The Righteous Gemstones Season 3 Episode 6 Review: For Out of the Heart Comes Evil Thoughts
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Righteous Gemstones being covered here wouldn’t exist.
From full-frontal nudity to singing holograms, The Righteous Gemstones Season 3 Episode 6, “For Out of the Heart Comes Evil Thoughts,” has it all.
Written by John Carcieri and Danny McBride and directed by Jonathan Watson, this installment explores the fallout of the Gemstones’ struggles to live up to their parents’ legacy. The common thread with all three children is they think they don’t have the partner they need when it’s them who are the problem.
Judy’s affair throws the biggest cloud over the episode as Stephen’s wife extorts the church for a settlement to keep quiet while BJ refuses to forgive her. She makes some breakthroughs about making amends while attending Amber’s prayer group, but even Edi Patterson’s brash and childish reactions can’t completely erase the sadness of the moment.
Coming off of seeing how badly teen Judy wanted to fit in, it breaks your heart to know she might lose BJ too.
Martin’s later gesture of scheduling the payoff so Kelvin and Jesse aren’t there is one of the more tender moments of the episode. Even if Judy made a terrible mistake, her regret is genuine, making the hug even more emotional.
BJ, who dealt with a lot of abuse since joining the family, reaches his limits and breaks bad. The escalation from aggressive rollerblading to an all-out brawl will shock you.
It’s an interesting turn for Tim Baltz to get to play such a different version of the character, but The Righteous Gemstones really flexes its dark comedy with this storyline.
BJ’s fight scene with a nude Stephen is played for laughs but is never overly gratuitous or silly. It’s an intricately choreographed fight scene with stakes and tension and prosthetic testicles.
You’re rooting for BJ to win but also horrified when he does and you see what it costs him emotionally and psychologically. There is no reassurance by the end of the episode that BJ and Judy will make it, you’re just left sitting with BJ’s sorrow.
Kelvin and Jesse’s screwups are maybe less dramatic but equally frustrating, illustrating the Gemstones never know what’s best for them and are nothing without their counterparts. As Eli opines he’s not good at helping them get their lives together, it was Aimee-Leigh’s job, that point is only reinforced.
Had Jesse listened to Amber about the hologram he could have saved himself giving Eli a mental breakdown while watching a computerized version of his dead wife. He is so determined to prove himself he alienates his only allies, his wife and his siblings.
Had Kelvin stood up for Keef instead of driving him away, he wouldn’t be kicking rocking chairs like a fool. Between the jokes about replicants and hard wood, the will-they-won’t-they of this “couple” is excruciating.
The lack of a strong central conflict continues to set this season apart from the first two seasons. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as the individual conflicts are still compelling, but it makes the conflict with the Montgomerys feel tedious when it does pop up.
Despite Chuck and Karl betraying the family, I still can’t say I care too much about what comes next for Peter’s vengeance. The stakes just aren’t there when you know the Gemstones will find their way out of it.
What did you think of this episode of The Righteous Gemstones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Righteous Gemstones airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.
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Breeze Riley
Breeze Riley is a pop culture fanatic who decided to turn her love of watching too much TV into a hobby writing and podcasting about it. Although she's a convention-going sci-fi and fantasy nerd, she's just as likely to be watching an off-beat comedy or period drama.