The second episode continues off where the last episode ends. It delves further into the investigation that the Lafferty brothers are in custody and explores Brenda’s position in the Lafferty family and the Lafferty family dynamic.
Several trigger warnings are shown for the episodes involving animal torture, murder, graphic violence, and sexual harassment.
Overall Of, Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 2
Annie asks if she will have to continue wearing her “Choose the Right” ring. Jeb explains to her the importance of the ring and how baptism is her first bond with God, and that the ring is a reminder that she always keeps the commandments to her heart and mind.
The overall arching theme in this episode shows us how much of a compassionate man Jeb is.
Episode Review
Garfield’s performance in “Under the Banner of Heaven” shows how much of a compassionate actor he can be. However, even he has difficulty giving the best performance he can be with so much exposition being thrust into the episode.
The focal narrative, being the murder, takes a back seat to all of the exposition in the episode. This is a shame because this series’s focal point is captivating and intriguing.
Coupled with this, the scenes of certain advancements may trigger specific viewers.
Watch Or Not
There is a lot of exposition, too much narrative, and too long pacing.
I get what the writers and directors are trying to do, but I feel most people would not stick around even to see the end credits because of specific themes in the episode.
This episode gets a 3 out of 5.
