What I’m Watching: The Righteous Gemstones

The Righteous Gemstones: Season 1, Episode 6 “Now the Sons of Eli Were Worthless Men” (B)

This episode felt like a bit of a lull in its return to the present after last week’s flashback, but I think it’s just the quiet before the storm. It’s unclear why Amber isn’t pressing her husband more on why he deliberately ran a van off the road, and Jesse having the van brought into the Gemstone compound seems somewhat foolhardy. For however overly cocky and terrible he is, it’s still impressive to see him when he’s in his element, responding to Scotty’s taunting with an unwavering resolve not to be blackmailed any longer. That likely won’t work, especially given that Scotty was bold enough to drive up to the gate and ask for his good friend Gideon by name. Jesse going in to profess his affection for his son, completely with the word “like” many times over and some awkward handshake-hug combinations, comes at a strange time that might make Gideon reconsider whether he should be trying to take down his father after all. Johnny Seasons shutting down his church felt rather melancholy, and I wonder if he’ll return in some form to take down what he sees as false prophets. Baby Billy trying to tap into Judy’s sense of resentment towards her father to make himself more relevant is intriguing to watch, and I think that Eli is only half-right that he’s using her for his own aims. Judy does have a spark that occasionally lights up, and it’s so interesting to see how BJ is just right for her in some ways and completely wrong for her in others.