For Jealousy Is the Rage of a Man
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Episode 7
- Kevin Barnett
- Chris Pappas
- Danny McBride
| "For Jealousy Is the Rage of a Man" | |
|---|---|
| The Righteous Gemstones episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Jonathan Watson |
| Written by |
|
| Cinematography by | Paul Daley |
| Editing by | Joseph Ettinger |
| Original release date | April 20, 2025 |
| Running time | 38 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"For Jealousy is the Rage of a Man" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the American dark comedy crime television series The Righteous Gemstones. It is the 34th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Kevin Barnett, consulting producer Chris Pappas, and series creator Danny McBride, and directed by executive producer Jonathan Watson. It was released on HBO on April 20, 2025, and also was available on Max on the same date.
The series follows a family of televangelists and megachurch pastors led by widowed patriarch Eli Gemstone. The main focus is Eli and his immature children, Jesse, Kelvin and Judy, all of whom face challenges in their lives. The series depicts the family's past and scandals, which unleash consequences. In the episode, Kelvin refuses to leave his treehouse after his humiliating debate, while Eli confronts Cobb, and learns about Lori's past.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.289 million household viewers and gained a 0.05 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, although Adam DeVine received high praise for his performance in the episode.
Lori visits Cobb, warning him to stay away from her family. After he does not express fear, he is visited by Eli during one of his performances at the alligator farm. Cobb maintains that he wants nothing to do with her, and shows Eli an ad showing that Lori worked for an escort service, disgusting him. Over dinner, Lori claims Cobb faked the ad, but is angered by Eli investigating her finances and leaves.
After his poor performance during the debate, Kelvin has secluded in his childhood treehouse, refusing to let anyone enter. Unconvinced by the lead actor, Baby Billy asks Jesse and Judy to grant him $2 million to reshoot Teenjus, intending to play the lead character himself, but they refuse. Judy begins to feel jealousy for Dr. Watson, as BJ prefers to hang out and spend time with the monkey, even helping it in a few tasks. After Pontius begins hanging out with skaters and deviating from the church, Gideon tries to get him to join his congregation. When they insult him, Gideon uses his stunt experience to surprise them with his skateboarding skills, convincing them to attend a service.
Jesse and Judy use the jetpacks to access the treehouse, convincing Kelvin that he needs to win to get back at Simkins. Kelvin returns for a last conversation for Top Christ Following Man of the Year, proclaiming that he is made in God's image and that he is proud of who he is. He subsequently leaves the stage, believing the award is meaningless. He is then called back on stage, as he officially won the award. Kelvin returns and celebrates his win with the crowd, while Jesse smiles and insults Simkins.
Production
Development
The episode was written by consulting producer Kevin Barnett, consulting producer Chris Pappas, and series creator Danny McBride, and directed by executive producer Jonathan Watson. This was Barnett's fifth writing credit, Pappas' fifth writing credit, McBride's 34th writing credit, and Watson's second directing credit.[1]
Writing
Adam DeVine commented on Kevin's speech during the episode's climax, "That speech was a really big one, and I just wanted it to be clear-eyed and not putting anything on, not a performance. Sometimes Kelvin, or any of the characters, because they're used to speaking in front of a lot of people at church — some of those speeches, it's a little performative. I wanted this to feel more like, this is him saying what he needs to say. And I hope that came across."[2] He added, "He has this deep fear within him that someone or something could just come and take him or expose him. That's why he's so guarded with his secret. It really stuck with him for his entire life. The big speech toward the end of episode 7 was a cathartic release and the releasing of the traumas of his youth. It's beyond the home invasion. For Kelvin to finally come out so publicly, it feels like an amazing release. I was like, Go get ’em, little guy."[3]