Season 2 Episode 2 Recap/Review: “After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come” ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap/Review: “After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come”
Following a strong season debut, The Righteous Gemstones’ second episode picks up the pace. The title of this week’s program, “After I Leave, Savage Wolves Will Come,” is a reference to Acts 20:29 in the Bible. The poem is appropriate since the Gemstone family is facing a new danger, and Eli seems to be taking a step back.
Thaniel Block, an obnoxiously arrogant journalist, introduces the episode (Jason Schwartzman). Schwartzman might play this type of part in his sleep, using rails of cocaine and continuing to smoke a cigarette despite a neighbor’s warning. He’s the ideal antagonist for this season. Judy and BJ travel to see Eli before we can dig more into Thaniel.
Judy is surprised to see a badly inebriated Eli and Junior after the events of the previous episode. She accuses them of being lovers fiercely (and humorously). Before storming off, she also discloses that BJ is ready to be baptized and that she wants Eli to perform the honors. Junior is clearly a negative influence on Eli, maybe causing him to regress even deeper into the version of himself we saw at the start of last week.
Thaniel arranges a meeting with Eli, so there’s not much time to think about it. He asks Eli to join him in an inquiry that he is doing. Eli refuses, but not before Thaniel throws a bombshell: he’s really investigating Eli’s late wife Aimee-harassment Leigh’s of Gemstone personnel. This revelation comes as a huge shock, since Aimee-Leigh has always been seen as a saintly person. It makes one’s stomach churn to think of the type of crimes she’s perpetrated. Furthermore, it ties with the season’s overarching subject of unearthing the past.
On the Jesse and Amber front, they attend a posh investor gathering for “Zion’s Landing.” They socialize with a range of high-ranking officials, including… Joe Jonas?! As if Jonas portraying himself in a Danny McBride/Jody Hill film wasn’t amusing enough, Jesse forms an unusual bond with Joe, who, like his brothers, went it alone. Jesse, Amber, Joe, and the Lissons all partake in the same beverage. Eric Andre, who is usually up for a challenge, doesn’t accomplish anything here to justify his immense potential. Despite this, he gives The Righteous Gemstones’ ensemble of characters just the right amount of texture. The Lissons’ true goal in this episode is to drop yet another bombshell: they want investors to put down at least $10 million.
Despite the fact that this endeavor is his attempt to go it alone, Jesse shows up at a family meal crawling back to Eli. Or, to be more precise, crawling back to his cash. Eli rejects his $10 million offer. He has to take care of something else. Eli notifies them about the upcoming story. The Gemstone siblings are anxious to have a pleasant talk with Thaniel, as they say. This is strictly forbidden by Eli, who tells them to do nothing.
By now, you should be familiar with the gemstones. They ignore their father’s counsel and go to Thaniel. Surprisingly, his AirBnB is deafeningly silent. His door is open, and his siblings are debating whether or not to enter. The longer Thaniel does not respond, the creepier it becomes. “Perhaps it’s his wine times, and he’s in the bathtub!” says Kelvin. However, their inquiry comes to a stop when they discover a dead Thaniel in the AirBnB. A burnt second body may be found outside.
They run to the Gemstone complex after a catastrophe in which all three siblings are covered in blood. They are approached by Eli, who is also drenched in blood, as they fight to wash it off in the fountain. Is Eli to blame for Thaniel’s death? Is this a bait and switch? Who is the second body, anyway? Given the nature of McBride and Hill’s presentations, the answers to such questions may be anything. And with that, a fantastic episode comes to a close.
If The Righteous Gemstones‘ season opener served as an appetizer, here is the first dish of what will certainly be a delectable dinner of a season. The mystery is on par with Vice Principals, and it has me speculating in the same way the show’s mystery-filled first season did. My current working hypothesis is that neither Eli nor Junior is engaged in the murder of Thaniel at this time. With the established themes, it seems a bit early to let Eli go that far. Hill and McBride, on the other hand, are full of surprises. What matters is that the Gemstones are disintegrating, and it’s becoming more unlikely that they’ll be able to weather the impending storm. — Poole, James Preston
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