By Angela Tricarico

Praise be to He — The Righteous Gemstones is back! HBO’s megachurch comedy returned for its fourth and final season on Sunday, March 9 with a masterful yet unexpected installment that didn’t feature any of the series’ main actors or characters. Instead, it opens with “Prelude,” a Civil War-set drama centering on Elijah Gemstone (Bradley Cooper in a surprise appearance), a lazy con man who kills a priest, assumes his identity, and joins a Confederate unit as their chaplain. The Gemstone ethos we’ve come to expect from present-day siblings Jesse (creator Danny McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson), and Kelvin (Adam Devine) is on full display here, and the episode served as an excellent jumping-off point for eight more episodes and one final ride with the entire Gemstone family as they attempt to move the church (and their lives) forward without completely letting go of the past.

Photo: HBO/WBD