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The Righteous Gemstones

Doctor Cringelord

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Has anyone seen this yet? It's pretty hilarious. I just finished the first episode.

I like that this takes a different angle than a lot parodies or satires of religion. Instead of poking fun at the beliefs and the believers, it takes aim at the corruption and greed that occurs at the top of a lot of evangelical organizations. This sets it it apart from something like Bill Maher's commentary on organized religion. For instance, it never quite sat right with me how a good chunk of his Religulous documentary seemed focused on him trying to make "little people" like religious truckers look foolish and stupid. I could almost show this series to some of my most religious family members without it offending their actual beliefs.

Too often the leaders of organized religions are excused, even revered, despite their influence and power over their followers. I like that this show flips the script and takes dead aim at those higher ups.

John Goodman is great as the family patriarch. He really does play the role like an evangelical godfather. The excesses of the main characters' lifestyles captures the weird materialism I've seen in evangelical culture--it is similar to the obsession with material goods and "bling" that was big for a while in hip hop culture, IMO.

Otherwise, it feels a lot like other Danny McBride projects. Also has an almost Apatow feel, with certain scenes reminding me quite a bit of parts of films like Talladega Nights.
 

ceecee

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It's fantastic. I've watched all of Danny McBride's HBO shows and this is my favorite. However, not being steeped in southern Protestantism, I generally miss some of that satire but Gemstones is aimed directly at the greed and hypocrisy of megachurches, obviously using Falwell Jr, Joel Osteen and others like them as the template. It isn't isn’t focused on ridiculing people’s beliefs, that's what makes it different and very unlike Bill Maher or others that dabble in the trolling type of comedy, which makes it refreshing as well as funny.

The show has Jody Hill flavor, more in the vein of Eastbound and Down, imo. Walton Goggins is so good, his scenes with John Goodman are gold. If you have only seen one episode, I'l leave it there but each one is better than the last and whoever decided to cast Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland as Amiee-Leigh should get a raise.
 

Totenkindly

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I just watched the pilot. I laughed at a lot of it... but it also made me really sad. Too close to home.

At times it feels a little cynical -- or rather the Gemstones themselves are a little cynical, they're really aware they are just putting out a particular brand. Or like when Eli tells the pastors to their face about his actual plans for the area... Maybe on the smaller level, what I'd normally run across would be, "Well, the Lord will decide," rather than just pure scheming, even if there's a sense the megachurch is likely to devour the smaller churches. IOW, in reality, I find that people keep themselves more blind to their decisions and outcomes, rather than being aware and not caring. They typically buy into their own brand just as all the people giving them money do.

Dermot Mulroney -- go figure. He's only 5 years older than me but looks about 15, he didn't age well after My Best Friend's Wedding. I like his character, and he might have the most integrity so far.

The pilot opened with a Chinese version of Rich Mullin's "Awesome God" -- I wonder how they got away with that in terms of buying the rights, unless I guess they can have someone sing it in Chinese and then pay a lot less for that version? (I also don't know what words they were singing, maybe the lyrics had been changed.) I don't know how many of the establishment would sell rights to what is a partial parody, although Mullins always had more integrity and no problem challenging the mainstream church. (He died some years ago in a freak car accident out in the midwest.)

Meanwhile, interestingly, the "Stand on the Word" song closing the show (and I've listened to all the versions on Amazon) doesn't have the same piano opener that the episode uses -- that opener is totally a ripoff (or maybe "homage" is a nicer word) of Michael Card's "Known by the Scars." (Hey I guess all that time in worship music pays off, huh?)

Aside from Dan Goodman (who is always good), both McBride and Devine are pretty good -- I typically find them both a little rough with their acting, but they felt more real here. Apparently Kelvin's friend played Dewey Finn on some TV version of School of Rock? And the whole episode reminds me (tone wise) of Talledega Nights, at least in terms of the cadence of how people talk and their word choices. Kind of interesting that the south and religion and nascar all kind of bleed into each other...

It was sad watching Eli at the end, sitting alone in the dark watching videos of his wife. Gave him a bit of humanity, it's really clear he loved her even if he's unscrupulous in some other ways. All the characters actually felt pretty real despite a bit of the caricature of religious matter. I typically find McBride kind of over the top but he's refreshingly restrained here.
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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I liked it, although I've only seen the first episode.

Generally I'm down for Goodman, with the possible exception of Coyote Ugly. Evidently, my dad didn't recognize him in this because he's lost a little bit of weight.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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I liked Jennifer Nettles as Aimee Leigh.

