Ty Watches "The Righteous Gemstones" Season 2

My wife and I just finished season 2 of "Righteous Gemstones" last night. Much like "Eastbound and Down" and "Vice Principals", "Righteous Gemstones" is another big time hit from Danny McBride and Jody Hill. I adore these guys and the content they make. I have recently sung the praises of "Eastbound and Down" and "Vice Principals" on this very site. I was very curious to see how they would do this season of "Righteous Gemstones" since it was filmed during the pandemic. Well, any fears I may have had were easily put to rest after the first episode.

This season was a great follow up to one of the most memorable seasons of TV ever. The first season of "Righteous Gemstones" was amazing. I thought it was going to be pretty hard to follow that up with anything close to what they had accomplished. Well I was wrong. They did an amazing job. They brought up new storylines while still keeping the story very dark and very comedic. I will try to keep the rest of my piece as spoiler free as possible.

When they opened season two, with a good amount of church people around a big table, there was some big news dropped on everyone and a guy tried to end his life, only to fail and hurt his legs very, very badly. From that point on I knew we were in for some wild and crazy times in the second season. This season more focused on Eli Gemstone's, John Goodman, checkered past. We found out about him being a wrestler and bodyguard and "gun for hire". Eli did some wild things back in his day. He was helped out by Junior, Eric Roberts, who was such a wonderful addition. He was funny with a mean streak and ended up becoming a big time ally. I loved seeing him and Goodman as kids and where they were now. It was great. Jesse and Amber mended their ways, but Jesse still wanted more. He wanted to become head preacher. He wanted to work with Eric Andre's, another massive and wonderful addition to the cast, church and their new development. Danny McBride is so good at playing a guy way in over his head but does not realize it. McBride was simply the best this season. Judy and BJ showed a ton of growth this season. They helped out Tiffany. Judy started to work with other wives in the church. BJ was accepted into the family by Eli and Jesse. There was also an awesome scene of BJ rollerblading this season. I highly recommend checking it out. Kelvin and Keefe were so pathetic and so funny and then, at the end, totally redeemed themselves. It was a great journey for them this season, especially the stuff with Kelvin and Eli. That was incredible.

As the season had its twists and turns, everything came to a head in the finale. And what a wonderful finale it was. I never seem to know how they are going to end this stuff. And with this season being nine episodes as opposed to the usual ten, they found a way to wrap things up nearly perfectly. Even the Jason Schwartzmann character, a journalist exposing these mega churches, had his story all wrapped up by the end.

I adore this show. I am so amped it is coming back for a third season. I think this may be McBride and Hill's best work to date. And the fact that they are giving actors like Edi Patterson, Adam Devine and Tim Baltz a chance to shine, I love that. And I cannot forget the greatness that is Walton Goggins. He is tremendous as Uncle Baby Billy. That character may be as great as Stevie Janowski. Uncle Baby Billy is amazing. Oh, and they even got MaCaulay Caulkin to appear in a few episodes. Please go watch "Righteous Gemstones". It may be the best show on TV right now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"Vice Principals" is an Underrated Television Masterpiece

After finishing "Eastbound and Down" I decided I was going to go back and watch another one of my favorite Danny McBride, Jody Hill fronted shows, "Vice Principals".

I watched it when it first aired on tv. I devoured it in fact. "Eastbound and Down" is an all time classic, next level comedy show, and I figured it would be next to impossible to follow it up with anything remotely close. "Vice Principals" is the rare exception to the rule that the second thing that is made by an artist is not as good. I do firmly believe that "Vice Principals", while a different style of show, is as good as "Eastbound and Down". It just bums me out how incredibly underrated this show was when it was on TV. Hell, it is still underrated now. All three shows that McBride and Hill have done for HBO are incredible, but no one seems to talk about "Vice Principals". "Eastbound and Down" and "The Righteous Gemstones" get much deserved credit, again they are great. But, as I said, how many people actually talk about "Vice Principals"? Not too many in my circle of friends and family. My dad talks about it, and so does RD, but that seems to be it. I have friends who like these types of shows who have never watched it before, or watched it and have never revisited it. I think it got kind of lost in the shuffle. With the success of "Eastbound and Down", and this show being only two seasons, I think too many people just let it pass. That is a mistake. This show needs to be revisited and needs to be celebrated for how great it truly was.

