01x02 - Rightful Place

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Under the Banner of Heaven". Aired: April 28, 2022.*
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Mini-series inspired by the true crime bestseller by Jon Krakauer, follows the events that led to the 1984 m*rder of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley.
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01x02 - Rightful Place

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[dramatic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[laughter]

REBECCA:
I can't remember...

Whose birthday is it today?
- It's ours!

- Oh, my gosh,
how old are they?

- It's ours. We're eight.
- They're eight?

- Is it your birthday?
- Oh, my gosh.

You trying to pick her up?
- [laughs] Yeah.

- Oh, gosh. Oh, gosh.

You really are eight.
You're so strong.

Hey, honey, do you think

you can still make
your you-know-what?

CAROLINE:
Pineapple upside down cake!

- I wanna flip it!
- You wanna flip it?

[laughs] I don't know, Annie,
it's a science.

- Arms up.
- Hey.

- Arms down.

Can you do the chicken?

Can you...
- [clucking]

ANNIE: Dad?
JEB: Yeah, honey?

ANNIE:
Will I keep wearing this?

JEB:
Your CTR ring?

[Billy Ocean's "I Can Dream
About You" playing on radio]

Choose the right.

See, baptism is your first
covenant to heavenly Father,

and it's gonna wash away
all those little baby sins.

But then after that,
any new sin is yours to repent.

And this ring
is gonna remind you

to obey heavenly Father's
commandment.

- Choose the right.

- Look at me.

[sentimental music]

♪♪ ♪♪

BRIGHAM:
Come to America,

where the Prophet Joseph Smith
has unearthed a New Testament

of the everlasting Gospel
of Christ,

which vanquishes
the lie of original sin

that our children
are inherently evil,

for mankind is inherently good.

Come to America
and hear a true prophet

share how the Lord God Almighty
speaks directly to us all.

Come to America

for the gathering of Israel
to build a new Zion.

Come to America.

[Jeb clears throat]

BILL: Mornin'.
- Good morning.

Couldn't you rest?

- It was a very exciting night.

JEB:
Yeah, two males in custody,

and you've kept them
separate, right?

BILL:
Allen didn't see
Robin being brought in,

I made sure of that.

JEB: Any updates?
BILL: Nothing yet.

JEB:
You share any details
with Robin about this case?

BILL: Zippo.
JEB: So if he knows anything

about what happened here...

BILL:
Think it's as good
as a confession.

[knocking]

- Morning.
[door creaking]

Sister Seacat?
- Yeah.

- Hi, how are you?
I'm Detective Pyre.

Is it all right if we ask you
a few questions

about what you may have seen
last night?

- Um, yeah, of course.
JEB: All right.

So spare no details,
whatever you remember.

- Okay. Um, four men.

Two in the backseat of a car
parked, uh, there.

[tense music]

And a third one
went in the front door.

When I came out
for more groceries,

the fourth one was gone.

JEB:
And, uh,
can you describe the car?

- Maybe it was blue or green.

I... I didn't look closely.

♪♪ ♪♪

- [speaking Paiute]

- Do you think you
can recall what these...

These men looked like?

- Um, th... they had beards,
like, um, pioneer men,

the kind you come
across down South or...

Or up the mountains here.

BILL:
Like all Mormon prophets.

Do you know
if that neighbor's right,

hiding in those hills
would be good cover

for bearded mountain men.

Heaven knows they'd stick out
down here in the valley.

JEB: Mm.
- Might wanna check

with Forest Services.
- Maybe she's right.

We have no motive to speak of.

We have no idea who
the other three men could be

or if they could be
after anyone else.

BILL:
We could call in the press,
get the public's eye out.

- I don't know,
Chief will wanna make

that call when he gets back.

But update the APB
to include three bearded men,

armed and dangerous,
and see if anything unusual

is coming from Forest Services,
and maybe I'll...

And I'll head back, see if
I can get Robin talking...

before we need more body bags.

[eerie music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Crime lab just called.
- Mm.

- Allen's prints weren't
at Robin's place,

but they're all over
his own house.

- Well, it is his home.
What about the...

The handprint
on the nursery door?

- It wasn't Allen's.

It wasn't his in the blood
by the front door, either.

JEB:
They're looking
for Robin's prints now?

DESK COP:
Yes, sir.

[line trills]

- Sister Dorren,
it is Brother Pyre.

DORREN:
It is always a joy
to hear from you, brother.

