Latest news with #Gemstones
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Righteous Gemstones' Recap: A Dysfunctional and Divine Finale
After four seasons, The Righteous Gemstones has concluded its sermon. The HBO comedy, created by series star Danny McBride (who also wrote and directed a handful of episodes), followed the dysfunctional, profane, sometimes violent and always funny misadventures of the Gemstone family and their thriving megachurch business. As disrespectful as the lead characters were, McBride always strived to portray the religious communities that inspired the show with respect. Instead, it was the Gemstones and those surrounding them that seeped with dysfunction: Themes like grief, workaholism, unprocessed trauma and internalized homophobia are just a handful of the issues that kept the show relatable amid all the chaos. Season 4 delivered nine formidable episodes that successfully tied up every loose end, provided closure to the characters who needed it, threw some unpredictable curveballs along the way and made that epic first episode in the season make much more sense. Spoiler warning: Before I continue, let this be your warning that major story spoilers are below. Proceed with caution. Read more: Max Streaming Service Review: Load of Content, but You Have to Make It Fit You The rivalry between Jesse Gemstone (McBride) and Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff) finally came to a head in the finale, titled That Man of God May Be Complete, and it did so in the form of a classic two-man duel. Yes, the kind with guns. After Vance lost the Christ-Following Man of the Year award to Kelvin (Adam Devine), who stood in front of the cameras and crowd and pronounced his sexuality to the world, he unraveled. He dropped a yellow handkerchief on his foot in front of the Cape and Pistol Society, which was the provocation that led to the two men pointing weapons at each other. Neither man succeeded in hitting their targets. Instead, Jesse fired his weapon, looked around, and realized that this pomp and circumstance wasn't his bag. And then, he quit. Whether it was pursuing his Christian trivia game show, Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers, or going all in on his cinematic opus, Teenjus, Baby Billy's (Walton Goggins) workaholism has always been front and center. This season, all his focus was on the movie about teenage Jesus, which he ended up starring in, ridiculous wig and all. But remember, Baby Billy is also a husband and father, and throughout his story arc this season, his addiction to work conflicted with his responsibilities to his children and wife. I didn't expect Baby Billy to come to his senses, but surprisingly, he did, and in the end, he chose family over another one of his silly productions. BJ (Tim Baltz) becoming a competitive male stripper definitely wasn't on my bingo card, but it happened in season 4. After an accident on the pole left him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound, he and Judy (Edi Patterson) welcomed a therapy monkey named Dr. Watson into their home. Lo' and behold, the animal's help improved BJ's spirits and led to his ability to walk again. But the bond between Dr. Watson and BJ sparked jealousy in Judy, which led to the monkey's exit from their home. That break-up didn't last too long because after Judy discovered Dr. Watson had lost his mother, she found common ground with the animal and admitted out loud the reason she put up such a front was to fill the hole inside left by the death of her mother, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles). I've been trying to make sense of the Bradley Cooper-starring season premiere, Prelude, for some time now. The episode took us back to Civil War times and explored the violent origin story of the Gemstone family. Elijah Gemstone (Cooper), a con man masquerading as a preacher, stole a gold-plated Bible from one of his victims before pretending to be a man of god to the soldiers dying around him. After a life of crime, the final moments of the premiere found Elijah turning toward religion and taking an interest in the book's lessons. Cut to the finale, and that gold Bible resurfaced. Earlier in the season, it was revealed that Cobb (Michael Rooker), the unhinged ex-husband of Lori Milsap (Megan Mullally), broke into the Gemstone compound when the siblings were children, vandalized the property and stole that gold Bible. This is an essential detail because all hell broke loose once present-day Kelvin discovered the book in Corey Milsap's bag. Traumatized by the experience of killing his father to save Eli and Baby Billy in a very horror movie-style plot point in episode 8, Cory cracked. He admitted that he assisted his father in all sorts of crimes, including murder. And then, he proceeded to hunt the Gemstone siblings down with his gun. Each of them suffered gut shots. But thanks to the assistance of one intelligent little therapy monkey, Jesse could retrieve his gun, and this time, his aim was perfect. He took Cory down with a headshot. The impromptu battle ended with the trio praying over their childhood friend in a fashion similar to Elijah praying over the dying Civil War soldier in the premiere. This was when the siblings, without ulterior motives, turned toward religion to deliver peace to a man in need selflessly. They got married. They dressed like Siegfried and Roy. It was glorious. Last but not least, there's Eli Gemstone. The ghost of his deceased wife, Aimee-Leigh, has been with him every step of the way. Season 4 found the family patriarch stepping away from the church to live a Jimmy Buffett lifestyle on a boat. His kids lured him back in, but you could tell his passion for the family business had dwindled. The return of Aimee-Liegh's best friend Lori Milsap, into Eli's life dug up old memories and new feelings. A romance was sparked that led to a consistent will-they, won't they theme that flowed through to the final moments of the series. After all was said and done, Eli went to Florida to live out the rest of his days on that boat. Lori, it seems, will be by his side. Closure was the main thing on the minds of McBride and his creative team when they mapped out these final episodes. I feel like they pulled it off. The Righteous Gemstones has solidified its legacy as one of the decade's best TV comedies, and it rode off into the sunset as only the show could -- on its own foul-mouthed, hilarious and heartfelt terms.
CNET
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
'The Righteous Gemstones' Recap: A Dysfunctional and Divine Finale
After four seasons, The Righteous Gemstones has concluded its sermon. The HBO comedy, created by series star Danny McBride (who also wrote and directed a handful of episodes), followed the dysfunctional, profane, sometimes violent and always funny misadventures of the Gemstone family and their thriving megachurch business. As disrespectful as the lead characters were, McBride always strived to portray the religious communities that inspired the show with respect. Instead, it was the Gemstones and those surrounding them that seeped with dysfunction: Themes like grief, workaholism, unprocessed trauma and internalized homophobia are just a handful of the issues that kept the show relatable amid all the chaos. Season 4 delivered nine formidable episodes that successfully tied up every loose end, provided closure to the characters who needed it, threw some unpredictable curveballs along the way and made that epic first episode in the season make much more sense. Spoiler warning: Before I continue, let this be your warning that major story spoilers are below. Proceed with caution. Read more: Max Streaming Service Review: Load of Content, but You Have to Make It Fit You Getty Image/Zooey Liao/CNET Jesse's duel of dysfunction The rivalry between Jesse Gemstone (McBride) and Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff) finally came to a head in the finale, titled That Man of God May Be Complete, and it did so in the form of a classic two-man duel. Yes, the kind with guns. After Vance lost the Christ-Following Man of the Year award to Kelvin (Adam Devine), who stood in front of the cameras and crowd and pronounced his sexuality to the world, he unraveled. He dropped a yellow handkerchief on his foot in front of the Cape and Pistol Society, which was the provocation that led to the two men pointing weapons at each other. Danny McBride and John Goodman as Jesse and Eli Gemstone in the series finale of The Righteous Gemstones. Jake Giles Netter/HBO Neither man succeeded in hitting their targets. Instead, Jesse fired his weapon, looked around, and realized that this pomp and circumstance wasn't his bag. And then, he quit. Uncle Baby Billy's come-to-Jesus moment Whether it was pursuing his Christian trivia game show, Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers, or going all in on his cinematic opus, Teenjus, Baby Billy's (Walton Goggins) workaholism has always been front and center. This season, all his focus was on the movie about teenage Jesus, which he ended up starring in, ridiculous wig and all. But remember, Baby Billy is also a husband and father, and throughout his story arc this season, his addiction to work conflicted with his responsibilities to his children and wife. I didn't expect Baby Billy to come to his senses, but surprisingly, he did, and in the end, he chose family over another one of his silly productions. Edi Patterson as Judy Gemstone in the series finale of The Righteous Gemstones. Jake Giles Netter/HBO The monkey on Judy's back BJ (Tim Baltz) becoming a competitive male stripper definitely wasn't on my bingo card, but it happened in season 4. After an accident on the pole left him paralyzed and wheelchair-bound, he and Judy (Edi Patterson) welcomed a therapy monkey named Dr. Watson into their home. Lo' and behold, the animal's help improved BJ's spirits and led to his ability to walk again. But the bond between Dr. Watson and BJ sparked jealousy in Judy, which led to the monkey's exit from their home. That break-up didn't last too long because after Judy discovered Dr. Watson had lost his mother, she found common ground with the animal and admitted out loud the reason she put up such a front was to fill the hole inside left by the death of her mother, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles). The Gemstones' gold Bible conundrum I've been trying to make sense of the Bradley Cooper-starring season premiere, Prelude, for some time now. The episode took us back to Civil War times and explored the violent origin story of the Gemstone family. Elijah Gemstone (Cooper), a con man masquerading as a preacher, stole a gold-plated Bible from one of his victims before pretending to be a man of god to the soldiers dying around him. After a life of crime, the final moments of the premiere found Elijah turning toward religion and taking an interest in the book's lessons. Cut to the finale, and that gold Bible resurfaced. Adam Devine, Danny McBride and Edi Patterson as Kelvin, Jesse and Judy Gemstone in the series finale of The Righteous Gemstones. Jake Giles Netter/HBO Earlier in the season, it was revealed that Cobb (Michael Rooker), the unhinged ex-husband of Lori Milsap (Megan Mullally), broke into the Gemstone compound when the siblings were children, vandalized the property and stole that gold Bible. This is an essential detail because all hell broke loose once present-day Kelvin discovered the book in Corey Milsap's bag. Traumatized by the experience of killing his father to save Eli and Baby Billy in a very horror movie-style plot point in episode 8, Cory cracked. He admitted that he assisted his father in all sorts of crimes, including murder. And then, he proceeded to hunt the Gemstone siblings down with his gun. Each of them suffered gut shots. But thanks to the assistance of one intelligent little therapy monkey, Jesse could retrieve his gun, and this time, his aim was perfect. He took Cory down with a headshot. The impromptu battle ended with the trio praying over their childhood friend in a fashion similar to Elijah praying over the dying Civil War soldier in the premiere. This was when the siblings, without ulterior motives, turned toward religion to deliver peace to a man in need selflessly. Adam Devine and Tony Cavalero as Kelvin Gemstone and Keefe Chambers in the series finale of The Righteous Gemstones. Jake Giles Netter/HBO Kelvin and Keefe, sitting in a tree They got married. They dressed like Siegfried and Roy. It was glorious. Eli Gemstone finds his happy ending Last but not least, there's Eli Gemstone. The ghost of his deceased wife, Aimee-Leigh, has been with him every step of the way. Season 4 found the family patriarch stepping away from the church to live a Jimmy Buffett lifestyle on a boat. His kids lured him back in, but you could tell his passion for the family business had dwindled. The return of Aimee-Liegh's best friend Lori Milsap, into Eli's life dug up old memories and new feelings. A romance was sparked that led to a consistent will-they, won't they theme that flowed through to the final moments of the series. After all was said and done, Eli went to Florida to live out the rest of his days on that boat. Lori, it seems, will be by his side. Closure was the main thing on the minds of McBride and his creative team when they mapped out these final episodes. I feel like they pulled it off. The Righteous Gemstones has solidified its legacy as one of the decade's best TV comedies, and it rode off into the sunset as only the show could -- on its own foul-mouthed, hilarious and heartfelt terms.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Righteous Gemstones Season 4: Danny McBride Explains Titular Family's Fate
The Righteous Gemstones creator and co-star, Danny McBride, reflected on the show's ending and why he and his collaborators decided to go in that direction in a new interview. The comedy series premiered on HBO on August 18, 2019, and aired for four seasons before concluding yesterday, May 4, 2025. McBride spoke on why the titular megachurch-running family got a happy ending in the Righteous Gemstones finale during an interview. He revealed that he considered giving the Gemstones some amount of 'comeuppance' for their actions throughout the series. 'There were always thoughts about, 'Does the church go down? Do they get arrested?'' he recalled, before explaining why he and his colleagues decided against it. (via Variety) 'Ultimately, for me, I don't know if I really want to see that,' McBride added. 'The design for me is, I want people to watch this again, and I want it to be something that ultimately feels fun,' he further stated. In The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 Episode 9, 'That Man of God May Be Complete,' Corey Milsap shoots all three Gemstone siblings: Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin. However, they survive with the help of Dr. Watson, BJ's service monkey, and Corey is eventually killed. Kelvin and Keefe get married, with Eli officiating. Baby Billy is shown spending time with his family. Elijah's gold-plated bible from earlier in the season is placed on display at the headquarters of the Gemstone Ministries. As for Eli, he reads a letter left behind by Aimee-Leigh and is later visited by Lori on his yacht in Florida. Co-writer and co-star Edi Patterson echoed McBride's sentiments, noting that one of the consistent themes of the show was that the Gemstones won regardless of whatever happened to them. 'Ultimately, the fun thing about the Gemstones is they win,' she pointed out, adding, 'Do what you f—— want to them. You cannot make them not win.' All four seasons of The Righteous Gemstones are available on Max. Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on ComingSoon. The post The Righteous Gemstones Season 4: Danny McBride Explains Titular Family's Fate appeared first on Mandatory.