I think what makes this show so great in my opinion is the tonal change from "Eastbound and Down". "Eastbound and Down" was more of a straight forward comedy about a professional athlete who fell on hard times and still thought they were as great as they once were. "Vice Principals" is much darker in tone. There are some heavy, nasty things that happen in this show. The heavy scenes are underscored with comedic stuff, but there is definitely more darkness and bleakness in this show. I also think that making McBride the "good guy" maybe threw some people off. It shouldn't have. He is very good as the foil. It actually is a nice change of pace. But making Walton Goggins the star, the mean guy, the villain, that was a stroke of genius. Goggins is so, so, so good on this show. He should have won multiple Emmys. There are scenes where he is the only person and he absolutely crushes it. He is so vindictive and conniving and cruel and pathetic all at once. It is truly a powerhouse performance.

I also think people may not have been as into the other characters on "Vice Principals" like they were with "Eastbound and Down". April and Stevie and Jason Sudeikes and Andy Daly and so many more are memorable and awesome. But so are Georgia King and Kimberly Herbert Gregory and Edi Patterson and Busy Phillips and Shea Wigham and all the other side characters on "Vice Principals". Edi Patterson, in particular, is phenomenal. This was my first exposure to her acting, and she is hilarious. It is a great jumping off point to now seeing her playing Judy Gemstone now.

"Vice Principals" is dark and funny and just a very, very good show. It did not get its justice when it was on. I think people should go and check this show out once again, especially if you like McBride's other work. "Vice Principals" is a tremendous, and underrated, show. Check it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"The Righteous Gemstones" has Already Delivered a Perfect Episode of Television

I'm not fully caught up yet on all of "Righteous Gemstones" yet, I am one episode behind. But my wife and I watched the episode last night where they went back in time before their third, and final, child was born. This was one of the best 40 minutes of TV that I have seen in quite some time. The stuff they did on this episode, and how they kind of explained the way these characters took shape as children, was wonderful.

First of all, the kids they got to play Danny McBride and Edi Patterson as kids were phenomenal. The young kid playing Danny McBride's Jesse was tremendous. He was as boisterous and offensive and mean and confused as I imagine Jesse would have been as a kid. The scene between him and a young Baby Billy, who I will get to in a few minutes, was so great. Baby Billy getting young Jesse drunk, so he would start a fight with his dad, was so funny, and so telling for the future. That kid was awesome. The actress that played young Judy was hilarious and foul and just angry all the time. She loves seeing her brother get in trouble, she always wanted to fight him, she was a perfectly spoiled brat during her party, it was all perfect. When she secretly watches Jesse get in trouble on the stairs, my wife and I were howling with laughter. It was so well done.

As I mentioned earlier, to see a young Baby Billy, who is expertly played by Walton Goggins, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors, was stupendous. He was just as devious and conniving and backstabbing and pathetic as he is as an adult. He is a trickster and a shit disturber. He got Jesse drunk to start a fight. He is constantly picking fights with Eli(John Goodman), and he takes advantage of those who still, for some unknown reason, love him and want to help him. What he did to his sister, Aimee Leigh(Jennifer Nettles), was such a low blow, and when she finally stood up to him, I was so happy for her. But you could see the conman in Baby Billy the whole time. He truly only cares about money, and himself. I will say, when his son hands him the ninja star, that was the funniest scene of the whole episode in my opinion.

The best performances in this great episode were Goodman and Nettles. They were so perfect together. They showed every part of a marriage, and boy did they love one another unconditionally. Nettles was the perfect, happy and loving parent and wife. She wanted everyone to be happy and get along and have a good time. But, she did have a tough side to her, and she was the star of the church in its early days. She was the main attraction, and she knew it. Goodman was so deeply in love with his wife. Seeing this episode makes his current mood so much clearer. He is clearly depressed and misses his best friend and wife. She kept him in check and loved him as unconditionally as he loved her. He was willing to protect her at all costs. He did what she needed when she needed and he was happy to do it. I now fully get why he is in this awful head space in current day on the show. Their connection and chemistry was fantastic.

