Season two of The Righteous Gemstones didn't disappoint. HBO's second installment of Danny McBride's hit show saw Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) reuniting with his Memphis wrestling buddy, Junior (Eric Roberts). Eli had to confront his violent past in Memphis where he worked as an enforcer for Junior's father, Glendon Marsh Sr. (Wayne Duvall), wrestling in the evening and collecting for the Dixie Mafia by night. Jesse (Danny McBride) and Amber (Cassidy Freeman) sought to gain more power in the Gemstone family, leading to their involvement with Christian power couple Lyle (Eric Andre) and Lindy Lissons (Jessica Lowe) and their idea for a Christian resort in Florida. Kelvin (Adam DeVine) tried to break away from his marginalization as a youth pastor and created a cult of Christian strong men to go on missions with. Judy (Edi Patterson) convinced BJ (Tim Baltz) to get baptized, so she could gain the respect of her father after the two got married in secret, while BJ accepted the baptism in hopes of finally becoming a member of the family. Lastly, Baby Bill (Walton Goggins) had to confront the son he abandoned, Harmon (Macaulay Culkin), so he would be able to do things right by his new son with Tiffany (Valyn Hall).
At the end of season two, Eli finally admitted to Junior that he killed his father by accident, which ironically made Junior closer with Eli. Junior and Eli opened up a new wrestling gym together in Memphis in honor of Glendon Marsh and Junior even attended the Gemstone's service in the season finale. Jesse and Amber discovered that the Lissons killed investigative journalist Thaniel Block (Jason Schwartzman) and tried to assassinate Eli in the hopes of giving Jesse the reigns to the Gemstone wallet. When Eli discovered this he seized control of their new Christian retreat, Zion's Landing, and paid the assassins the Lissons sent after him to kill them. Now having the love and recognition he wanted from his father, Kelvin opened up a wrestling gym for youths, comfortable in his role as a youth pastor. Baby Billy apologized to Harmon and set off with Tiffany to build a life for their newborn son. Judy and BJ finally got the recognition from Eli they both craved, with BJ taking a bullet for and finally becoming a member of the Gemstone family.
There were not many loose ends at the end of season two. With the Lissons vanquished and the quarrel with Junior resolved, the Gemstones seem to be at the peak of their success as a business and a family, being closer than ever since the death of their mother. While all may seem well, leave it to the Gemstones to turn this prosperous future on its head in the show's third season.
Hotel Coverups
The first episode of both seasons one and two of The Righteous Gemstones saw the Gemstone family taking part in and witnessing a violent crime. In season two, the Gemstones go to confront investigative journalist Thaniel Block, who seems hell-bent on taking down the Gemstone family. When they get to Block's home they find a burnt body and discover Block had been shot in the head. Initially, the Gemstones think it's Junior who killed Block to help out his old friend Eli, but it turns out that Lyle Lissons indirectly killed Block by trying to intimidate him after Block threatened to expose Lyle's treatment of kids at his orphanage. Block ended up shooting at Lyle's "strike team" and a bullet bounced off a pan and hit him in the head. If McBride is to take anything from the first two seasons, it wouldn't be surprising for another crime to take place where the Gemstones deal with the fallout for the rest of the season.
The Gemstones are in the resort business now, taking over Zion's Landing from the Lissons. The impulsive Gemstone family is likely to run into some roadblocks with this major endeavor. It's possible the third season's central crime could take place at the hotel. The hotel is likely to attract many wealthy and powerful people within the Christian community, so it wouldn't be shocking to see that one of the services the Gemstones offer there is covering up a crime. The first season's central antagonist was Scotty (Scott MacArthur), a bitter stuntman trying to dip his hands into the Gemstone's massive purse, while in the second season the central antagonist was Lyle, who wanted to gain access to the Gemstones' funding no matter the cost. The possibilities for a Fargo-type crime in season three are endless, but if a crime is to play a central element it'll likely have to do with the hotel.
Baby Bill Goes All in on his New Child
In season two, Baby Billy made amends with Harmon, the son he left at a pet store, by having Harmon sock him in the face. Baby Billy ended season two ready to do things right with his new son, driving off with Tiffany and their newborn child to Freeman's gap. For a man with an ego as big as Baby Billy's this happy ending is likely not to last. Previously, Baby Bill had latched onto his sister, Aimee-Leigh Gemstone (Jennifer Nettles), in the hopes of riding her coattails to Christian music stardom. With Aimee-Leigh gone, Baby Billy is in all probability going to try and exploit his son for financial gain and make him a prodigy, the second coming of his sister.
Prior to season two, Tiffany wouldn't have challenged this negative behavior, but after spending time with Judy and Amber and finding a willingness to be independent and even raise the child alone, there's a chance that she'll fight with Baby Billy if he tries to take advantage of their new son. While it might be a little too early to get Baby Billy's son to sing along with him on stage, it's hard not to see him slapping a photo of the two on a bottle of Baby Billy's "covid curing elixir."
Gideon Makes it Big
One of the most exciting moments in season two was when Gideon (Skyler Gisondo) chased down the "cycle ninjas" that attempted to assassinate Eli. Gideon heroically took out each of the cyclists one-by-one and for the first time, audiences saw that Gideon may actually have a future in stunt acting. At the end of the season, Amber and Jesse begin to finally encourage his passion, visiting him on set in Atlanta to see him in action. While Gideon didn't play a massive role in season two, it wouldn't be surprising to see him find success in stunt acting in season three, mingling with and connecting the Gemstones with some Hollywood star power.
Jesse and Amber Breakup
Season two saw Amber pushing Jesse to carve out a larger lot for them in the Gemstone family. While initially, Jesse sided with her, toward the end of the season as he grew closer with his family, the desire he previously had to be the head of the church diminished after seeing what it actually required. Jesse's ambitions might not be as large as before, but Amber's certainly are. Cracks in their marriage even began to show, specifically after Amber out shot Jesse as they tried to take out the cycle ninjas. Amber's prowess with a gun emasculated Jesse and led to their congregation celebrating her much to Jesse's dismay. A breakup would certainly look bad for the church, as a divorce wouldn't help maintain the church's wholesome image. Their relationship falling apart would mean the family falling apart as well, as Amber would likely join a competitor to reach heights she couldn't within the Gemstone family, placing her at odds with Eli and the family. Pontius Gemstone (Kelton DuMont), who's been quite critical of Jesse, might side with her in a divorce and join her on her new mission.
Season three of The Righteous Gemstones is sure to continue the series' traditions of dark comedy and satire. If anything is certain it's that the calm that now resides within the Gemstone family will not last. From hotel hijinks to Baby Billy's massive ego, and Gideon/Amber rising above Jesse, the coming season of The Righteous Gemstones will have no shortage of conflict.