WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for the first five episodes of The Righteous Gemstones, now available on HBO.
In Season 2 of HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, Eli (John Goodman) has faced immense pressure to set his church straight, while battling demons from a very seedy past. Eli was revealed to be a criminal enforcer back in the day, but despite leaving his sins behind, Thaniel, a shady journalist, tried to shake him down. Coupling this with his kids once again gnawing for control of the empire when he dies, Eli is completely losing his mind. As a result, this holy spin on Game of Thrones ended violently for one sibling as Eli finally decided to quell the infighting.
Now, this isn’t like Westeros where outside kingdoms tried to take King’s Landing in the war with the Starks, Lannisters and other parties. This battle was more internal, driven by Jesse (Danny McBride) wanting millions of dollars to open a beach resort with another church. He felt it would enhance the Gemstone brand, but a frugal Eli shut it down as a frivolous, silly dream.
Jesse then began making moves to get the business handed down to him, insinuating he was next in line. This spurred Judy to make her claim, adamant she had the poise and charm of her dead mama to take the church to the next level. It left Eli livid because it reiterated they were all narcissistic, selfish brats.
Shockingly, the youngest sibling, Kelvin, entered the fray and voiced his anger in “As To How They Might Destroy Him.” Initially, he was unperturbed, but when Eli cut privileges off for his muscular roadshow, the God Squad, Kelvin lost control. He wanted to take the jet to Israel to perform, but Eli made him come to Judy’s wedding to show unity. Kelvin and his aide, Keefe, were further shamed, however, as the God Squad was not on the list; thus, they had to smuggle food out for the men.
It led to Kelvin yelling at Eli when he departed the wedding hall, demanding attention, time and his luxuries back. He charged his dad and tackled him as if he were an NFL player, sparking a shocking brawl in front the public. Kelvin was knocked off, but hd made the mistake of flinging a champagne bottle at his dad. An incensed Eli put him on his knees and went to that dark place from his youth, where he was a famous wrestler called the Maniac Kid.
He snapped Kelvin’s thumbs, leaving him writhing in pain for the ambulance to pick up. Eli stormed off, making it clear he was the king and not leaving anytime soon. This was a clear message for his profanity-living, hypocritical family, but one has to wonder the damage that could be done if someone recorded and leaked footage to sully the Gemstones’ name.
New episodes of The Righteous Gemstones air Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
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