To wrap this all up, this episode was perfect because it gave us the seeds to see why these characters are who they are as adults and much older adults. You could see the fire and anger in Judy's eyes. You could see the want to be a star and want to be the only one that matters in Jesse. You could see the conniving and cunning and sleaziness of Baby Billy. And, most importantly, you could see the joy and love that Aimee Leigh brought Eli.

This was a perfect episode of TV. This is the type of thing where, when I see it, I remember how great McBride and Jody Hill and David Gordon Green are as a trio when they work together. I'm so stoked to see where the rest of this season goes, and where they take season 2. "Righteous Gemstones" is a great show, and this was a near perfect episode.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Since Ty is the youngest in of four brothers everyone should start calling him Baby Ty. Let’s get it started.

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Ty Watches "The Righteous Gemstones" Series Premier

Last night my wife and I watched the new Danny McBride show "The Righteous Gemstones" on HBO. I have been anticipating this show, as I stated on a previous podcast, and boy did the pilot, for me, live up to the hype.

This show has all the elements that I have come to expect from McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green, but amped up by ten. No show of theirs will live up to "Eastbound and Down", that was lightening in a bottle, but "Vice Principals", and now "The Righteous Gemstones" are excellent. What i really enjoyed about "Vice Principals", and I have written about this before, was how comedic, yet dark, it was. That show was excellent, and it had a great run. What I found in the pilot of "TRG" was that, while still funny, this show may be their darkest yet. There was some wild stuff that went on in the pilot episode. I am not going to spoil anything, but man did stuff gets nuts at the end.

What I want to focus on more today is the plot and the actors. I love the plot of this show. I am a non religious person, not at all, so to see a show that sends up the whole Evangelical TV minister, and makes them sinister and evil and only interested in making more money than any person could ever need. We have all seen how awful some of these TV ministers, Joel Osteen comes to mind first, are really are behind the scenes. That is what this show shows us. The three main characters, John Goodman as the patriarch and main minister Eli, Danny McBride as the screw up, yet thinks he is more important than he really is Jesse Gemstone and the gullible and wet behind the ears youngest son, Adam Devine as Kelvin Gemstone, are all great in their own ways. Goodman is menacing and in a deep state of depression. His wife has died and his family is constantly fighting each other. Add on the fact that he is trying to be the only game in town, he is a bad dude. Goodman is perfect for this role. McBride is perfect in the role of an asshole who is way in over his head. He seems good on the surface, but he has some demons that he is fighting, and he refuses to go it alone. He wants to drag all kinds of people into his own mess. And Devine, in a very different role for him, is so innocent and maybe has some kind of soul and just wants to help people. They are all great. The third child of the family, Edi Patterson as Judy Gemstone, is definitely the smartest one of the family, but she doesn't get her due because she is a female. Patterson was a revelation on "Vice Principals", and now, in a much bigger role, I feel like she is going to shine.

Outside of the Gemstone family, the supporting actors so far are really good. Tim Baltz is Patterson's soon to be husband, and he is a pushover and hilarious. Dermot Mulroney, as a rival minister, is kind of badass, and I actually found myself rooting for him in the episode. Casidy Freeman as Amber Gemstone, McBride's wife, is so good and menacing herself. She had the line of the episode to me when Baltz's character said that the family is backwards and they never give women a chance, Freeman speaks up, but before going into her rant, she asks McBride if she can speak. Even a guy in a super small role, Tony Cavalero as Keefe, the former Satan worshiper who is now working for the church and has found God, I found him absolutely hilarious. Everyone, so far, has been wonderful, and I cannot wait to see where they take the characters from here on out. I have also seen that Walton Goggins, one of my very favorite actors, is going to show up in upcoming episodes, and I'm sure that will rule. It is not only the characters that I cannot wait to see where they go, it is the story too. Like I said, no spoilers, but the way the pilot unfolded, things are going to get wild in this first season. It should be dark and hilarious.

