If you’ve been jonesing for a compelling murder mystery in the mold of True Detective season one, then Under the Banner of Heaven might just scratch that itch for you. Adapted from the novel by Jon Krakauer and created by Dustin Lance Black, the show investigates a double-murder by an offshoot of fundamentalist Mormons, the saga of their families’ slow destruction that led them to that murder, and also an exploration of Mormonism itself that looks back at pivotal moments of the faith’s history in the US.
Devout detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) finds his faith tested as he teams up with detective Taaba (Gil Birmingham) to investigate a grisly double murder of a woman and her infant daughter in the mid-80s. As he finds and interrogates her husband and his brothers, he slowly pieces together how several men of the reputed Lafferty family descended into fundamentalism, and how the outspoken Brenda (Daisy Edgar-Jones) became a target of their ire. We see how the already conservative Laffertys become more and more unhinged, advocating for anti-government practices and polygamy.
Garfield’s character is well-intentioned, but far from perfect: he has trouble reconciling his faith with Mormonism’s violent past and questionable practices, which later cause problems with his wife. Garfield disappears into the role, convincingly portraying a flawed character who is still worthy of our sympathy and making him feel just as much an important part of the story as the Laffertys despite being a completely fictional character.
The Lafferty brothers don’t all turn in stellar performances, with Rory Culkin, who plays Sam, often descending into bouts of mania as he spews scripture with spite at Jeb. Billy Howle, who plays Brenda’s husband Allen, strikes a decent balance between his questioning mindset of the present and his passive acceptance of his family’s practices in the past, while Sam Worthington as Ron isn’t as dynamic as he could have been.
It’s Wyatt Russell who steals the show as Dan Lafferty, however.
He is worryingly convincing, like the best manipulators are, and he has no difficulty stating that he is at war with a culture that he claims is actively trying to enslave him and his brothers, as well as any other men who will not bend to its will. He has no moral quandary about practicing polygamy because he believes he has been given a license to do all of this by God. He believes he is on a mission from God, just like his father.
Edgar-Jones’ Brenda is a vital part of the narrative, although it sometimes gets lost in the sprawling scope of the dichotomy between the Lafferty family’s drama and the flashbacks to Mormonism’s past. Still, Brenda’s story starts off in a hopeful, progressive direction, even though she has no problem staying true to her faith. She went to Brigham Young University where she studied to become a TV journalist, even though her professors told her women weren’t suited for reading the news. She was one of the two voices of reason in the Lafferty family as Ron and Dan descend into madness, along with her sister-in-law Dianna (Denise Gough). Her murder is shown in unflinching detail, down to her pleading with her brothers-in-law as they kill her in front of her daughter.
Under the Banner of Heaven is successful in creating a tense atmosphere, coupled with a general sense of foreboding, that complements the procedural nature of the investigation. However, the episodes are usually a couple of minutes too long, and it sometimes feels like the show is wallowing in the depravity of the cult-like fundamentalists and Jeb’s disgust at how his faith was co-opted by these vile men. Still, it is a fascinating exploration of faith. Although Mormon authorities have essentially banned the book from which the show was adapted, it’s still remarkable that a show like this was able to reach as wide an audience as it did while criticizing a religion so openly and critically. Imagine if this was done about Islam or Hinduism: we would probably be seeing a much more inflamed response.
For all its flaws, Under the Banner of Heaven is one of the best shows of the year so far.
Feel free to check it out if you like engaging crime shows, especially ones like the first season of True Detective.