Keefe Chambers

Keefe Chambers is one of the main characters in the T.V. series, *The Righteous Gemstones*. He is portrayed by Tony Cavalero

## Background

Keefe is Kelvin's boyfriend and a former Satanist. He was Kelvin's Assistant Youth Pastor until, spurred on by wary parents, he left to pursue carpentry.

## Season 1

Keefe is introduced as one of Kelvin Gemstones' closest friends and confidantes, having lived with Kelvin in his house at the Gemstone compound in Charleston for some time before the beginning of Season 1. Keefe is a former Satanist, having been seen by his former Satanist friends multiple times throughout the show. He was "saved" by Kelvin upon meeting him and gave up his Satanist beliefs in favor of an Evangelical Christian faith alongside Kelvin.

Keefe assists Kelvin in all aspects of Kelvin's youth ministry. He is slightly awkward and makes odd comments most times when he speaks. He has multiple tattoos still on his body from his Satanist days. He assists Kelvin in his attempts to bring Dot Nancy back to a wholesome Christian Lifestyle, at the request of her parents and Gemstone megadonors, Dale and Gay Nancy. First, Keefe and Kelvin go through Dot's bedroom and belongings looking to cleanse her of potential temptations from Satan. This includes jewelry, clothing, and other items Dot possessed in her bedroom. This leads Dot to storm off with her sketchy older boyfriend, Austin who berates both Keefe and Kelvin.

Later, Kelvin invites Dot to his youth event at a trampoline park. While Kelvin manages to mildly impress dot with his trampoline acrobatics, it is later revealed that Dot used the event as cover to go to a Satanist rave at an abandoned factory with Austin. This is the same factory that Keefe and his friends used to frequent, whom are also attending the rave. Kelvin and Keefe enter the factory and rave to track dot down. When they confront Dot, police raid the factory. Dot's boyfriend Austin takes off because he possessed MDMA, and Kelvin assists Dot leaving the factory with Keefe's expertise of the building.

Later, Kelvin begins to waver in his faith, having believed he was actually the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Upon realizing he wasn't, Kelvin quits his post as youth pastor and adopts a darker, almost goth or scene, persona. He asks Keefe to leave as he thinks that he misled Keefe about Christianity.

Kelvin checks social media and sees that Keefe rejoined the Satanists following Kelvin kicking him out of his own house. Kelvin races to the factory where another rave is happening, and finds Keefe in this tank of some fluid connected to these hoses. Kelvin disconnect the hoses, revives Keefe, and brings him back to the Gemstone compound, with Kelvin regaining his faith in saving Keefe from Satanism once more.

## Season 2

Keefe and Kelvin have started a new program/project, involving a group of fitness-obsessed men, called the God Squad. They have a group of these men staying at Kelvin's property inside the Gemstone compound. Keefe is engaging in exercise alongside Kelvin and men, and assists Kelvin with basic things like getting dressed or grooming. Keefe is wholly devoted to Kelvin in this endeavor, and helps lead the men of the squad in their various schemes. There is a lot of homoerotic tension between Keefe and Kelvin, such as Keefe helping dress a nude Kelvin, or even inspecting his naked body on occasion.

Keefe assist Kelvin in maintaining control over the God Squad, being Kelvin's second-in-command, and at the forefront leading the squad. Keefe assists Kelvin in practically torturing the more unruly members of the God Squad, such as Titus. They force some of these members to endure what they call "bearing the cross", where they have to carry a reinforce-concrete cross, and then stand it up with nothing but their bare hands. If they cannot complete this task, the God Squad member is forced to live in a cage like a dog and beg for forgiveness. Keefe and Kelvin also force the squad to engage in a human pyramid at a Youth Group session, which results in one of the members being significantly injured and suing the church. Eli confronts Kelvin about this, and implores Kelvin to grow out of his childish ways. This weird dictatorial style from Kelvin alongside a meek and obedient Keefe, eventually begins to upset the God Squad's other members. Things come to a head when Kelvin confronts Eli at BJ's baptism. Kelvin had promised the God Squad that they would take the Gemstone private jets to Israel, where Kelvin, Keefe, and the Squad would spend 40 days in exile in the Israeli desert, the same way Jesus was described to do in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Eli did not approve of this, and this upsets Kelvin, Keefe, and the squad, leading Kelvin to confront Eli. Eli and Kelvin get into a fight, where Eli gains the upper hand quickly. Eli then has Kelvin in his thumb-breaking position, where Kelvin recklessly tries to call Eli's bluff, thinking Eli wouldn't purposefully injure his youngest son. Eli goes ahead and breaks Kelvin's thumbs, sending him to the hospital. Noticing this was the God Squad, who began to question Kelvin as leader.

Eventually, the God Squad starts rebelling and Kelvin makes the chiseled Torsten "bear the cross". Torsten is successful, and the first of the squad to complete it. Then Torsten challenges Kelvin, but Keefe objects, saying that is unfair due to Kelvin's injury. Keefe offers to do the challenge instead of Kelvin. Keefe is unsuccessful, and is banished to the dog cage on the property. Torsten and a few other Squad members seize control from Kelvin. The other members constantly torment Keefe inside the cage, who stays loyal to Kelvin during the entire ordeal. Kelvin experiences another existential crisis, realizing the project he had worked so long on, came undone so quickly and ended up with him not even being able to live in his own house, taken over by the God Squad. Eventually, Eli has a "come to Jesus" meeting with Kelvin re: the God Squad, and at one point, refers to Keefe as "Queef".

In the season finale, Kelvin, finally healed of his hand injuries, confronts the God Squad in order to kick them off his property. He is put to the "Bear the Cross" challenge, where Kelvin successfully mounts the concrete cross. This leads Keefe to being freed, and the God Squad disbanding. Keefe and Kelvin then shift back to their original roles as youth ministers, which Kelvin restarts this time with a focus on fitness. Keefe is spotted in the crowd in the final scene, attending the Gemstone church service along with the rest of the characters left from the season.

## Quotes

> I slept in your room one night but it felt odd, so I slept the rest of the time here on the couch with no top sheet.
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