Look, I am a McBride fan. I am predisposed to like what he does, and a show like "The Righteous Gemstones" is perfect for his sense of humor, and what he wants to do on a show. I have a feeling this will be one of my favorites from 2019, and I cannot wait to see how the next 8 weeks pan out. I highly, highly recommend this show. It is really good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ok people, one spoiler. Never in your life will you see the efficiency of a Land Rover running over not one, but two people. It was shockingly awesome

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Ty Watches "Vice Principals" Series Finale

This past Sunday was the series finale of "Vice Principals". I've been a fan of this show from day one. I have even said, and RD disagrees with me, that I think it is a better show than "Eastbound and Down". Don't get me wrong, I adore both shows, but I like the darkness and the seediness of "Vice Principals". That is not to say that "Eastbound and Down" wasn't dark at times, but it was always filled with some comedic element. When "Vice Principals" got dark, it stayed dark.

The series finale was a prime example of how far they could go with this show. I felt that the finale was a perfect ending to the show. I know that Danny McBride and Jody Hill and David Gordon Green had always said that it was only supposed to last 2 seasons, and the way they ended it was stupendous. They do not need to do anything else. They closed up every story line perfectly. I was so pleased with what I watched. After I finished the finale, I watched it yesterday, I felt a sense of completeness.

Everyone involved with this show, be it acting, writing, producing or directing, did a wonderful job. Danny McBride was awesome as Neal Gamby. He could have settled into a Kenny Powers esque character, but he went the opposite direction. His character had a soul. He had a conscience. He did some bad things, but his heart was, for the most part, in the right place. He is the hero. Walton Goggins deserves a god damn Emmy for his role. He was the absolute best thing about this show. He was conniving. He was a bad, bad man. He had a troubled past. He constantly lied and cheated to get what he wanted. He was just flat out evil. But, in the end, he came through for his buddy, that is a minor spoiler alert. All the bad stuff he did, he finally, kind of, redeemed himself. Goggins and McBride were the stars, and who the show was based around, and it was a perfect pairing. I did not know how they would fit, but they had tremendous chemistry on screen. I fully bought into their journey and friendship.

Outside of the main guys, pretty much every supporting actor was great too. Georgia King as Amanda Snodgrass, the sometimes love interest of Neal Gamby, was so good. She was tough, no nonsense and didn't put up with Gamby's bull shit. Her arc, especially when she started to date Fisher Stevens, an excellent addition, as a YA novelist, was so good. The fact that she took pride in Gamby's love for her book, which by all accounts sounded pretty bad, showed how naïve, yet faithful she was to Gamby. Kimberly Hebert Gregory as Dr. Belinda Brown, the ire of Gamby and Russell in season 1, was just as good in her much reduced role in season 2. She found a new school, but she popped up here and there to debunk some theories and curse out Russell when he came to her for help. She was so good in season 1, and I did not know how they would incorporate her in season 2, but they found a nice fit for her to come back. Edi Patterson as Ms. Abbot, had a much expanded role in season 2, and she owned it. She was nutso. She was crazy. She had all kinds of ulterior motives, and Patterson crushed in this role. Sheaun McKinney had a bigger role as Dayshawn in season 2, and he was great. He was always there with a joke, but also good advice for Gamby. I loved him in this show. I could go on and on. Dale Dickey was a great addition this season. Busy Phillips and Shea Whigham were just as good this season as they were in the first. All the other teachers at the school, excellent. The cast was one of the best parts of the show, and everyone involved really leaned into their roles.

What truly made this a great show was the writing. As earlier stated, it was dark, but it was also funny, sometimes moving and had a nice mystery involved in the second and final season. I love this show so much. The finale has one of the best guest appearance that I have seen. RD texted me and told me this before I watched it, and he was one hundred percent correct. The finale is crazy. All the stuff they pack into about 34 minutes is nuts, but it works. I loved the whole series, but the finale was exceptional.

I will miss "Vice Principals", but it is going out on top. It ended perfectly. You can always watch it on HBO Go or On Demand, or anywhere you may watch TV. I'm glad that I watched it in real time. It was a show that I looked forward to every week. As I said, I'm sad it is done, but I will remember it as one of the best shows I have ever watch. Watch this show. When Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green get together, they usually knock it out of the park, and with "Vice Principals", they hit a grand slam. What an excellent, phenomenal show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor agrees that "Vice Principals" is one of the greatest shows ever, but the first ten minutes of "Eastbound and Down". that belongs in the Louvre.

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