‘Under The Banner Of Heaven’ Limited Series Premiere Non-Spoiler Review – “When God Was Love” & “Rightful Place”

Dustin Lance Black’s two-part FX on Hulu miniseries, Under the Banner of Heaven, is close by. This upcoming true crime psychological drama stars Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Billy Howle, Sam Worthington, Wyatt Russell, Seth Numrich, and more.

With major gratitude to FX Networks, I was fortunate enough to watch a good fraction of the show early. The first episode is titled, “When God Was Love”, while the second episode is titled, “Rightful Place”. They are both written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by David Mackenzie.

In this review, I will be discussing Under the Banner of Heaven Episodes 1 and 2. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.

Plot Synopses

According to FX Networks’ press room, here is the plot synopsis for Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 1 — “When God Was Love”.

Detectives Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) and Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham) investigate the brutal, sinister murders of an LDS woman, Brenda Wright Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her baby daughter in Utah’s typically serene Salt Lake Valley in 1984.

FX Networks Pressroom

Additionally, here is the plot synopsis for Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 2 — “Rightful Place”.

With a lead suspect in custody, the investigation uncovers more ominous questions than answers as the hidden history of the once admired Lafferty family is exposed.

FX Networks Pressroom

Discussion

With the premiere running for over an hour apiece — nearly 8 minutes for the first episode, and almost 4 minutes for the latter — Under the Banner of Heaven has a lot that I did not expect. There is much that I found laudable about this television series in just its first two episodes alone. Ament, Hilfer, and Evans’ work on music allows for discomfort, uneasiness, and suspense to be felt as the story progresses; and I loved the first song that plays in the background, reminding me that it, after all, takes place partially during the 1980s.

Visually, I would say that the limited series is perfect, from the cinematography, to the production design and art direction, to something as little as costume designs, hair, and make-up. I love how Mackenzie and his crew put everything together in terms of the many set pieces in which they tell the story and how open space itself is indicative of something psychologically terrifying.

I did not see a lot of promotional footage for Under the Banner of Heaven, and so the only two cast members I knew of were Garfield and Edgar-Jones. I have to applaud the casting team for bringing in some of the most talented individuals to play the main, supporting, and guest characters.

A Crucial Narrative

Trigger Warning: A few deaths in these two episodes, while shown off-screen, involve a decapitated baby; a hanged and shot dog; and a dog beaten to death by a blunt instrument.

In regards to the storytelling aspect, Under the Banner of Heaven is not for the weak. Of course, this is a television program that is to be released via FX on Hulu; and while there are a couple of psychologically sadistic happenings that occur, the entire series rather revolves around the larger and deeper point to give fortification to the logos. Allen Lafferty (Billy Howle) talks about why he and his wife, Brenda (Daisy Edgar-Jones), left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, how his older brothers may be involved in the murder of his wife, and why American religious leader Joseph Smith founded Mormonism and the Church. At one point, Allen tells one character, “If you feel certain — that certain — you don’t know a thing…”

Under the Banner of Heaven does not hold back in the story (or should I say multiple stories) told. The project bases itself on Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction novel of the same name, which is a critique of the religion. In a way, it is far from dramatic and is instead both tragic and poetic; but what makes the show even more terrifying is how the patriarchal control of the Lafferty family affects themselves as well as those around them. Such is the case when Ammon Lafferty (Christopher Heyerdahl) tells his sons, “Unattended property can grow busy with weeds. No matter how pretty our property may be, our property must be vigilantly maintained”.

With religion, there is a lot of misogyny to go around, notably directed towards Brenda. For example, one character tells Allen, “Mind your property”. Allen appears to put down the ethos of his brothers and father while speaking highly of his wife, and whatever he claims he has done is only out of protection for Brenda.

The Crew of Under the Banner of Heaven

Dustin Lance Black, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Anna Culp, Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, David Mackenzie, and Gillian Berrie serve as the executive producers of Under the Banner of Heaven. Leslie Cowan and Brian Dennis serve as the producers. Michael Weiss serves as the co-producer.

Jeff Ament scores the music, while Gabe Hilfer serves as the music supervisor. Josh Evans is the music editor.

Avy Kaufman and Rhonda Fisekci serve as the casting directors. Heather Crosby serves as the cast assistant. Lisa Parasyn serves as the Toronto casting director. Sera Fisecki and Emily Johnston serve as the casting associates of Canada, while Scotty Anderson and Iona Gordon are the casting associates of the US.

Gonzalo Amat serves as the director of photography. Renée Read is the production designer, while Justin Lachance and Mark Manos are the editors. Matthew Gilna, Nick Lane, and Chris McKinley serve as the assistant editors.

Joseph Lacorte serves as the costume designer. Beverlee June Fix and Kristina Isola serve as the assistant costume designers.

Gail Kennedy serves as the head of the make-up department. Amy Gervais and Ashley McKessock serve as the key make-up artists. Jo-Dee Thomson is the head of the hair department, while Franca Vaccaro, Amber Walliser, and Kristy Smith are key hairstylists.

Justin Ludwig serves as the supervising art director; Catriona Robinson, Ainsley Barteluk, and Lindsay Ledohowski serve as the art directors. Hailey Darling serves as the set designer, while Sarah Monteith and Trevor Johnston serve as the set decorators. Amber Humphries is the additional set decorator, while Blair Stephens, Lisah Smith, Kyla Norsworthy, and Andrea Clark serve as the assistant set decorators.

The Cast of Under the Banner of Heaven

The casting credits for Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 1 are as follows.

Andrew Garfield stars as Utah Police Detective Jeb Pyre. Daisy Edgar-Jones portrays the series’ victim and female lead, Brenda Lafferty.

