The following contains spoilers for The Righteous Gemstones Season 3, Episode 9, “Wonders That Cannot Be Fathomed, Miracles That Cannot Be Counted,” now streaming on Max.
When it comes to male nudity, HBO definitely pushes the boundary. Even South Park pointed it out, with shows like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Big Little Lies, Minx and Beforeigners often seeking to break the mold. Of course, Euphoria must be mentioned, as it embraces sexuality with a Gen Z edge.
In Season 3 of The Righteous Gemstones, male nudity gets kicked up a notch. In this case, it’s not about romance or anything sexy. Full-frontal nudity is instead used to terrifying effect in one of the show’s scariest scenes, reminding fans how the series loves mixing dark comedy and action.
The Righteous Gemstones Unleashed Naked Stephen
The Righteous Gemstones’ sixth episode, “For Out of the Heart Comes Evil Thoughts,” has BJ (Tim Baltz) storming into Stephen’s (Stephen Schneider) home after the latest scandal. BJ is angry his wife, Judy, had an affair, so BJ wants to sort Stephen out in a fight. He finds Stephen masturbating, but after smacking and spitting on him, BJ gets beat down by an incensed Stephen. The thing is, Stephen remains in the nude, with a lot of close-up camera shots.
Stephen beats BJ violently around the house, with a brass knuckle amid his kids’ toys to show how both men are behaving like children. A couple little girls stare in from outside as well, proving the series has no problem crossing lines. They end up brawling outside in front the neighbors with a lot of blood being spilled. Stephen loves this macho scrap, making it clear he’s the alpha and someone Judy should be with. BJ ends up winning, however, by grabbing Stephen’s testicles and then incapacitating him with a flurry of punches. This brings out the beast in BJ, who got emasculated by Stephen a lot. It ends with BJ going home, gloating to Judy how he’s the better man in a brawl where it seemed like there’d be certain death.
The Righteous Gemstones’ Nude Fight Fits the Show’s Tone
Interestingly, prosthetics were only used in the nut-grabbing sequence, and the masturbation scene when BJ blindsided his rival. The fight itself was all in the nude — something Schneider wanted after reading the script and deciding him in his birthday suit would stick to the show’s kooky essence. This brought out more of Stephen’s primal nature, while poking fun at how BJ constantly kept getting beat down. In the past, he’s been shot, tasered and smacked around in various scandals involving the Gemstone megachurch, so this was the show’s way of tricking fans.
Many thought he’d be humiliated again in the worst way possible, but BJ rises above to stop his nemesis. He gets his pride back, and feels like he’s worthy of Judy. Admittedly, he doesn’t need to do that as he’s always treated her right, but it’s a stunning change of pace for such a timid character who constantly lets people bully him. With his confidence regained, it culminates in BJ embracing his own manhood in Righteous Gemstones’ Season 3 finale in the tub, giving fans yet another full-frontal shot.
But this time, it’s a foreplay scene, with BJ getting over the aggression of old, his own insecurities and Judy realizing she does indeed have the better man than a toxic Stephen who tried to blackmail them. Ultimately, it rounds the season down to something more endearing than a naked Stephen yelling and wanting to kill with sheer brutality. In the process, it has fans eager to see BJ continue appreciating himself in new Righteous Gemstones stories.
All three seasons of The Righteous Gemstones can be streamed on Max.