Although the four motorcycled assassins did get several shots off on them, The Righteous Gemstones hints that a major character survives an attack.
The Righteous Gemstones follows the hedonistic Gemstones as they try to keep their church and their family from falling apart. While season 1 of the show mainly focuses on the Gemstone children, season 2 shifts focus to their father, Eli Gemstone, as he wrestles with his dark past. Season 2, Episode 5 “Interlude II” (considered one of the show’s best episodes) gives the viewer a look into Eli’s past crimes, showing him cover up the murder of his former boss and criminal kingpin Glendon Marsh Sr. In the present, Marsh’s son Junior has once again entered into Eli’s life with mysterious motives. Although not yet confirmed, it seems like Junior is attempting to seek revenge for his father’s death, something it seems he may have succeeded at with the help of the four gun-wielding motorcycle drivers.
Although the assassins to which eldest son Jesse Gemstone refers to as “cycle ninjas” appeared earlier in the season, they did not manage to kill Eli as it seems they had hoped to. The unidentified gunmen mistakenly shoot at Jesse and his wife who had gotten on a bus that was apparently meant to bring Eli to his death. Now in episode 6, the four-cycle ninjas simply ride up to Eli’s moving car and unleash a rain of lead upon him and his vehicle. However, it seems as if the ninjas may once again have failed because, while Eli is hit with several bullets, they mostly hit him in non-vital areas and then drive away before confirming the kill. The sloppiness of the assassins and the resilience of Eli very well could mean that the loveable pastor is still alive to preach another day.
While this episode does seem to be preparing Eli for death, with him learning the lesson of redemption much like how Baby Billy does, it actually is likely that Eli is still alive. The bullets mostly hit areas such as his side and shoulders, with only one hitting his chest and none hitting his face. These still can be lethal hits, but Eli seems to still be alive and aware after being riddled with bullets. Furthermore, Eli’s moving car simply rolls to a complete stop while only hitting a few traffic barrels. Eli then slumps his body against the horn causing it to continuously blare. The Gemstone facility has been shown to be crawling with security, meaning that a guard could quickly investigate and find Eli before he succumbs to his wounds. The cycle ninjas’ attack definitely could be deadly, but many characters in this show and others have survived far worse. Eli wouldn’t even be the first white-suited plutocrat to survive such an attack, as it is likely that Hawkeye‘s Kingpin survived a bullet in a similar way.
There is one more very strong piece of evidence that lends itself to Eli surviving though: the sneak peeks for The Righteous Gemstones‘ next episode. This short teaser shows an ambulance escorted by armored cars rushing somewhere, likely containing Eli Gemstone. Furthermore, Jesse and his wife are shown speaking at a church service about a hashtag they have set up for Eli, clearly to raise awareness of his attack and support for his hopeful recovery. The Righteous Gemstones has shown that it is not scary to kill off the main character, but due to the clues laid throughout the end of season 2, episode 6, it seems that Eli Gemstone is not actually dead.
