According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.593 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The patriarch, Eli (John Goodman), is annoyed by his children, Jesse (Danny McBride) and Kelvin (Adam DeVine), who constantly fight each other.
They return home to South Carolina, where Eli's daughter, Judy (Edi Patterson), expresses disappointment that she is often excluded from the trips.
Kelvin lives with his roommate, Keefe Chambers (Tony Cavalero), an ex-satanist who works as a security guard at the Gemstones’ church.
Judy lives with her fiancé, Benjamin Jason "BJ" Barnes (Tim Baltz), and their relationship proves to be fairly mediocre.
There, a man with a devil mask demands that he pays $1 million the following Sunday, or the video will be released to the media and ruin Jesse's career.
The next day at the Gemstone Salvation Center, Eli is visited by four reverends, led by John Wesley Seasons (Dermot Mulroney).
Unable to find money, Jesse is forced to confess to Kelvin and his buddies about the video, asking his brother to withdraw $500,000 to avoid suspicion.
In July 2019, HBO confirmed that the episode would be titled "The Righteous Gemstones", and that it would be written and directed by series creator and lead actor Danny McBride.
It dabbles in a critique of the empty religious despotism that's corroding communities in parts of America while leaving room for something more scathing in future episodes.
"[3] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Heavier on plot than likely anyone predicted, The Righteous Gemstones seems like it can spread in many different directions.
McBride has indicated that, unlike his previous HBO series, he doesn't have a set expiration date for the show, and that Gemstones could stretch on for several seasons.