JUDY GEMSTONE (Edi Patterson). Sometimes the weather hands you a win: Itâs always a good week in South Carolina when your husbandâs capuchin monkey companion doesnât fulfill its plot to electrocute you in your bathtub.
The bad news: Judyâs still centered wholly on herself, usually to her spiritual or romantic detriment but this week also to her own financial and political loss: Sleepwalking past the obvious monetization potential of BJâs miraculous healing is inexcusable. Weâre mentioning this a third time because we kind of canât believe nobody hopped on it. Judyâs a âfaith aloneâ girlie, remember, and this in an episode where THERE IS LITERALLY ANOTHER GUY WHO LEARNS TO WALK AGAIN IN A DANCE SEQUENCE.
Still, she served some insane Chanel Dress For Less looks (to say nothing of that QVC Bob Mackie boudoir getup [complimentary, somehow]), and her wanting to hug Miss Lori is one of like five things sheâs done in four seasons that shouldnât land her on some sort of watchlist.
BIG DICK MITCH (Regan Burns). If youâre gonna be known for one thing, there are worse nicknames to get. Is never not selling. Showed real explosiveness out of the gate. Fate currently unknown, which while it could be worse does not bode great for anybody loitering nude around a gator park in Rogers, South Carolina at night.
PONTIUS GEMSTONE (Kelton DuMont). A brief but solid outing for this emerging role player. Serves as the fulcrum of a lot of this episodeâs plot, via suggesting that Dr. Watson be allowed to try a cigarette. Is even at church lunch in the first place, which maybe should put points in both Gideon and Amberâs columns.
GIDEON GEMSTONE (Skyler Gisondo). Is on better footing with his brother BUT is using that time to advocate for letting the monkey smoke. (So, heâs steady, but heâs way high up and steady, is what weâre saying here.)
KEEFE (Tony Cavalero). Blink and youâll miss him cutely crinkling his nose about Game Night, but being a) in your lane at all and b) staying there counts for a lot right now.
JANA MILSAP (Arden Myrin). Gets barely more screen time than Keefe this week, but displays a quiet prowess in executing whateverâs asked of her. This week, that consists solely of throwing a birthday party for a grown man that strikes a remarkable balance between âharmlessly suburbanâ and âmenacingly whimsical.â
STACY (Michael Berthold). Casting a kid with that hair and naming him âStacyâ is the most indelibly South Carolinian thing this show has ever done. (Having him then get unceremoniously shot in the head by an unscrupulous gator park owner is 1a on this list.) Will miss the 4th of July after all, which really does suck for him, because they get the good fireworks in South Carolina! The ones you see on YouTube blowing up whole docksides in Shenzhen every couple years!
DR. WATSON (A Capuchin Monkey). Anybody else get the sense we havenât seen the last of this guy yet? Anyway! Letâs go to the tape, where youâll find about as much to like as to dislike: