Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 is out now! The true-crime drama miniseries is based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. The story is adapted into a screenplay for television by Dustin Lance Black and directed by David Mackenzie. This episode is directed by Lance Black himself and has a runtime of over an hour.
The cast is headlined by Andrew Garfield as Detective Jeb Pyre along with Sam Worthington as Ron Lafferty, Daisy Edgar-Jones as Brenda Lafferty, Denise Gough as Dianna Lafferty, Wyatt Russell as Dan Lafferty, Billy Howle as Allen Lafferty, Chloe Pirrie as Matilda Lafferty, Seth Numrich as Robin Lafferty, Adelaide Clemens as Rebecca Pyre, Rory Culkin as Samuel Lafferty, Sandra Seacat as Josie Pyre and Gil Birmingham as Detective Bill Taba.
– Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 Review Contains No Spoilers –
Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5: One Mighty and Strong
Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 takes a more violent and dark turn in regards to incorporating Mormon history with the Lafferty family’s actions. We see Sam being acquitted of charges as the evidence does not indicate towards him being the murderer. However, he adamantly suggests having to kill Brenda and Erica as a part of the decision made by the ‘school of prophets’.
This turns out to be a new lead in Jeb and Taba’s investigation when they further question Robin about it. Meanwhile, the Lowes are found and they reveal some disturbing truths in regards to both Dan and Ron. These revelations, in fact, were enough to get both Dan and Ron excommunicated from the church.
We witness in flashbacks Dan’s dedicated faith in the old ways of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which led him to want to not only take polygamy as we saw in the previous episode but go ahead with it in his own family by consummating a marriage with his stepdaughters through sexual relations. As for Ron, it revolved around domestic violence he committed against Dianne as well as a possible murder, that is bone-chilling and unimaginable.
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In Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 things get disturbing as the episode progresses. It is horrifying to see how overwhelmed Dan and Ron Lafferty have been with their old scriptures and teachings to discard the sensibilities of the present. What happens to Matilda, her daughter and Dianne are for the audiences to find out in this episode but, one thing is for sure, the close Jeb gets to the culprit behind it all, the more this world’s to be tearing him apart and threatening him.
It is heartbreaking to see Allen come face to face with what has been the reality his brothers lived in and what it pushed them to do. The power of religion and the idea of being a saint or a God is unfavourably toxic and this episode is a living proof where we get to witness the dark side of unsurmountable faith and expectations people have from the higher power.
As dark as the episode is Jeb and Taba’s growing friendship is something that is just right to lighten the tone at times and lets you breathe in between the horrors. Meanwhile, it is also worrying to see Jeb kind of grow apart from his family due to the case at hand, which can possibly reap a tragic result for him.
Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5: Final Thoughts
We have witnessed great performances from most of the cast members so far but, it is Sam Worthington who really stands out in this one. The connection made between Brighman Young and Worthington’s character is scary but, also very well fleshed out. Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 gives us more leads to reach our final destination and, it feels like Andrew Garfield’s Jeb might slip (much like Will from Hannibal or Rustin from True Detective) but, it is only a matter of time before will tell us where his character heads. Overall, it is an interesting episode that keeps you on the edge for the final reveal in the upcoming ones.
You can watch Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 5 now on Hulu. To read our reviews of the previous episodes, click here.
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