Critics’ rating: 3.75 / 5.0
3.75
That wasn’t the gem season for the righteous that I expected, but that’s what I got.
After waiting for 18 months after Season 3, the ideal place to end the series, the Gem of Justice brought us to the late 1800s, expanding the knowledge of the Gem Family.
I entered the Gem of Justice Season 4 without watching the trailer or reading anything about this season as this show thrives on the element of surprises, so it’s best to buckle and enjoy the journey.
Josh McDermitt’s performance as morally questionable Abel is an exciting addition to the final season premiere.
That said, the last thing I expected was Bradley Cooper’s Elijah Gemstone to bring him out before the story began.
I think HBO’s desire to put Cooper’s cast in the package is why we don’t have any photos from the season’s premiere.
Elijah brutally shot Abel in the name of making money quickly, showing how cruel he is. But Elijah was not a better person until he slammed the minister’s face to Smith.
He is opportunistic and knows how to manipulate people to work with him, just killing them when they least expect it.
Cooper’s performance is fascinating because the man has so many opportunities to be a good person and continue to make stupid selfish decisions that go against everything the Bible represents.
Elijah gemstones have matured and more meaningful gem scenes
Watching him plan to enter a high-paying show and further plan to be killed on a shooting line with a bunch of glorious men, it was a pill of pain that he finally found the meaning of God at the end of the plot.
If the first three seasons of the Gem of Justice have proven it all, it is that everything in the series has a reason.
So my best guess is that this family will have an existential crisis in the final season, allowing them to consider their past, their ancestors and what they can do to boldly enter the next stage of their existence.
Apart from that, there is no indication that the series is heading for the direction of the series because the premiere spent the whole in the 1800s and seemed to make things darker before the last bow for the gem.
The church will have to play a major role in the last episode.
I sneakily suspect that the buzz of Jesse, Judy and Kelvin’s safe return after the kidnapping and extortion will be buzzed by shocked locusts that have struck the church and caused a lot of damage in their end.
It’s shameful that we never tasted in Gem of Justice Season 4 Episode 1 because these are the characters we’ve watched throughout the show.
While it’s a bit shortsighted to exclude today’s schedule from the premiere altogether, there’s good reason to believe that these bloody events will shine like a halo effect in the previous chapter.
There is always a element of forgiveness in the show, people forgive the worst, but that doesn’t always work, and hopefully the series will address this issue head-on.
Will everyone find redemption at the end of the series?
Check out May-May, Peter, Chuck and Carl’s stunts pull the gem of justice in Season 3.
Everything points to their severe death or being hit, but somehow they manage to find peace, happiness and unity with the gem.
We don’t know Elijah’s story, but it seems that his literal brushing of death has led him to do good, perhaps better than he did when he initially stole the minister’s work.
Having food, board, $50 a month, just preaching every day is a comfortable job, so why don’t he embrace it?
Should we assume he wants to take it away and take as much as possible until he reaches a breakthrough?
It’s vague, open to explanations, but there should be a few more flashbacks throughout the season to provide some context to see how his things change and how his way of living penetrates the rest of the family.
Narratively speaking, the gem of justice tends to turn left, so there is even a chance that we will never hear Elijah’s name again and we have to take what we get.
The independent plot is good, but the season’s premiere lacks stage for other plots and there’s little laughter, which isn’t what we expected.
Can we be humorous?
Even if things get tough, there will always be some comedy relief, which is totally Mia in the show, frankly, and it’s a little shocking.
Hopefully the upcoming plot brings some lighter humor as it is a key element of the show’s success.
In you, the gem fanatic of justice! What do you think of Bradley Cooper’s stuntman? Do you think he nailed Elijah’s role?
What did you spend the entire episode in the 1800s without registering on today’s gems?
Do you think this episode is a sign of storm brewing and the difficulty that families will keep the church intact?
Let’s call in the comments section to dissect everything, TV fanatic!
Watch the Gem of Justice online
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