Express Tribune
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Danny McBride ends Righteous Gemstones with emotional finale and unexpected final scene
HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, a dark comedy about a dysfunctional televangelist family, concluded its fourth and final season with a fittingly outrageous and emotional finale. Created by and starring Danny McBride, the series ended on its own terms after a production marked by hurricanes, cast challenges, and years of creative evolution. Speaking to Variety, McBride recalled how the reality of wrapping hit him unexpectedly after a heartfelt exchange with co-star Gregory Alan Williams. 'I was like, 'F—, I'm about to start crying,'' he said. The finale, titled 'That Man of God May Be Complete,' centers on a tense showdown at the family's lake house, Galilee Gulch. Jesse, Judy, and Kelvin are each shot by family friend Corey Milsap before being saved by Dr. Watson, a capuchin monkey and unlikely hero. McBride said he chose a stripped-down, unsettling climax over the show's typical spectacle to focus on emotional impact. 'It should feel haunting... and oddly grounded,' he explained. The episode also deepens the show's themes of legacy and faith, connecting back to the season premiere's Civil War-era flashback. Co-written with longtime collaborators John Carcieri and Jeff Fradley, the finale ties in the Gemstones' spiritual lineage and explores redemption beyond their flashy image. The finale ends on a hopeful note with Kelvin's wedding to Keefe, giving each Gemstone sibling a moment of happiness. Eli (John Goodman) finds closure in a romantic subplot with Lori (Megan Mullally), offering emotional resolution for the entire family. While McBride considered a darker ending for the morally flawed characters, he chose optimism. 'Ultimately, the fun thing about the Gemstones is they win,' said cast member and writer Edi Patterson. McBride now shifts focus to new projects, including an adaptation of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, continuing his creative run with Rough House Pictures.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Missouri Weed Brand Illicit Gardens Holds Willy Wonka-Inspired 420 Contest
Actor Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka on the set of the film 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory', based ... More on the novel by Roald Dahl, 1971. (Photo by Silver) Illicit Gardens, a Missouri-based cannabis brand is living up to the title of 'You Gotta Get a Gimmick,' a song from the classic musical 'Gypsy' by holding a Willy Wonka-inspired 420 contest, which incidentally coincides with Easter Weekend. The whimsical contest involves all Missouri From the Earth dispensary locations in which 10 winners will discover a 'golden ticket' on the inside lid of randomly selected jars of Illicit products: 3.5g Flower, 5g Ready2Roll, 7g Popcorn, Gummies, and Gemstones. Anyone who purchases these aforementioned products can win. The winners will receive $1,000 worth of free Illicit products and exclusive merchandise. Also, included in the prize package is a VIP tour of Illicit's weed factory for the winner and a guest. 'We're always looking at unique ways to cross promote our brands and dispensaries, and this allows us to accomplish that,' said David Craig, vice president of marketing at Illicit Gardens, when asked how the idea of this contest came about. 'The 'golden ticket' idea is one we've talked over since day one, but just never have been able to do it effectively until now.' The goal for the contest is to build hype around the new products released by Illicit the last six months, added Craig. This includes their infused hard candies Gemstones and diamond infused pre-rolls. Illicit Gardens' promotional photo advertising its Willy Wonka-inspired 420 contest. Yet, as fun as this contest may seem to outsiders, the logistics were not easy. Craig admitted it was a challenge but one that the Illicit team were more than equipped to handle. "Coordinating an effort like this across all stores during what is essentially the Super Bowl of cannabis is no easy feat,' he admitted, 'but we've been working out the kinks for the last few months and our cultivation, manufacturing, and retail teams have been working closely together to make sure this goes off smoothly.' The contest starts on Friday April 18 and ends on Sunday April 20. For further information, visit this link.
