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| Scene from The Righteous Gemstones |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
There have been few collaborators with HBO in recent years that have made quite the impact that Danny McBride and Jody Hill have made. Since appearing almost a decade ago now with Eastbound & Down, they have produced some of the darkest comedy that the network has ever aired. Their follow-up series Vice Principals was even more profane, finding the limits of narcissistic behavior within the confines of a school. Now with their latest work, The Righteous Gemstones, they're going after a bolder subject and one that seems right for skewering provided that they can pull off the tricky tightrope to the finish line.
The story revolves around a family known as the Gemstones. Their claim to fame is that they are the leaders of a televangelist family that has a religious reputation to upkeep. While little is known at first, the story finds them returning from a visit to China. They had baptized hundreds of people, exploiting it on a jumbo-screen inside their church for the sake of appearing like good-hearted people. The attitude is familiar to anyone who even watches five minutes of the real-life broadcasts. It's a sympathy plea to make followers feel supportive of the cause while in fact not doing anything but donating money to a central group. That is of course where McBride begins to go all-in with The Righteous Gemstones, choosing to argue why these people should even be trusted in the first place.
McBride plays Eli, who is the more arrogant brother and trajectory of everything that's about to happen in the show. With a shady past and some inappropriate videos, he finds himself wallowing in a scheme to try and hide the video while keeping everything in place. The issue is that the extortion doesn't go smoothly and the first episode features a fair share of murders, corruption, and a series of faith-doubting events that starts to turn the father figure Jesse (John Goodman) against the family. He wants to keep things pure, if just for the sanctity of what he started with his wife decades ago. There's a bittersweet moment towards the end where he's watching an old video, trying his best to remember the joy that doing good is supposed to bring to them.
It's the place where the series is likely going to go. It's the place where the goodwill of religion will face the corruption that Eli and brother Kelvin (Adam Devine) are becoming involved with. There's an awareness of the impact of media, as cameras appear everywhere and gossiping figures feel threatened to take down the family at any time. What should be something to welcome with open arms quickly turns into those hands receding into fists, ready to punch the first person to step forward. Everyone has grown a sense of hostility by the end of the first episode for differing reasons, and it's going to be interesting to see how the family maintains their pure image while facing the criticism that's undoubtedly going to appear sooner than later.
The work of McBride and Hill has largely been dark comedies that revel in the narcissism of its protagonists. They don't ever go for pleasant answers. With that said, McBride commits to the role with a convincing ego that he's, in fact, righteous while also recognizing a crowd of doubt starting to form around him. He flails in attempts to keep it out, but even his attitude starts to crumble, first abusing Kelvin and then others as he tries to maintain his cool. But the thing is that this family business doesn't have faith in getting out of this in one piece. It's likely the start to a downward spiral where there's no redemption. Maybe Jesse will be a buffoon who gets disowned by the family, thus creating bigger issues along the way.
With that said, Goodman and Devine are excellent additions to the cast, managing to make the hour-long comedy stand out as an excuse to watch this trio argue at each other. There's something compelling, especially as it never goes for easy shots with religious iconography. It clearly wants to be critical, but chooses to find its punts at a competition between Jesse and Kelvin's baptism skills, or who is the superior son. There's a lot of in-house jealousy that is more universal to any business. Nepotism is a dangerous thing, and it looks like it will be a toll on everyone as the cards get rearranged. Luckily the humor is acidic enough as well for McBride's average project, managing to also produce one of Goodman's oddest, most commanding roles since 10 Cloverfield Ln. To watch him growl gives a perfect sense of just how much the church means to him, though he's eventually the figure that we know the least about.
The Righteous Gemstones is a show that feels like it will fall in line with the familiar brand of McBride-Hill comedy that they've become known for since The Foot Fist Way. It makes perfect sense, as their style is rewarding to those who want to revel in a world where narcissism isn't only just used for comedy, it's a chance to walk up to it without being assaulted, where it's critiqued and even demolished. It's a brave format to do, and one that fits the critical times of the moment where more people deserve reality checks. It's unsure entirely how much the show will go after religion in obvious forms, but for now, it's more of a character-driven show that is more an attack on the people within the institution, and that's where the show avoids falling into outright offensiveness. It's an enjoyable show that pokes fun at the righteous by giving them ego checks. As a result, it's a nice little late-summer treat on HBO.
