The cinematography, music and Cooper’s performance are all outstanding, and if the episode doesn’t have you kneeling at the Gemstone altar, nothing will.

For half a decade, The Righteous Gemstones has quietly been one of the best comedies on television, providing laughs and joy to anyone with a sick sense of humor and possibly a touch of religious trauma. The fourth and final season, which premieres on March 9 on HBO, is no exception and proves to be a hallelujah of a sendoff to one of television’s most underrated hits.

The brilliance — and comedy — of Season 4’s nine episodes (all of which were provided for critics) lies in how McBride begins to challenge each of the kids on the possibility of Eli moving on and finally finding someone new.

At various points the different branches of stories feel a bit disjointed, and it’s clear the shooting schedules of various cast members prevented them from being in scenes that feature an ensemble. But it doesn’t matter. “The Righteous Gemstones” is funny, wry, clever, disgusting, moving, shocking, and endearing in ways that are purely aspirational for most comedies on TV, and I’m sorry to say goodbye to it.

Finds new ways to drum up dirty humor and sweet pathos in this latest installment.

While “Gemstones” doesn’t bite the religious hand quite the way it did in previous seasons, it does conclude without a big sermon. Aimee-Leigh might have delivered the message in song. But the way Jesse, Judy and Kelvin do it is quite good – and just the farewell we need until they return with a big “Gemstones” movie.

“Prelude” is very much that: a setting in motion everything we’ve seen thus far on the show. While far from the funniest episode, “Prelude” offers a more somber and reflective tone, one that shows the roots of this blasphemous family tree.