‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Season 1 Recap: What to Know Before Season 2

Almost two and a half years ago, Danny McBride introduced us all to the hypocritical and warped world of The Righteous Gemstones. Now, one of HBO’s favorite creators is back with an all new season packed with backstabbing, insults, crazy swears, and near-death experiences. Who knew that church could be this fun?

The good news about The Righteous Gemstones is that you don’t really need to watch Season 1 to get Season 2. The first season of the black comedy told a complete, cliffhanger-free story, meaning that anyone should be able to jump into this new installment without any problems. Looking for a refresher anyway? We have your back. Here’s what you need to remember about arguably the most toxic family on TV.

How Did The Righteous Gemstones Season 1 End?

It all started with a video. Jesse Gemstone (Danny McBride) maybe wasn’t the favorite child, but he was on good terms with his mega-rich megachurch pastor of a father, Eli (John Goodman) until it was blackmail o’clock. That was when a video emerged of the God-fearing Jesse snorting coke and hanging out with the strippers. He recruited his siblings Judy (Edi Patterson) and Kelvin (Adam DeVine) to help him “save the family,” and that’s when things went from bad to worse.

There were a lot of near murders, but the truth of the blackmail video emerged. Jesse’s son Gideon (Skyler Gisondo) was the one who demanded $1 million a week from his father to not release the video, a financial goal he later doubled down on by trying to rob the Gemstone church. This one embarrassing family antic led to a slew of others. Jesse eventually showed his wife Amber (Cassidy Freeman) the video in front of all her friends, causing her to shoot him in the butt. Judy got into a fight with her fiancé BJ (Tim Baltz) and tried to vandalize his car. She missed, and vandalized his co-worker’s car instead, a move that led to her arrest. Kelvin and his roommate, head of security, and the closest thing he has to a lover Keefe (Tony Cavalero) also got into a fight, which was less illegal and more sad. Basically, “saving the family” led to all of the Gemstone kids making fools of themselves for nine episodes of excellent television.

Anyway, Season 1 ended with all three children telling their father about all their sins and the stolen money. Eli in his no-nonsense way fired them and kicked them out of his church. That’s when the real healing began.

Jesse promised his wife Amber he’ll go to Haiti to retrieve his son. Judy was released from jail and made up with BJ. Kelvin once again saved Keefe from his Satanic friends (who honestly looked like they were more fun than this crew). And, most importantly for the big man in charge, the money was found.

It turned out that Jesse, Judy, Kelvin, and Gideon never stole the money from the church. Instead, that perverse honor belonged to Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins). When Eli and the kids confronted him, Uncle Baby Billy was struck by a bolt of lightening, an event that caused him to see his late sister, Aimee-Leigh (Jennifer Nettles). In a vision, she convinced Uncle Baby Billy to forgive Eli for not giving him what he thought he deserved and to move on. Uncle Baby Billy returned the money, and Eli found a way to forgive his children.

What Happened to Uncle Baby Billy?

The man with the whitest teeth you know gave up his post as a mall court preacher to become a tent evangelist. There, he told his congregation about his near-death experience. Was that a step up? It’s hard to say. But as long as Uncle Baby Billy is doing his own thing, he seems happy and vaguely non-threatening.

What Happened to Jesse?

True to his word, Jesse did go to Haiti to find his estranged son, Gideon. Because of this reunion, Season 1 ended on a surprisingly hopeful note. For once in his life the spoiled, self-absorbed Jesse finally worked for someone else and experienced true humility. If this were a drama, we would expect Jesse to be forever changed by this experience. Bu this is a comedy, so keep your self-actualization expectations low.

What Could Happen in Season 2? What Do I Need to Know Before Season 2?

That’s the thing about The Righteous Gemstones‘ first season: it was a pretty open and shut story. Aside from the death of Gideon’s friend Scotty (Scott MacArthur), there weren’t many loose ends or overhanging scandals. Based on Season 2’s trailer, this new installment will be less about what this family just did and more about what they’ve done over the years.

A major character this season will be Thanial (Jason Schwartzman), an investigative reporter who’s looking into the church for a big story. And he has a lot of angles to choose from. As mentioned before, there’s Jesse’s hard-partying past. There’s also Kelvin’s erotically charged relationship with Keefe as well as Judy’s abusive relationship with BJ. Speaking of abuse, you can’t forget the fact that Eli is verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive to all of his children. Then there’s Uncle Baby Billy. We have no idea what skeletons are in his closest, but they’re sure to be terrifying. The bottom line is that even though Season 1’s story ended with a nice bow, there’s certainly more scandal to come. That’s the Gemstone promise.

Watch The Righteous Gemstones on HBO Max