#vance simkins

[keefechambers]

THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES season 3 + men's fashion

costume design by christina flannery

[alaffy]

The Righteous Gemstones, Ep. 3x01 – For I Know the Plans I Have for You

My Lord in Heaven, just how many people has this family pissed off? 

In all honesty, I didn’t realize until just recently that the third season had come out.  Which is too bad because I really do like this show.  That being said, I don’t know how much longer this show can last.  While I did enjoy the first episode, the shtick of the three siblings is starting to wear thin.  I think we need to see some growth in them.  Not a whole personality change, but something to indicate that they can be better.  Still, I haven’t watched the whole season so we’ll see.

The episode starts back in the year 2000.  Young Jesse is giving his first “sermon” while a Monster Truck is driving around.  This seems to be at the family theme park.  Amiee-Leigh clearly isn’t liking where this is all going, it’s becoming too much about the money and not about the message.  Later, Amiee-Leigh is by herself when she’s attacked by a woman called May-May Montgomery.  May-May is clearly trying to kill Amiee-Leigh.  Amiee-Leigh runs away and ends up being saved when a car accidentally hits May-May.

Cut to the present and we find that Eli is semi-retired.  He’s stepped away from running the church, but he’s still writing books and giving guest lectures.  Also, he’s a member of the Religious order the Cape and Pistol, which does seem like it is a made up society (I mean, would it really surprise you if it was real?).  He’s also worried that his children aren’t up for the task of running the church.  Given their bickering on stage, he’s probably right.  Also, given how successful BJ is as head of the welcoming committee and Amber’s marriage program seeming to be a hit, one could argue that they would be better at running the place.

But, before we continue, let’s have a quick recap of where the children are at.  Kelvin has started a war on Sex Shops…by buying all their products.  Also, are those teens he has helping him?!  Anyway, someone points out that this seems not to be the wisest plan and Kelvin agrees.

Jesse feels like he’s running the day-to-day operations of the church by himself (he probably has).  Gideon, his eldest, has been injured in probably a stunt driving accident.  And Pontius has facial tattoos and is vaping.  Jesse, obviously upset that life is spinning out of control and that Amber seems to be successful, thinks that Amber should spend more time at home.  Amber is having none of that.

Judy has been on tour for five months.  And she totally didn’t do anything improper that could risk her marriage or that maybe her feelings toward BJ has changed.  Nope, not at all.

 Anyway, we find out that the church is losing worshipers and money.  Now, this was to be expected as these things happen during times of change.  But they didn’t expect to lose quite as much as they have, nor did they expect one of their biggest donors to decide to leave.  Dusty Danials, a stock car racer, was planning on leaving his name and entire estate to the church when he died.  That would be 200 million for the estate and 30 million for licensing fees of his name.  Well, the siblings realize they can’t lose that, so they try to change his mind.  But there’s competition, the Simkins family.  They have a rival church and a tragic backstory that they use to get people into their congregation.  Dusty decides that the churches should race for his membership.  Vance, the head of the Simkins family, and Jesse get into stock cars.  Turns out Vance knows something about racing, Jesse does not.  Jesse loses.

Meanwhile, Eli’s at a book signing and who should show up but May-May.  Eli reminds her that he has a restraining order against her, but she begs him to help her get her sons back.  As she’s dragged away, she tells him Aimee-Leigh would have helped.  This gets to Eli’s conscious, and he agrees to meet May-May at an abandoned church.  We find out that May-May is Eli’s younger sister.  Years ago, her husband Peter was sent to jail (we don’t know why) and now he’s been released.  It turns out her sons have gone with their father and she’s afraid what kind of life he’s lead them into.  She needs Eli’s help to get them back, as she won’t survive without them.  Now given the age of these characters, we all know the sons are adults right?

Jesse, meanwhile, realizes that to lead the church he needs to make peace with his siblings.  At the very least, they got to be a little more professional in front of the congregation.  He makes up with Kelvin and they go to see Judy, who they find making out with the guitarist from her band.  Turns out that she and the guitarist have done some things on the tour.  They haven’t had sex, but they are being unfaithful to their spouses.  The brothers fire the guitarist from the church.  They’re also upset with Judy as they know that if this were ever to get out, it would cause a scandal that they don’t need right now.  Still, it’s clear they won’t tell anyone what they saw and the three make a pact to be better or some shit.

Then, at the end of the episode, we see that Judy is trying to reconnect with BJ; but it doesn’t seem like she wants to.  Kelvin decides to protest against the sex shop, but does it inside the store.  Jesse and his goons beat up Vance Simkins. 

[keefechambers]

#siblings that slay together stay together