One Shot: The origin story behind ‘The Righteous Gemstones’’ original sin

“The Righteous Gemstones” turns back the clock to the Civil War in its final season premiere to reveal the origin story of the televangelist family, with Bradley Cooper guest starring as Elijah Gemstone, a drifter turned charlatan preacher. “I always had the idea that we would show a beginning of this connection to religion with this family,” says creator Danny McBride, who directed the episode. “Prepped to within an inch of its life” in order to capture the period setting convincingly, the episode owes much to an Oscar-winning referent, 1989’s “Glory,” and to production designer Richard A. Wright, says cinematographer Paul Daley. Catapulting Eli down a new path is a deadly church robbery. Its visual storytelling is near-monochromatic, juxtaposing light and darkness. “There’s this idea of this false sense of holiness and that this guy doesn’t belong here,” says McBride. “We came from the idea that instead of him emerging from the shadows, he rises from a pew.” After stealing the priest’s Bible and fabricating a letter to clear his name, Eli stands ominously over the dead body — an angelic glow bursting behind him. It’s a moment where fortune, or in this case fate, favors the bold.