without getting their hands dirty, and as is shown here, they still aren’t scared to play dirty to get what they want. Lyle tells Jesse that he decided to put a hit on Eli when he rejected to fund Zion’s Landing. Lyle also has a father that he feels is in the way of letting his ministry thrive, so he assumed that killing Eli would be a favor for Jesse. Lyle thinks that, if Eli is dead, not only will he get the funding for Zion’s Landing, but Jesse will also take up the mantle of lead pastor. And although The Righteous Gemstones‘ two “Interlude” episodes show that the Gemstones will play dirty, Jesse is not to the level of wanting his father killed. Although the Lissons escape the Gemstones’ fury at first, it does not last long, as months later they are both hunted down in Alaska and killed by Eli’s hitmen.
The Righteous Gemstones season 2 shows that not only has the family come closer together, but by doing so, they can hide their crimes more easily. Only when each family member comes clean to one another are they able to solve their issues, a lesson Jesse should have learned at the end of the first season. Eli can’t handle Junior on his own, but when he tells his kids about Glendon Marsh’s death, they are able to take care of it. The real catalyst for the family coming together, though, is Eli’s near-death because of the cycle Ninjas. Because of this, Kelvin forgives his father, Judy steps up and helps run the ministry, and Jesse orchestrates a plan to get revenge on the hitmen. The family works together to get back at the Lissons, take over Zion’s landing, and spin all of this for the betterment of their ministry. Alone they could not do this, but together the Gemstones can accomplish almost anything, even though it may be immoral.
The two main themes of The Righteous Gemstones season 2 are forgiveness and redemption. Throughout the show, characters harbor resentment for one another, whether that be Kelvin hating Eli, Junior hating Eli, or Tiffany hating Baby Billy. The show highlights that these grudges only lead to more pain, and by confronting and forgiving those that have wronged you, you can move past the hurt. This lesson has already been learned by Baby Billy, and the rest of the family reaches this realization in season 2. Only by forgiving their enemies can the Gemstones save their family and their ministry.
The show’s other main theme is that of redemption. Being about Christian pastors, the show of course talks a lot about salvation. However, the series shows that the characters need to reflect on their past and repent from their misgivings to become whole. Although the family does still make some reprehensible choices, coming clean to one another still is a catalyst for mending broken relationships and becoming a better person. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Baby Billy’s arc, as he seeks out the son he abandoned to try and make up for the hurt he had put him through. Once again, the comedy and zany characters of The Righteous Gemstones season 2 are simply the icing on the cake, and there is so much to take away when the viewer digs a little deeper.
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Author: Robert Pitman
