Under the Banner of Heaven episode 7 (finale) review: Bone-chilling conclusion to a perfect premise

The final episode of Hulu's Under the Banner of Heaven aired on June 2, 2022, focusing on the final chapter of the tale, where Detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) and Detective Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham) go on an interstate manhunt to apprehend the two Lafferty brothers, Ron (Sam Worthington) and Dan (Wyatt Russell), who are revealed to be the killers in this episode.

The entire season has focused on faith as a recurring device, alongside the intense murder case. The very well-paced episode, which was nearly 90 minutes long, took up the well-built premise from the previous six episodes and treated it with the panache of a proper crime thriller film. Inspired by true events, the chilling story also finally depicted the brutal murder of Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones).

Read on for a detailed review of the final episode of Under the Banner of Heaven.

---

Under the Banner of Heaven review: The last stand

The episode began with the interrogation of Prophet Onias, one of the chief reasons behind Ron and Dan's supposed belief system. From this point on, the episode set the dark tone of the finale. The tension also escalated from this point on, when Onias hinted that Dianna Lafferty (Denise Gough) and her children were also in danger.

Dianna's theme remained a recurring factor throughout the episode. It was also revealed that she was first on the "revelation list." The concept of the list was one of the elements that held the entire drama together, as the case progressed with introductions of new witnesses, more insight into Ron and Dan's plan, and the rapidly escalating manhunt.

After some initial hints in the previous episode, the finale also introduced Chip and Rick, who, for a change, were not blind believers of the faith. They were mere drifters who ended up with the two older Lafferty brothers. Through their testimony, the day of Brenda's murder was depicted in its absolute brutal glory. The lack of any hesitation in Dan Lafferty indicated the fatal obsession the brothers had with their Mormon faith.

As the search progressed, Pyre had another moment of weakness in dealing with the shortcomings of his faith. This also resulted in a confrontation with his wife, indicating how far Jeb has come from his Mormon roots.

The final third of the episode was exceptionally well-paced, with the chase gaining momentum (and some participation from the FBI), and Bill asking Jeb to follow his gut as opposed to a made-up path by a god who may or may not exist. This led to the final part of Under the Banner of Heaven, where the tension was at an all-time high, with the detectives closing in on the brothers and Ron trying to kill Dan in his illusion of religious belief.

The episode concluded with the arrest of the two brothers but not before delivering one of the tensest sequences of television in recent times.

---

A finale of redemptions

Despite the relatively slow start, Under the Banner of Heaven was all about development, both character and plot-wise. By the final episode, the show was extremely fast-paced, tense, and thrilling. This was the result of excellent scriptwriting and editing.

Jeb Pyre's character development was one of the most important things in the series as he went from a Mormon fundamentalist to a man challenging the words of God, accruing some huge personal losses in the way. This treatment made for some compelling drama in the finale.

The finale shined in every technical aspect, from great music to steady camera work to excellent acting by the entire cast. The show indeed ended on a high note, fixing all its initial problems and becoming one of the finest TV mini-series of recent times.

The finale of Under the Banner of Heaven is now streaming on Hulu.