Photograph by Ryan Green\/ HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThaniel\u2019s death wasn\u2019t a coordinated hit or anything that glamorous: in haphazardly opening fire on Lisson and his goons, one of his shots ricocheted off of a cast iron skilled hanging on the wall and struck him in the head. This is perhaps the best and funniest way Thaniel could have gone: it\u2019s just one of the ways in which <\/span>The Righteous Gemstones<\/span><\/i>, and indeed McBride\u2019s stable of shows in general, orchestrate events careening wildly out of control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBurning down the cabin and the two remaining pastor witnesses with it all but cements Lyle as the true villain of the season. We knew from the beginning that the Lissons were, at the very least, grifters, but every one of their scenes here in the finale further drive home how awful they truly are. They put Lyle\u2019s dad in a nursing home so they could \u201chave the life they deserve.\u201d They sent the Cycle Ninjas after Eli to accelerate Jesse\u2019s ascension to Gemstone leader and secure that $10 million. The final conflict between Jesse and Lyle is one of the best scenes in the season: from the long-awaited payoff to Jesse\u2019s ridiculous slingshot obsession to the thought-dead Lyle leaping up screaming, it\u2019s a great way to cap off the chaos that follows both families. While I would have loved to see more of Eric Andre and Jessica Lowe, their deaths at the end of the episode could not have been done more perfectly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJust like the end of last season, things are looking up for everyone once the dust has settled. One of my favorite moments of the episode takes place in the Gemstone church, with Jesse, Kelvin and Judy singing together at center stage as Eli stands back. Just a couple of episodes ago, Eli was fresh out of his coma and insistent on maintaining his central presence; now, he\u2019s done a lot of growing and has a greater willingness to let his kids have a greater part in leading the church.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPhotograph by Ryan Green\/ HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIndeed, they\u2019ve all grown: Jesse and Amber are not only accepting of Gideon\u2019s new Hollywood stunt job, they\u2019re proud of him, and they understand that Gideon doesn\u2019t have to be heavily involved in the church to be part of the family. Kelvin has recalibrated his calling, and instead of having cult weird rituals with bodybuilders, he\u2019s back to his true passion: being a youth minister, as well as hosting a gym setting for his young students. Baby Billy, having helped retrieve Tiffany\u2019s Toilet Baby Lionel, has reconciled with Tiffany, BJ and Judy—and while he may never get fully back into Harmon\u2019s good graces, they at least share a nod across the congregation during the service. Imaginary? Possibly, but it\u2019s still a good moment. I think these closing services do have a sort of surrealism to them as they unite the entire cast in one place, but it doesn\u2019t lessen their impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhile I\u2019m sure it helped that Eli helped Junior secure some of his dad\u2019s fortune, it\u2019s a nice cap to the season to see that the two of them are on good terms; it reinforces Junior\u2019s original claim that he had returned in a good faith effort to reconnect with an old friend, and it potentially keeps a great character with a great performer in the cast.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAll of these moments serve as a reminder, once again—just as in Season 1\u2019s finale—of the importance of forgiveness. The Gemstones still are, and probably always will be, colossally dysfunctional people. The show is already great on that point, and would probably be fine with just that element given how hilarious it is. But what really makes <\/span>The Righteous Gemstones<\/span><\/i> special is how those character moments, and the strength of the family when they come together, give the show such emotional depth. The blend of vulgar comedy, Coen-esque intrigue, and genuine, unironic (usually) values continue to flesh out what is one of the best comedies on TV and an excellent skewering of Christianity and class privilege in America. In the ways that the story and characters have already grown and expanded<\/a>, there\u2019s no telling what kind of mayhem will catch up to the Gemstones in Season 3.\u00a0<\/span> \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The following contains spoilers for\u00a0The Righteous Gemstones S2E9, \u201cI Will Tell of All Your Deeds\u201d (directed by Jody Hill and written by John Carcieri, Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride) It seemed a tall order to wrap up everything happening in the eventful second season of the show, but the fast-paced and very satisfying season finale […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":242122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,4563],"yoast_head":"\nThe Righteous Gemstones S2E9: "I Will Tell of All Your Deeds" | TV Obsessive<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n