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The Righteous Gemstones is a dark comedy series released in August 2019 on HBO. Created and written by Danny McBride, it stars Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson, and Tony Cavalero. HBO has released four seasons of The Righteous Gemstones, with the fourth and last season airing on March 9, 2025. The story follows a dysfunctional family of televangelists from South Carolina.
The head of the family is Eli Gemstone, played by John Goodman. His children Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin, played by McBride, Patterson, and Devine, respectively, are portrayed as immature adults who lead lavish lives piggybacking on the church. Throughout the seasons, the family experiences various challenges, receives blackmail, threats, betrayal, and more.
The final season is ongoing with new episodes every Sunday at 10 pm ET/ 7 pm PT. Viewers who have long been fans of The Righteous Gemstones appreciate the emotional moments of the series like Judy's apology, Eli's struggles, and more.
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Judy's apology, Eli's struggles, and five more emotional moments from The Righteous Gemstones.
1) Eli and May-May's reconciliation (season 3, episode 8)
Throughout the series, Eli Gemstone, played by John Goodman, and May-May, his sister, played by Kristen Johnston, endure a strained relationship. This culminates in fights and jabs, including hurtful remarks on both ends. In this episode, they come to terms with the tension, and Eli apologizes for his behavior towards her. May-May accepts his apology, acknowledging her bluntness as well.
This is a heartwarming moment in The Righteous Gemstones, as the central characters choose to be emotionally vulnerable with each other, making it unforgettable.
2) Judy's apology (season 1, episode 8)
In the first season, Judy, played by Edi Patterson, and BJ, her fiancé, played by Tim Baltz, have a broken relationship. Towards the end of the season, she seeks to mend her relationship with him by apologizing. However, it does not go as she plans, as he is not interested in her apology.
The Righteous Gemstones is full of complex relationships and absurd redemption arcs, and this is an exemplary emotional moment.
3) Eli's struggles (season 3, episode 8)
Eli, the patriarch of the house, faces various challenges throughout the series owing to his hypocrisy, greed, and managing his children. In the third season, he faces criticism from them over his precarious decisions involving finance, the church, and more. Despite facing criticism and seeing them united against him, he feels a certain sense of fulfillment in seeing them together.
His complex character, paired with the show's pursuit of familial harmony, makes this moment from The Righteous Gemstones tug at the viewers' heartstrings.
4) Jesse and Gideon's bonding (season 1, episode 9)
The Righteous Gemstones is filled with heartfelt moments. One such example is towards the end of the first season when Jesse's bond with his son deepens. In order to pay off his debts to the church, Gideon goes off to Haiti for missionary work. When his father tries to convince him to come back, Gideon refuses. Jesse, with a change of heart, decides to travel to Haiti and work alongside his son.
This event portrays the flawed relationship between them and shows how far they are willing to go to understand and empathize with each other.
5) Kelvin and Keefe (season 4, episode 3)
Throughout the series, Kelvin, played by Adam DeVine, is shown to have a confident persona and is often boastful. In the fourth season, his usual sense of bravado is shown to crumble in an episode with Keefe, played by Tony Cavalero. He sheds his persona while admitting his fears to Keefe in a treehouse when he says that bad things can happen even to the greatest followers of the Lord.
This is a reference to the death of his mother. This vulnerable moment in The Righteous Gemstones resonates with many making it memorable.
6) Amber's support (season 2, episode 5)
The second season showcases the relationship between Jesse and Amber, played by Cassidy Freeman. In this episode, she supports her then-boyfriend through the challenges and criticisms put forward by their family, including their dismissal of her. She pushes him to be more ambitious in the face of his family's expectations. Despite the challenges, she builds bridges with his family to support him.
Fans of The Righteous Gemstones will find this to be a heartfelt and sincere moment on the show.
7) Uniting the family (season 3, episode 8)
The main highlight of this episode is the bond between Kelvin and Keefe as the two share a kiss, defining their relationship. The bigger arc is defined by the unity displayed among all the Gemstone family members as they prepare for their megachurch service. Despite the family's tumultuous journey laced with misfortune and challenges, they persist through it all against all odds.
Viewers who have recently watched The Righteous Gemstones will find this moment to be an emotionally defining one.
Apart from these moments, some other noteworthy emotional moments from The Righteous Gemstones are when Gideon returns, Baby Billy's attempt at redemption, and Kelvin's treehouse discovery.
