WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Righteous Gemstones season 4, episode 1.
The season 4 premiere of The Righteous Gemstones featured a wildly unexpected origin story of the Gemstone family through the eyes of Bradley Cooper’s Elijah. Taking place in 1862 Virginia during the U.S. Civil War, Elijah Gemstone – a distant ancestor of Eli Gemstone and his family – assumes the identity of a priest he kills named Abel Grieves. Cooper, who has starred in countless Oscar-nominated films, was not announced to be a part of The Righteous Gemstones season 4 cast, so his guest appearance certainly comes as a surprise.
The Righteous Gemstones season 4, episode 1, does not feature any of the main cast of the celebrated HBO comedy series, which will end after its fourth and final season. Series creator and star Danny McBride also directed the premiere episode of The Righteous Gemstones season 4, which could very well spark Emmy conversations for Cooper’s standout performance as Elijah Gemstone. For viewers who think the modern Gemstones are bad, Elijah is a cold-blooded killer, liar, and crook who learns how the power of God, and a gold-plated Bible, can get him out of just about anything in the United States of America.
Why The Union Soldiers Spared Elijiah Gemstone’s Life
They Couldn’t Kill A Man Of God
The “Yanks” in The Righteous Gemstones season 4, episode 1, spared Elijah’s life because they thought that he was the Confederate soldiers’ chaplain, Abel Grieves. The gold-plated Bible appeared to justify Elijah’s belief in the Lord and the value of such an item acted as justification for Elijah’s status as a man of God. The Union soldiers had a code that they didn’t kill chaplains, which is the only reason why Elijah’s life was spared and the Confederate soldiers were executed by firing squad. In addition to the money and authority, Elijah learned that being a religious man could literally save his life.
Elijah starts reading his gold-plated Bible so that he can become a better liar but also because, somewhere deep in his dark soul, he may have actually started to believe.
Elijah returns with the bodies of the Confederate soldiers to the camp, lying about “God” saving him rather than the Union soldiers showing mercy. This enables Elijah, or rather Abel, to have a stronger foothold within the camp as a true man of God and avoid further suspicion about his status as chaplain. Elijah starts reading his gold-plated Bible so that he can become a better liar but also because, somewhere deep in his dark soul, he may have actually started to believe.
Why Elijah Murdered Ned Rollins After Winning At Poker With Him
Elijah Couldn’t Trust Him Even Though They Worked Well Together
Ned proved to be a reliable cheat and colluder at poker but Elijah couldn’t risk keeping him alive since he knew Elijah’s true identity. Also, since Elijah is a murderous crook, he could take all the money that he and Ned had worked together to steal playing poker with a Confederate major. Ned may have turned out to be a useful counterpart to Elijah’s schemes but Elijah didn’t seem to trust anyone, even those who seemed willing to keep a secret. Killing Ned and disposing of his body in a dead soldier’s coffin was the only way Elijah could ensure that his cover wouldn’t be blown.
Why Elijah Wasn’t Armed When The Union Army Attacked
It Would Have Been Unusual For A Chaplain To Shoot A Gun
As a religious man and not a soldier, Elijah was not armed with a musket or any other type of weapon due to his designation as chaplain. It would have been unusual for a chaplain to know how to fire a weapon, which would have blown his cover even if he was trying to defend himself. Although Elijah didn’t seem to realize it at the time, his chaplain designation made him immune from the duties of combat. He was forced to hide underneath a wagon as the Union and Confederate soldiers battled and trying to get involved in the violence would have either left him dead or would have blown his cover.
Why Elijah Gemstone Pretended To Be Chaplain Abel Grieves
He Didn’t Want The Confederate Soldiers To Discover The Truth
Elijah was already seen by several Confederate soldiers who had revealed he’d been assigned as their chaplain. He switched identities by giving the real Abel Grieves his clothes and leaving a death note, claiming that Grieves’ dead body was actually that of Elijah Gemstone. After brutalizing Abel’s face to make him unrecognizable, Elijah assumed Abel’s identity after seeing how profitable a profession in the church can be. He had no other option but to continue as Abel Grieves, although that letter he left on the real Abel’s body could have come back to haunt him later in life.
What Happened To The Gold-Plated Bible Elijah Stole From Abel?
That Bible Saved Elijah’s Life & Sparked The Gemstone Family Church
The gold-plated Bible that Elijah stole from Abel Grieves has not yet been introduced in the present-day timeline of The Righteous Gemstones. Given its historical significance, it is bound to come up again later on in The Righteous Gemstones season 4, perhaps as a sacred family heirloom that Eli keeps in a safe location. It could also stir up trouble for Eli, Jesse, Kelvin, Judy, and the rest of the Gemstone family if it is not in their possession and someone, maybe a distinct relative of Abel Grieves, discovers the truth about Elijah Gemstone.
The Real Meaning Of Elijah’s Final Words To The Confederate Soldiers
Elijah Has A Knack For Preaching – Or Is Just An Excellent Con Artist
Elijah offers a moving brief sermon as the parting words to several Confederate soldiers, all of whom are clearly religious. After telling several other dying soldiers that he was “praying” for them in his head, Elijah finally offers a prayer out loud even though he’s not actually a religious man. As a skilled and deceptive con artist, Elijah was able to come up with a moving prayer that convinced the soldiers who were about to die that they would be received in Heaven. The powerful scene didn’t reveal that Elijah was secretly religious but instead marked the beginning of the Gemstone family’s interest in God and the Bible.
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Throughout most of The Righteous Gemstones season 4, episode 1, Elijah is clearly a wicked and godless man capable of just about anything. He opens the gold-plated Bible and begins reading it genuinely after witnessing the deaths of the Confederate soldiers, realizing that he had narrowly escaped death due to his “faith.” He learned that even sworn enemies on opposite sides of war would show mercy to a man of God, which is a level of power Elijah had never known or understood. The final scene of The Righteous Gemstones season 4, episode 1 shows Elijah doing his homework in order to maintain his false image as a priest.
The Righteous Gemstones
9/10
- Release Date
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2019 – 2024
- Network
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HBO
- Writers
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Scott MacArthur