The Righteous Gemstones: Prelude

March 10, 2025 8:42 PM - Season 4, Episode 1

Yea, and there shall come extensive rending of garments and great gnashing of teeth as the word go out that this be, in the sight of Our Lord, the final season of this fine televisual saga; and far be it from me to spoil one high-definition frame of its magnificent debut, save to say that whatever you may be expecting, this is most likely not that thing.
posted by kittens for breakfast (9 comments total)

That episode absolutely floored me. I've always thought that Danny Mcbride & gang, in all of their work, are great at being absolutely goofy and spot on about very serious things. This time they just erased the goofy. Verily.
posted by pt68 at 8:49 PM on March 10 [3 favorites]

That Civil War re-enactment, wow, much budget. Impress.
posted by porpoise at 10:19 PM on March 10

Not sure I agree about the erasure, maybe it transformed from goofy to absurd, but it was occasionally funny, though always dark. Great episode and Cooper and Mcbride show some really great work here.
posted by Stanczyk at 3:02 PM on March 11 [1 favorite]

I really, really liked it. I'm sure it will be relevant to the season; the questions of how, when and whether Elijah went back to being a Gemstone feel important simply by not being answered here. But I'd be content if this were completely standalone. It feels like a southern gothic short story with a lot of dark humor, something poignant without ever getting sentimental, the kind of thing Joe R. Lansdale would write.

And hey, to be honest, Bradley Cooper is mostly the voice of Rocket Raccoon to me, but man, I guess that guy can really act, too! He's going places, you mark my words, I feel good about it. I hope somebody gives him a chance!
posted by kittens for breakfast at 4:08 PM on March 11

Though I am a little ashamed, I laughed pretty hard at that amazing tracking shot along the confederate line when in the background you could see the cannon accidentally drop and fire directly into their own front line.
posted by Stanczyk at 4:18 AM on March 12

I canceled HBO a year ago and this is the first show that has made me doubt my resolve. I like all the Danny McBride shows individually, but the HBO-Danny McBride partnership (as a sum of their parts) has been truly excellent.
posted by grandiloquiet at 8:19 AM on March 12

this was pretty good television, sometimes funny, but a real let down for me, since i was so excited to join back up with the idiot gemstones and all their goofy antics. it seems like there’s still story to tell about the Ur gemstone and his conversion from murdering scoundrel to born again preacher, but i hope we don’t spend too much time in the 19th century next week
posted by dis_integration at 2:51 PM on March 13

I suspect the point of this episode is to set up that gold bible as the lynchpin to the plot of the season. Perhaps an historian connects it to the murdered preacher and threatens to destroy the Gemstone mythology? Maybe something like that.
posted by Stanczyk at 4:16 AM on March 16

the Joe R. Lansdale reference above is exactly on point.
posted by jkosmicki at 2:36 PM on March 21