Under the Banner of Heaven is series created by Dustin Lance Black. The show is based on a true crime book of the same name. I had not heard of this show even if it debuted back on 28th April 2022. It seems like the show went under the rug because of big movie releases or fan favorite shows returning. I recently came across the show as I was surfing through Disney+ for some new content. I’ll be honest I only started the show because it starred Andrew Garfield. I mean I’m annoyed by the saturation of Crime Drama shows in today’s OTT space and most of them are mediocre. Therefore, I’ve made a habit to ignore them altogether. However, seeing Andrew’s association with the project I gave it a try. The show is a miniseries format and only has 7 episodes of about 60 minutes to 90 minutes.
The show concluded on 2nd June as it each episode debuted weekly. Once I’d tuned myself in I was quickly reeled in. The action started right off the bat and the inciting incident happened about 5 minutes into the first episode. I’ll count this as the show’s positives as most shows take their sweet time in setting up the world and character, forgetting that the audience is waiting for something to wrong. To disrupt the equilibrium. This show is aware of the same and builds its world and character through the inciting incident itself. The has an overall vibe of True Detective Season 1 or Mare of Eastown. Both shows are exceptions in the barrage of crime dramas we have. Both shows are different and work well because under the Crime Drama there lies a deeper story waiting to be explored.
Does Under the Banner of Heaven have it? Well, I’m not aware of the original source material and I’m assuming a lot of the audience wouldn’t but seeing that the book has the same name, it is a safe bet that the main story is the same. So what is Under the Banner of Heaven’s USP? Let’s find out. WARNING – The Following section Contains Spoilers for the Episode
Rating – ★★★★
Under the Banner of Heaven Story Vs Theme
The show kicks off in Salt Lake City Valley and is predominantly set there. While at the start it seems like a murder mystery or an investigating thriller, to an extent it is but the show has something to say of its own as well. Detective Pyre played by Andrew Garfield gets a double homicide case where a women named Brenda and her 15 month daughter had been annihilated. The woman was choked and had her throat sliced but the 15 month daughter was beheaded. Horrifying I know. The victims belonged to an esteemed family of the town named the Laffertys.
The further Detective Pyre goes down the rabbit hole of who murdered them the further he finds himself in places of uncertainty. The Protagonist is shown as a follower of LDS religion and so is almost the entire town. He is true to his religion and adheres to its principle. The victims too belonged to the same. What is shocking is how much of the show’s investigation relies on the history of this religion. How something that happened over 100 years ago cause something so horrific today. The show wastes no time in placing us in the place of Pyre where we challenge or at the least question our religious beliefs.
As the basis of every religion is almost the same it makes us rethink our entire life. How most us have been accompanied by our religion and it is frankly terrifying for us to be with our mind alone. The show very smartly uses devices either in witnesses or in some letters or notes or diaries where they use them to cut back to a separate track about the origins of LDS religion and how the main track connects to it thematically and story wise. The show is a study on how to inculcate the theme of your show into show where both seem practically the same. The town being very religious, it makes sense on everyone knowing these tales and fables.
The show is the pinnacle of what contradictions in religion may lead to. As most of the show revolves the Laffertys we get to see how religiously bound happy family would becomes under the presence of unyielding faith. As the citizens under the Church are brainwashed from the moment they’re born, they seem to see nothing beyond their God. What an omen said 100 years becomes a seed and grows throughout generations until it eventually grows out killing everything in its vicinity. It says something far important that how the principles we may live our lives on are simply created by some self-righteous pricks under the name of God.
It clearly states that religion is a creation of human, thus so imperfect and contradictory. The rules change and bend just as higher lord pleases. The rules were simply made so that the men in charge may satisfy their fantasies. It blatantly asks how a religion that supports Child Marriage, Polygamy, Incest, Blood Atonement etc. be something we can live by. How a Prophet who says it is okay to practice all this someone to be worshipped by. The show also beautifully highlights the role of women in religion and not necessarily only in LDS rather every religion. How they’re only subject to be the maid servant of their and dance at their will.
The Show is an example of how the contradictory of religion can play with an individual’s mind and lead him to believe in any fantasy. How due to the ignorance of the or lack of clarification of the Church, innocents bear the consequences. We’ve seen many stories of what man does to God but this is a story of what God does to man. Detective Pyre beautifully makes this journey where he doesn’t completely abandons his religion but understands the double standards of the Church and definitely starts seeing the man’s law above all else. He has lost faith in God, religion and in anyone who promotes them.
Andrew Garfield steals the show?
I get why you might suspect so and honestly I was watching the show for him as well but there were some pleasant surprises. One reason for shows success is the characters it has, simply fueled by blind belief and misguided, on the path of destruction. Despite being born in the 20th Century their knowledge and thoughts corrupted by misguided meaning of religion or God. Trust me Episode 4 of the show will absolutely shake you. Despite the characters being so eccentric and cruel, the actors so a fantastic job to portray them especially Sam Worthington and Wyatt Russell.
How a person may lie his vengeance under God’s will and cause bloodbath, but the person is not to blame as the ancient scriptures and books that are revered suggest the same thing. The Church that is so worried about their reputation they won’t even clear someone’s genuine doubts regarding the Old Testament and New Testament. Why were some practices abandoned. Fanatics forming groups and considering themselves true prophets of the lord. How even inside these groups there is secret race of being God’s number 1 and that means killing the others. All this because it was written in an old book by a human person.
These complexed emotions were well captured by these two men. It was heartbreaking to see a happy family being bitten into pieces. Detective Taba played by Gill Birmingham is a great addition to the show. Pyre and Taba share great chemistry on screen and frankly they’ve the only interaction that put some smile to our face in this troubled affair. Daisy- Edgar Jones plays Brenda and she does a splendid job in a character that is complex and for the most of the show acts as the voice of reason for it. She is also someone that suffers and pays most through the show. The final episode will break you.
Andrew Garfield is as reliable as always and gives one of his best performances ever as Detective Pyre. He perfectly embodies the part personifies the dilemma of the character regarding his religious beliefs and the revelations of the case and his household issues. To be honest, it is a shame he is planning to take a break now where he is at the peak of his acting career. However, the stand out performance of the show for me was Billy Howle. He was so good as Allen. His character was somewhat like Pyre only more evolved but also more immature given the events happened to him but the way he talks, emotes and questions it is truly heart wrenching and eye opening.
Verdict
Under the Banner of Heaven is a solid show that knows its strengths and plays to it. The creator knows what he wants to say through the show and very successfully puts it forth. It becomes one of the rare Crime Dramas that makes it to the exceptional list along with True Detective and Mare of Eastown. The show has some big an unique ideas, they’re executed well and coherently in a gripping story form. The show is easily a 4 out of 5 if not more. It has strong performances from all its cast. It is one of the best shows of the year and I won’t be surprised if it is a favorite at this year’s Emmys. To answer the question posed in the title- No, it isn’t Theme over Story but rather a rare good balance of it. Under the Banner of Heaven is one of the best shows you can catch this week.
Under the Banner of Heaven is currently streaming on Disney+ or FX or Hulu depending on the region you live in.
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