Where All the Righteous Gemstones End Up in the Series' Ludicrously Operatic Finale

Time​ Magazine

05-05-2025

The fourth and final season of HBO's The Righteous Gemstones wrapped up with a bang—well, multiple bangs—on Sunday night, closing out another madcap adventure with our favorite profane evangelical preacher clan in the most ludicrous and operatic way possible.
If you thought the show's penultimate episode—in which Lori's (Megan Mullaly) villainous ex-husband and gator park owner Cobb Millsap (Michael Rooker) gets eaten alive by his reptilian star Big Gus—would end this season's violent arc, you were sorely mistaken. In the final episode, 'Raising Holy Hell One Last Time,' it turns out that Cobb's son, Corey (Sean William Scott), was complicit in his father's serial-killing spree and kept his dad's stolen, golden Gemstone bible a secret. Tormented by his past decisions, he decides to kill—in a Michael Jackson costume, no less—Jesse (series creator Danny McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine), leading to a ruthless shootout inside Galilee Gulch, the Gemstones' luxe vacation home, as the extended family floats obliviously on the lake.
Whether it was divine intervention, or sheer dumb luck, the Gemstone siblings all take but survive a few of Corey's bullets—thanks in large part to the heroics of Dr. Watson, their dexterous pet Capuchin monkey, who retrieves Jesse's pistol from his upstairs bedroom just in time for the eldest sibling to take down their assailant with an impressive shot to the head. (This, after refusing to kill his megachurch nemesis in a sanctioned pistol duel.) With the bible back in the family's possession, the siblings kneel over Corey and begin to earnestly pray as their best friend bleeds out—a full-circle moment to the season's incredible first episode, which featured Bradley Cooper as a faux Gemstone preacher praying with Confederate soldiers about to die.
It's the kind of goofy Shakespearean arc that McBride has mastered over the show's consistently hilarious run—but the season doesn't end on a downer. In the finale's coda, each member of the Gemstone family finds their own form of resolution—guided by the voice of the family's matriarch, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), whose untimely death was long their source of despair, but whose immortal spirit has given tacit approval for everyone—especially Eli (Jon Goodman)—to finally move on.
It's going to be hard to say goodbye to this clergy of South Carolinian lunatics. Here's where each of them stand as McBride closes the Good Book on them.
Uncle Baby Billy
After weeks of dismissing his wife's concerns that he wasn't spending enough time with the family, Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) finally has a eureka moment on the set of 'Teenjus' and shuts down the show near the end of production. This is a multi-million-dollar decision made so hastily that there will likely be some financial ramifications for the Gemstone family, but it showed that Billy had seen the light—and might even give his and Tiffany's nanny, Sola, some much-needed time off. Still, there's got to be an opportunity to develop Billy's work-life balance so that he can continue his sword and sandals epic. If 'Bible Bonkers' can become a hit, why can't 'Teenjus'?
Jesse Gemstone
The prayer pods didn't work (too many people used it to masturbate). He didn't get nominated for Top Christ-Following Man. His sons aren't getting along. Most of these things would be enough to send Jesse into a tailspin, but by the end of the fourth season, after successfully defeating rival Vance Simpkins (Stephen Dorff) in a duel, and showing his humility in refusing to kill him, he seems to have ever-so-slightly matured. He's even heeded the written words of his late mother and accepted the fact that his father deserves to be happy with Lori (Megan Mullally), even if he can't stand the thought of another woman with him. Will he and his siblings be able to keep the Gemstone business alive without Eli? It's hard to tell. But it's encouraging to see that his eldest son Gideon makes amends with his younger brother Pontius by building a Gemstones-themed skatepark. There is always room for skaters under the megachurch's shadow.
Judy Gemstone
This wasn't an easy season for Judy. When Lori entered the picture and started dating Eli, she immediately got territorial and dug into her bulldog instincts. Then, after her husband B.J. (Tim Baltz) injured himself in a pole-dancing accident, she had to contend with Dr. Watson, the monkey who turned into her husband's rehabilitative (and equally territorial) servant. Thankfully, the pair make amends when she sees how much joy Dr. Watson brings B.J., and she welcomes the Capuchin into the family. It's hard to see this relationship lasting long without more drama, but considering Dr. Watson helped save the Gemstone kids' lives, Judy should likely give his antics some latitude. As for B.J., he's now out of the wheelchair and able to walk. It would be hard to bet against him finding another niche—albeit safer—hobby to pursue in the meantime.
Kelvin Gemstone
It's fair to say that Kelvin had the most celebratory exit on the show. After nearly fumbling his shot at winning Top Christ-Following Man thanks to a poor roundtable television performance, the youngest Gemstone sibling chose to come out of the closet on TV—and into the hearts of the judges and voters. Having spent a lot of time with his boyfriend Keefe (Tony Cavalero) refurbishing his old treehouse, he uses it as the backdrop for his wedding. Naturally, Eli presides over the spit-shaking nuptials and marries off his last child, whose reception includes fireworks that dazzle the night sky. With the golden family bible back in the place it belongs, Kelvin can finally resist the nightmares of Cobb's robbery and sleep peacefully in Keefe's arms now.
Eli Gemstone
The narrative thrust of this season centered around Eli's scandalous relationship with Lori, whose longtime friendship with Aimee-Leigh ultimately causes her to gravitate back to the Gemstones when things with her ex-husband go wrong. Though his kids weren't mature enough to accept their fling, the lake house shooting helps put things into perspective for everyone, and mends the rift that had formed between Eli and Lori. After Kelvin gets married, Eli heads back to 'Somewhere in Florida' to live a solitary life on his sailboat. Until Lori shows up, eager to forgive him for the calamities that have erupted around them and become his 'first mate.' The Gemstone patriarch will likely live happily ever after on the open seas—until his children inevitably get into trouble again.