Under the Banner of Heaven episode 6 review: The much-needed backstory?

Under the Banner of Heaven just aired its latest episode, shedding light on past events that led up to the events of the present day. So far, the backstory was the only thing missing from the otherwise perfect premise of a police officer, Jeff Pyre (Andrew Garfield), caught in a dilemma between his duties and his faith.

The penultimate episode solved this by going all-in on the backstory and even on Brenda Lafferty's (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) conflict that led to the brutal murders. The expanding universe of the crime scene remained consistent in this episode, as the crime looked more and more deep-rooted in religious practices, involving more people than Jeff or Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham) thought of.

The sixth episode of Under the Banner of Heaven, titled Revelation, aired on May 26, 2022.

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Under the Banner of Heaven episode 6 review: With one foot in the past

The latest episode of Under the Banner of Heaven heavily focused on events from the past, unfolding an array of revelations that are crucial to understanding the case as it stands. The episode could not unearth all the motives and reasoning behind the murder of Brenda and Erica, but it certainly answered a lot of it, especially from Brenda's story.

Beginning with an investigation at Ron Lafferty's (played by Ron Worthington) home, the story dug way deeper into this episode than it ever did before. Brady has played an important role in the investigation since the previous episode, and that has resulted in a lot of revelations, including how Ron believed the fundamentalist Mormon laws and how he considers himself to be the one true prophet.

But a story needs more than this to explain such radical measures, and this episode certainly gives it to the viewers. Following Brady's revelations, the detectives uncovered Ron's interaction with John Bryant, a polygamist Mormon leader based in Oregon. The flashback scenes are beautifully shot, especially the ones in the picturesque snow-covered mountains, almost forming a contrast between the beauty showed on the screen and the dark storyline.

The episode also made it clear that Ron and Dan (Wyatt Russell) are ultimately responsible for Brenda's murder. With Brenda's story in motion, the brilliant Daisy Edgar-Jones got her chance to shine in the role of a woman caught in religious turmoil. The letters by Brenda were instrumental in the investigation, especially in pinpointing the exact motivation and the killers.

With multiple variations in the timeline, most of this episode was very well-made and paced. This was a crucial backstory, and has now provided something concrete going into the final episode of the season.

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Jeff Pyre's shattering faith

The ending sees a brilliant Andrew Garfield pull off some exceptional acting performances as the torn detective navigated his way through the new and ugly face of his beloved religion. The conflict was built over a long period of time and finally culminated in the breakdown in today's episode.

Pyre's character evolution was a key part of the story and with this episode, it is clear that he has moved far from the fundamentalist beliefs and understood the inherently problematic nature of the Mormon religion.

With only one episode to go, it will perhaps focus on getting Ron and Dan, who remain at large. They may even be protected by other religious fundamentalists. The final episode will have its share of surprises, but this episode managed to unravel the thread to a good extent.

The sixth episode of Under the Banner of Heaven is now streaming on Hulu. stay tuned for more updates.