Billy Howle plays Allen Lafferty, Brenda’s husband; while Gil Birmingham plays Police Detective Bill Taba, Pyre’s partner. The Lafferty brothers include Sam Worthington as Ron, Wyatt Russell as Dan, Seth Numrich as Robin, and Rory Culkin as Samuel.

Denise Gough and Chloe Pirrie portray Dianna Lafferty and Matilda Lafferty, Ron’s and Dan’s wives, respectively. Adelaide Clemens and Sandra Seacat appear as Rebecca Pyre and Josie Pyre, Jeb’s respective wife and mother.

Christopher Heyerdahl guest stars as Ammon Lafferty, the boys’ father. Darren Goldstein, Scott Michael Campbell, Tyner Rushing, and Zachary Sherman also star. Other guest roles include Doreen Lafferty (Megan Leitch), Lynn Lafferty (Michele Wienecke), Morris (Rohan Mead), Jacob Lafferty (Taylor St. Pierre), Larea Wright (Vanessa Holmes), Sarah Lafferty (Britt Irvin).

Co-starring roles include the motel manager (Christopher Heatherington), elderly brother Alder (Robert Corness), Officer Denney (Scott Olynek), Officer Halliday (Joel Stephanson), desk cop (Jerod Blake), Annie Pyre (Sienna King), Caroline Pyre (Alba Evora Weller), Brenda’s sisters (Olivia Collier, Madeleine Murphy-Northcott, Sophia Fabris) and brother (Samuel Skye Kinaschuk Zeffer), wide-eyed girl (Katie O’Keefe), Sam’s Jenny Lafferty (Carina London Battrick), Ron’s boy 2 (Beau Mchattie) and girl 1 (Emily James), Matilda’s Cora (Ariane Thomson) and Eilidh (Abelynne Langille).

Performances

Garfield’s Jeb Pyre is an interesting character — a family man and a man of God. He has a very personal relationship with his wife, his daughters, his mother, and most especially, his Creator. On the other hand, professionally, he has a close bond with his detective partner, Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham), who proves to be outstanding. Garfield and Birmingham are neat together, and at the same time, they can also fare well apart; for example, Bill’s investigation in the woods during the second episode.

However, if you came here for Garfield, then chances are you might have made the wrong choice. He delivers a terrific performance in this premiere and I believe he is undoubtedly outstanding. In fact, his little speech to his wife at the end of the first episode is something that I do want to return to due to how well-written it is, with credits to Dustin Lance Black. With that said, Under the Banner of Heaven involves Pyre’s investigation of Brenda’s murder and so he speaks with multiple figures of the Lafferty family; and the focus, then, is shifted to those whose parts of the bigger story necessarily piece the evidence together.

Husband and Wife

In juxtaposition to Jeb Pyre, we have Allen Lafferty, who performs well in the first episode. He is an individual who opposes the Church because of its practices, and I cannot blame him. Under the Banner of Heaven takes place in the 1980s, a decade following the Civil Rights movement where the socio-political state of the United States was intended to change for the better. (Even in 2022, these things have not gotten any better but the different movements we have now are impactful and more influential as ever.) Allen knows that the men of his family are dangerous and is only looking out for the well-being of the woman he loves. I appreciate that about him.

Brenda Lafferty is a woman who can be independent on her own if possible. Her aspiration in the world is not to be a housewife or servile figure to the males of the Lafferty family. Rather, she studies journalism in college and yearns to be a news reporter of sorts. Edgar-Jones’s character knows how to handle situations more than her male family members can allow or give her credit for.

The issue with Allen and Brenda is how both of their respective families expect so much. These two characters are not willing to give up being themselves, a quality that is rare in the world of Under the Banner of Heaven. Unfortunately, we learn from the get-go what Brenda’s fate is, and so the rest of the series is finding out how that came to be.

The Brothers

A few of the Lafferty brothers that the two-parter premiere concentrates on are Ron (Sam Worthington), Dan (Wyatt Russell), and Robin (Seth Numrich). There is Rory Culkin’s Samuel but we don’t get much of him in these first two episodes; we’ll probably get to him in a later episode.

Worthington’s Ron is someone who has what it takes to lead the family but has his own vision on how to run it. He does come off as mysterious, and I would say he might have more chemistry with Brenda than his younger brother, Allen. I believe Worthington can flawlessly do this role justice, as I have seen numerous times before in his past projects including Terminator: Salvation, Avatar, and Man on a Ledge. Right now, he’s close to a push, and what I want out of him is a shove.

Numrich’s Robin can be a hit or miss, and he is a character that I want to appreciate in this premiere as much as the other two brothers. He is revealed to have a concerning role in the second episode, so I would like to see how and where this ends.

Moreover, we have Russell’s Dan. He is already shoved into a rough space as he is placed in a spot that he cannot handle. He affects his wife, Matilda (Chloe Pirrie), mostly, and Russell just gives one of the best performances during the second episode — the best thing I have seen from him since last year’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier when he was introduced as John Walker.

Final Thoughts on The Under the Banner of Heaven Premiere

I don’t know if I scratched the surface on how excellent this limited series is and will be to its end. I will say, though, that this is a television program that people will need to see when it is made accessible wherever it airs or streams.

“When God Was Love” and “Rightful Place” are chilling as the opener for Under the Banner of Heaven. While I do love the first episode more in terms of appeal, there is something about the second episode that is just vital for the story and keeps the narrative running, coherent and intact.

Under the Banner of Heaven streams via FX on Hulu starting April 28th!

Will you be seeing this miniseries? If so, what are you hoping will happen? Let us know! For more drama and true crime-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Interested in reading more about Under the Banner of Heaven to get a wider scope of the story and form your own opinion? You can purchase Jon Krakauer’s novel on Amazon by clicking on our link here.