Under the Banner of Heaven
Under the Banner of Heaven
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Under the Banner of Heaven is a series about a murder that took place in 1984 that became the subject of a true crime book. A violent crime is at the center of this story; we see the crime scene with a brief glimpse of a body on the ground and pooled and spattered blood. We do not see images of the murdered 15-month-old baby. Both book and series delve into the origins of the Church of the Latter Day Saints and are critical both of that religion and particularly of the motives and methods of extremist offshoots such as the one relevant to this case. In the family at the center of this case, women are expected to be silent, serve their husbands, and obey them; we see women being treated as secondary to their husbands: being told to be silent and tend to the house while men make decisions. The cast is largely White and most main characters are, like in the true story, Mormon; one exception is a police detective who's a Native man played by an actor of Comanche descent. There's no drinking or smoking; characters make pointed references to the LDS restrictions against alcohol, caffeine, and smoking. Language is also mild: at one point a character says "goddamn" and is immediately reproved by his pious colleague. Sexual content includes brief kisses and romance is construed as a means to marriage only.
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What's the Story?
Based on the true crime novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer, UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN begins in 1984, as Salt Lake City detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) is called to the scene of a brutal double murder. The victims are Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her 15-month-old child; and on the scene is husband Allen (Billy Howle), covered in blood and professing his innocence. But what seems like a simple case unravels into a horrifying tale of religious extremism and family love gone very wrong, against a background of a religion whose very origins are shrouded in myth even to many of its members.
Is It Any Good?
Equal parts remotely fascinating and intimately emotionally affecting, this arresting drama tells a stranger-than-fiction story that slowly unwinds to show how the LDS faith contributed to a tragedy. Like the true crime novel it's based on, Under the Banner of Heaven tells several stories at once: the skewed and poisonous family dynamics that led to the murder of two members, and the religion that allowed the extremist views of that family to take hold and to flower. To that end, the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her daughter Erica is primarily dispatched of in the drama's first few minutes, while the crime's investigation spools out slowly over the series' episodes as we watch significant scenes from the Lafferty's family life play out, interspersed with dramatizations of important moments from the origins of Mormonism and flashbacks to figures like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.
It all adds up to a story that seems simple at first until Detective Pyre, sensitively played by Andrew Garfield as a solid family man horrified by the details he's uncovering, begins poking around and uncovers the proverbial can of worms. Not just about the murder he's investigating, though there are plenty of those, but also about the rise of fundamentalism in Mormonism, and the conditions under which LDS was started in the nineteenth century. It's heady history indeed, and encapsulating it through the lens of one family's tragedy makes it both digestible and irresistible.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What conclusions is this show suggesting to the viewer about the Church of Latter Day Saints and how it contributed to the murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty? How does this drama view Mormonism? How about its offshoots, such as the renegade polygamist cult, School of Prophets, joined by Ron and Dan Lafferty? Is the drama suggesting that there's a continuum of thought between LDS and fundamentalist groups?
Have you read the book on which this series is based? If so, does it help you appreciate the series? Or detract from its pleasures? Does knowing how things will turn out make this series less or more compelling?
How do Detectives Pyre and Taba demonstrate courage and perseverance in his quest to uncover who killed the Laffertys and why? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 28, 2022
- Cast: Andrew Garfield, Taylor St. Pierre, Rohan Mead
- Network: FX
- Genre: Drama
- Character Strengths: Integrity, Perseverance
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: May 4, 2022
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