The story revolves around a family known as the Gemstones. Their claim to fame is that they are the leaders of a televangelist family that has a religious reputation to upkeep. While little is known at first, the story finds them returning from a visit to China. They had baptized hundreds of people, exploiting it on a jumbo-screen inside their church for the sake of appearing like good-hearted people. The attitude is familiar to anyone who even watches five minutes of the real-life broadcasts. It's a sympathy plea to make followers feel supportive of the cause while in fact not doing anything but donating money to a central group. That is of course where McBride begins to go all-in with The Righteous Gemstones, choosing to argue why these people should even be trusted in the first place.
McBride plays Eli, who is the more arrogant brother and trajectory of everything that's about to happen in the show. With a shady past and some inappropriate videos, he finds himself wallowing in a scheme to try and hide the video while keeping everything in place. The issue is that the extortion doesn't go smoothly and the first episode features a fair share of murders, corruption, and a series of faith-doubting events that starts to turn the father figure Jesse (John Goodman) against the family. He wants to keep things pure, if just for the sanctity of what he started with his wife decades ago. There's a bittersweet moment towards the end where he's watching an old video, trying his best to remember the joy that doing good is supposed to bring to them.
It's the place where the series is likely going to go. It's the place where the goodwill of religion will face the corruption that Eli and brother Kelvin (Adam Devine) are becoming involved with. There's an awareness of the impact of media, as cameras appear everywhere and gossiping figures feel threatened to take down the family at any time. What should be something to welcome with open arms quickly turns into those hands receding into fists, ready to punch the first person to step forward. Everyone has grown a sense of hostility by the end of the first episode for differing reasons, and it's going to be interesting to see how the family maintains their pure image while facing the criticism that's undoubtedly going to appear sooner than later.
The work of McBride and Hill has largely been dark comedies that revel in the narcissism of its protagonists. They don't ever go for pleasant answers. With that said, McBride commits to the role with a convincing ego that he's, in fact, righteous while also recognizing a crowd of doubt starting to form around him. He flails in attempts to keep it out, but even his attitude starts to crumble, first abusing Kelvin and then others as he tries to maintain his cool. But the thing is that this family business doesn't have faith in getting out of this in one piece. It's likely the start to a downward spiral where there's no redemption. Maybe Jesse will be a buffoon who gets disowned by the family, thus creating bigger issues along the way.
With that said, Goodman and Devine are excellent additions to the cast, managing to make the hour-long comedy stand out as an excuse to watch this trio argue at each other. There's something compelling, especially as it never goes for easy shots with religious iconography. It clearly wants to be critical, but chooses to find its punts at a competition between Jesse and Kelvin's baptism skills, or who is the superior son. There's a lot of in-house jealousy that is more universal to any business. Nepotism is a dangerous thing, and it looks like it will be a toll on everyone as the cards get rearranged. Luckily the humor is acidic enough as well for McBride's average project, managing to also produce one of Goodman's oddest, most commanding roles since 10 Cloverfield Ln. To watch him growl gives a perfect sense of just how much the church means to him, though he's eventually the figure that we know the least about.
The Righteous Gemstones is a show that feels like it will fall in line with the familiar brand of McBride-Hill comedy that they've become known for since The Foot Fist Way. It makes perfect sense, as their style is rewarding to those who want to revel in a world where narcissism isn't only just used for comedy, it's a chance to walk up to it without being assaulted, where it's critiqued and even demolished. It's a brave format to do, and one that fits the critical times of the moment where more people deserve reality checks. It's unsure entirely how much the show will go after religion in obvious forms, but for now, it's more of a character-driven show that is more an attack on the people within the institution, and that's where the show avoids falling into outright offensiveness. It's an enjoyable show that pokes fun at the righteous by giving them ego checks. As a result, it's a nice little late-summer treat on HBO.
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