Under the Banner of Heaven [FX]

eagle eye

This is a new FX show. It's based in the Mormon community where a murder occurs.

I came across it and the only reason I gave it a chance was because of the cast which includes Gil Birmingham, of Yellowstone, and Sam Worthington, Manhunt: Unabomber.

The show has an IMDb rating of 7.4 and after watching the first four episodes I personally rate it a full point higher than that.

It's a different world we are seeing here, I feel I've learned a lot while watching it and the plot is very good.

I recommend to all.

JP Liz V1

Is this the Andrew Garfield limited mini series?

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074824#Comment_119074824

Yes it is and interesting enough. One thing you learn is just how creepy Mormons were!

eagle eye

Yes, Garfield is also one of the leads.

JP Liz V1

Is it available over here to watch anywhere?

eagle eye

I believe Disney+ have it but no release date yet.

Howok

Yeah, great show

fritzelly

Watching this but its a struggle

It's very slow and find myself losing interest during each episode, too much emphasis on the flashbacks as if to flesh out a series with enough substance to make it to 7 episodes

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074834#Comment_119074834

Are, they are creepy.

spookwoman

Pack of nuts the Mormons, the director is very critical of them as he is grew up as a Mormon and is gay. Another series Hell on Wheels has little or no time for the Mormons either. Calls the leader a charlatan. Last episode is just sick -

Spoiler Warning

He wants to take his step daughters ages 12 and 14 as additional wives. As with churches instead of notifying child protective services they move the girls to another family.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119095923#Comment_119095923

As with all religions the hypocrisy is strong - mormons are no outlier in this regard

Had a look at the IMDb reviews for this and all the worse ones seem to be from Mormon followers and missing any critical reviews but of the critical reviews the general consensus is it is a jumbled mess of multiple storylines that don't make for a cohesive story

spookwoman

Doesn't bother me the way it is told, TV that require the brain to work. Going back to the 1800's shows the way they were, where polygamy comes into it and how the fundamentalist's tried to take over back then. How Smith and his wife started it, her being against polygamy. It's history repeating itself.

It's telling the story of the investigation and piecing it all together. Instead of just getting the statements like when Pyre was told about Dan telling Matilda not to pay the tax and they got a visit from tax collector, they show it. It shows Dan's reaction and how he says it's a test, it's shows the decent into fundamentalism and how bloody crazy it seems to us on the outside. These little bits of information paint a bigger more complicated picture of what was going on. How their father treated them growing up probably didn't help either.

It's working it's way back to why and how it lead to the murder of Brenda and the baby.

extra gravy

Didn't realise this is based on a true story. Up to episode 5 now, it's excellent.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119075021#Comment_119075021

Wednesday July 27th

Spon Farmer

I was expecting this to be on Disney+

Andrew garfield really is turning into one of my favorite actors to watch

eagle eye

Just watched the last episode, excellent show. I didn't know it was a true story.

Sam Worthington seems to like true crime.

Cast was excellent, all of them.

extra gravy

Enjoyed that, reminded me a bit of True Detective. For anyone that's interested, there's a new Netflix doc coming soon about fundamentalist Mormon Warren Jeffs. A horrible bastard by all accounts.

delboy85

FX Series (on Disney+).

I watched the first three episodes of this today (I think there are only seven episodes in total). I'm finding it quite impressive so far. Great performance by Andrew Garfield.

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name chronicling a double murder in a Mormon community in Utah in the 80's.

Anybody else watching?

whatawaster81

I've been watching as well. Brilliant series. Thought the first episode was tough going but glad I stuck with it. Found They drip feed bits of the back story and it all ties up at the end. I've read up on Mormonism as a result. Other people I told about it enjoyed it as well. Would recommend.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119166221#Comment_119166221

That was a very good series

Hangdogroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119074834#Comment_119074834

If you've ever been approached on the street by the "missionaries" they send to Ireland then this won't come as a shock.

is_that_so

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119466816#Comment_119466816

Yeah, I got a bunch of them in a twist on religion on a street once! Their leader had to shepherd them away!

iguana

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119466819#Comment_119466819

That's the purpose of the missions though. They aren't really about creating converts. The point is to send these enthusiastic young adults out into the world where the majority of people will at best politely avoid them or at worst be outwardly hostile. By the time their mission is over they are just so happy to be out of the real world and back in the mormon community where they aren't treated as pariahs that they become extremely unlikely to ever want to leave or at a minimum are more terrified of being cast out than ever.

Since I learned this, I always try to be super nice to them. I'll make it clear I don't have an interest in any religion but I'll be nice, steer the conversation to my hobbies (which I'm obsessive about, so can easily take every conversational gambit back around to 😉) and let them see that non-mormons can be friendly, accepting and have lives filled with things that make us happy. I don't expect to make a difference in their immediate lives but I hope that one day down the line, just maybe, the memory of a few nice interactions in the real world, might make a difference if they ever need to make a decision in their best interests that might involve going against their immediate society.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119087519#Comment_119087519

Got to agree.

Finished it last night. It's 7hr 52min of tv, but it felt like 17hrs. Very very slow moving , could have done with a bit of editing.

Got nothing bad to say about the show itself other than that. Interesting story, good acting etc, but SLOW.

Homelander

Finished this recently and absolutely loved it, stellar performances and gripping drama. Felt not unlike a season of True Detective, and actually it was super educational with regards the founding of the LDS Church and the lives/mindsets of Mormons.

Probably one of the best things I've seen this year to be honest, essential viewing for fans of crime-drama. Hadn't seen Andrew Garfield in anything in quite some time (well, apart from Spiderman: No Way Home) and he really knocks it out of the park. Rest of the cast are fantastic as well.

I hadn't even heard of it until someone recommended it, so it almost slipped under the radar for me personally.

JP Liz V1

If anyone missed out it starts on RTE next Monday at 10.35pm