A TV series that follows a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. When it comes to relying on good shows, everyone turns to HBO. After all, they have always given the audience some of the best shows to this date. In 2019, HBO decided to amaze its audience yet again with a hilarious show called The Righteous Gemstones, which instantly became a fan-favorite.
It tells a tale of a televangelist family and megachurch pastors that is led by a widowed patriarch named Eli Gemstone, played by the renowned John Goodman. He has three immature kids who lived a luxurious life which was funded entirely by church donations. Things take a turn when some people start blackmailing them with a video which may jeopardize their reputation.To celebrate this hilarious masterpiece, here are some of the funniest episodes of The Righteous Gemstones, ranked.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
6 After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come (Season 2, Episode 2)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution
This episode’s title refers to Bible verse 20:29, which is extremely fitting to what goes down in it. The Gemstone family happens to face yet another threat, while Eli seems to be considering taking a step back. Thaniel Block, played by Jason Schwartzman, an annoyingly arrogant journalist, begins the episode. Without a doubt, Schwartzman can play such a role, of consuming rails of coke and proceeding to smoke a cigarette, even in his sleep. He makes for the ideal antagonist for this season.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
If anyone had a great time while watching season one, this episode is a sheer reminder that things will get even crazier in season two. The best scene has to be when some mishap happens that leads to the entire siblings getting covered in blood, and a murder happens. As mentioned earlier, this episode takes crazy to the next level.
5 The Prayer of a Righteous Man (Season 2, Episode 8)
Eli Gemstone is, without a doubt, the centerpiece of the whole season. He was the highlight of the scheme even as he was recovering in the hospital. The episode is hilarious, making the audience unable to contain themselves with laughter. In addition, it perfectly delivers what it was promising its audience as Eli is able to put the past behind him.
“The Prayer of a Righteous Man” has to be a very beautifully woven episode that is funny at the same time, extremely wholesome. It is simply wholesome in the way it brings everyone back together after the full-throttle craziness that occurred in the last episode. Eli starts to embrace his kids for their individuality and recognize the goodness in them, regardless of all of their many, many imperfections. The highlight of this episode has to be Uncle Baby Billy and his iconic line “Meow meow baby,” which will leave the audience in a pool of laughter.
4 And Yet One of You Is a Devil (Season 1, Episode 7)
Now, this episode was a masterpiece from the get-go. This has to be the grandeur episode of The Righteous Gemstones to date, both narratively and visually. They have the biggest telecast, The Gemstone Church, on Easter Sunday, which seems like a sold-out concert, with the customary laser and light effects, fancy outfits, and a gigantic backup band.
For such a huge day the audience gets to see a strangely warm and sentimental Eli, who asks all of his children to participate in a play as it is the biggest day of the year. However, if things go smoothly, that isn’t the life of the Gemstones. It all goes down the hill, when Judy rejects her father’s offer and gets influenced by Baby Billy, threatening her relationship with her entire family. The most iconic scene has to be her showdown with her father, where she delivers her most witty and memorable line; as she tries to show that she is not a young girl anymore. However, Eli’s response will have the audience dying with laughter as he reminds her that she is now reaching 40. This episode has to be the most dramatic yet cleverly hilarious one.
3 But the Righteous Will See Their Fall (Season 1, Episode 8)
The first season of The Righteous Gemstones had all episode titles that alluded to the plot of that episode by using pertinent verses from the Bible, but maybe none is more. This has to be the greatest episode of the entire show, which may be a devastating installment for just about every character. The storm brought on by Scotty’s robbery pours down heavily on the Gemstones. Jesse struggles with the repercussions of the shocking Easter Sunday occurrences.
After hearing some nasty remarks from Baby Billy, Judy makes an effort to win BJ back. And a spiritual crisis affects Kelvin. While all Gemstones see their fall, it is done so cleverly that the audience cannot help but laugh at various moments. Weaving humor into such situations is not an easy feat, but this show does a great job that the audience will not be able to take either eye off the screen till it’s over.
2 Better Is the End of a Thing Than Its Beginning (Season 1, Episode 9)
After an amazing laughter-packed season, “Better Is the End of a Thing Than Its Beginning” feels like a perfect ending to it. Eli is concerned for all of his kids’ futures inside the Gemstone ministry. Jesse fights to maintain his marriage. BJ is able to find out more about Judy’s past. Kelvin accepts his dark side after losing hope.
Had the audience not known about season two, this episode would serve as a beautiful finale. Almost all of the season’s stories are resolved in this episode, and it doesn’t feel rushed at all. However, it goes beyond merely tying up its loose ends since it may be the funniest and yet most meaningful episode of the season. It’s one of the year’s most rewarding endings.
1 I Will Tell of All Your Deeds (Season 2, Episode 9)
It mainly centers around the time when the Gemstones are celebrating the launch of their Zion’s Landing, and Baby Billy gets an opportunity to embrace fatherhood. Oftentimes the finale is extremely rushed and forgets to stay true to the essence of the show. However, that wasn’t the case with this masterpiece. While it unveiled the biggest mystery of who killed Thaniel Block, it still remained true to its roots of being insane and extremely hilarious.
The iconic moment has to be of Joe Jonas and when the announcer wants to call him onto the stage. He goes, “Hey, where’s Joe Jonas? Get your Christian ass up here!”. This entire scene has to be one of the wittiest punchlines, which isn’t too on the nose, exactly like the entire show. This is why this episode sits on the throne of being the funniest episode out there.