Reminded me of some of those southern aunts from the mountains I used to see at family reunions
 

Doctor Cringelord

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I'm not kidding, I had this one aunt who had a photo on her wall of her and President Reagan. She was a prominent member of her local Republican Party back in the 80s. Political differences aside, she was always a pleasure to hang out with. Pretty sure she was ESFJ.

Also, that Walton Goggins scene in the flashback episode when he refers to Jesse as "cool breeze" was great. I remember male cousins and uncles from that side of the family always addressed me with that or similar nicknames when I was a kid.
 

ceecee

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I'm not kidding, I had this one aunt who had a photo on her wall of her and President Reagan. She was a prominent member of her local Republican Party back in the 80s. Political differences aside, she was always a pleasure to hang out with. Pretty sure she was ESFJ.

Also, that Walton Goggins scene in the flashback episode when he refers to Jesse as "cool breeze" was great. I remember male cousins and uncles from that side of the family always addressed me with that or similar nicknames when I was a kid.

I loved that episode, ever since then my husband has been threatening to "run away, join WWF, become a bad guy" anytime I ask him what he he has planned for the day.
 

Totenkindly

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I have been taking my time and savoring it, I just watched episode 2 last night.

I laughed and laughed out loud at the end of the episode. I should have really seen that coming, I'm not sure why I didn't.
 

ceecee

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This week's episode was fantastic.

 

Totenkindly

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Catching up, just watched Interlude (episode 5?).

Jennifer Nettles is just so awesome. It's hard to believe her experience is mainly in music, not acting per se (although she's got a few past credits), she just lives and breathes in the skin of Aimee-Leigh. She really sells how hard the family must be struggling now with its core excised, explaining the chaos and insecurities and shenanigans and loss of focus shown in the opening episodes. It also underscores my past experience in these settings, where often the women were the ones holding everything together and might have outdone (in terms of talent) the men who were given ownership over the ministry, instead left to play mainly a support role.

Scoggins is pretty great too, although I think he has this kind of role down pat. But it's still got some nuance to it.

Not sure if young Jesse is wearing a hairpiece, that hairline is looking pretty fake.
 

VILLANELLE

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I LOVE THIS SHOW SO FUCKING MUCH. It's so funny and full of heart! :wubbie:
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Goodman is a brilliant actor. Just compare this role to Dan Connor to Walter Sobchek and so on. He disappears into roles. It occurred to me that I usually forget I'm watching John Goodman in any role he's in, which is a sign of a great actor or actress. I think he's up in the god tier with the greats like DeNiro.
 

VILLANELLE

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Me too. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my Sundays now, and I've never felt this way about a television show before, ever, rarely.

- - - Updated - - -

Goodman is a brilliant actor. Just compare this role to Dan Connor to Walter Sobchek and so on. He disappears into roles. It occurred to me that I usually forget I'm watching John Goodman in any role he's in, which is a sign of a great actor or actress. I think he's up in the god tier with the greats like DeNiro.

He really is. He's incredible.
 

Totenkindly

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Goodman is a brilliant actor. Just compare this role to Dan Connor to Walter Sobchek and so on. He disappears into roles. It occurred to me that I usually forget I'm watching John Goodman in any role he's in, which is a sign of a great actor or actress. I think he's up in the god tier with the greats like DeNiro.

I think he's overlooked because he makes it look so easy. (Aside from Walter, he might be pretty likable regardless of role as well.) His film profile just hasn't been as high as DeNiro's, unfortunately.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Nettles is good too. My wife said she was channeling Dolly Parton a bit
 

Totenkindly

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I'm still a little impressed by Danny McBride. Most of the stuff I've seen him in, he's so over the top and mainly coarse. He actually has some nuance here, some restraint. I think he's stepped his game up a bit.
 

Totenkindly

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I finally finished this show over the weekend. I was laughing non-stop through the last two episodes -- partly the situations (which are just pretty crazy) but also the dialogue, it manages to be hilarious and raunchy all the same time.

Even the redemption angles are a bit more polished than conventional films. I'm not really convinced any of the gemstones have improved except for maybe Eli -- the kids are just a mess. There were some baby steps in there; maybe Judy is the furthest along, after her rambling confession to BJ and his sharpening her like iron, but Jesse's pretty much needing to be dragged kicking and screaming over the finish line before he changes.

I was kinda surprised at how the Scotty plotline turned out with the twist in e8.

I think Mandy is one of my favorite secondary characters -- she has the best outbursts and facial expressions (usually involving shock or outrage). I'm also kinda fond of Keefe and BJ as well -- I love how BJ "mans" up in the final episode.
 
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