Hm, how can I help?

- Oh, well, I'm in a bind.
I'm on a case,

and I can't get home
to help with my...

My daughters' birthday party.

DORREN:
Oh, I know how important

those little girls are to you.

I will call
my sisters into service.

JEB:
Oh, Sister,
you're a lifesaver.

I appreciate it so much.
Thank you.

DORREN:
But since I have you,
I heard a rumor.

Was a Lafferty hurt?

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

JEB:
Mind if I put some
music on, brother?

It's been a long day already.

I find our tabernacle choir
real comforting.

["Battle Hymn
of the Republic" playing]

Oh, that's good.

CHOIR:
♪♪ Mine eyes have seen
the glory of ♪♪

JEB: You know this model?

CHOIR:
♪♪ The coming of the Lord ♪♪

- It's top of the line, I hear,
but if you could show me

around her bells and whistles,

I'd be real appreciative,
Brother.

CHOIR:
♪♪ He hath loosed
the fateful lightning ♪♪

JEB:
No? Never seen this one?

CHOIR:
♪♪ His terrible swift sword ♪♪

- I'll leave the choir on
for you.

CHOIR:
♪♪ His truth is marching on ♪♪

ROBIN:
Brother?

- Yeah.

- Why am I here?

- Well, I... I don't wanna
keep you here

any longer than I have to.

[Robin scoffs]
It's the truth.

So is there anything other than
the bonfire in your backyard

that I should be
concerned about?

- [sighs]

I'm a good IDS man.

I've been a bishop
and a seminary teacher.

- Oh, no, I appreciate that.

I... when I was a boy,
I got up sunrise

five days a week for seminary,
so.

Let's just see if we can
resolve this quickly.

Your wife said there was an
electrical issue in your house.

- Yes.
- But that doesn't explain

why you ran from my officers.

- Well, from on,

the government began discarding
God's wisdom,

restricting the very thing
that our founding fathers

held dearest...
our God-given freedom,

so I ran
from wrongful persecution

for failing
to follow wayward laws

that harm our IDS families.

CHOIR:
♪♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪♪

- No?

Do we not risk more eternal
consequence than prison bars

if we follow unjust,
unholy laws, Brother?

[eerie music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[door opens]

- Morning.

Get any sleep last night?

- If... if I sleep,
then I'll wake up.

And if I'm still here,

then it isn't just a nightmare.

- I'd like your help, Allen.

But first, I gotta
clear something up.

Why did you have
Brenda's blood on your knees

and on your hands?

- I knelt down in it

to pray for her

and for our baby girl.

- Thought you'd lost
your faith.

- It was, uh...

My last unanswered prayer.

- Say I believe you...

That bearded men
did inv*de your family

and your home...

I would need names.

I would need descriptions
if... if I have any chance

of finding out who did this
to Brenda and Erica.

- I only saw them once.

I was on a tiling job.

Dan was with me.

This would have been
about a year ago.

He... he kept asking me
to go to this...

Go to this meeting with him
that night.

I... I can't, um,
remember the name of the group.

- There was a group?

ALLEN:
Yeah, something patriotic.

It was about fighting taxes.

Anyway, um,
when our work was done,

this car pulled up
with two men in it.

Uh, one was old.

Uh, he had white hair and,
um, this long, braided beard.

He... he looked at me,
right at me,

and smiled, like... like he knew
everything about me.

- And then the other man?
- Uh, yeah, he was round.

He had dark hair... brown.

Anyway, Dan got in the car,
and... and they drove off.

- All right, so three men,
two with beards.

Like, hippie beards?
- No, no, no, no.

Like old Mormon beards.
I told you.

And... and there were four
in the car, not... not three.

My... my brother Robin
was in the back.

[country music playing
on radio]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Hi. Detective Taba
from down in East Rockwell.

I hear there's been reports
of g*nf*re up this way lately.

Must have been extraordinary

for it to raise concern
way up here.

No?
- Uh-huh.

- Anything, anyone unusual
up here recently?

- There's a bounty
of unusual up here,

particularly unusual
to the eyes of a Lamanite.

- Yeah, my daddy
was Paiute, actually.

- Okay.

How about we take a little
drive up this mountain, huh?

If you're so curious.

JEB:
Allen, just to be clear,
your own brother, Dan Lafferty,

was in an organized
anti-tax group?

And your brother, Robin,
was in this anti-tax group too?

- Well, sure.
I mean, he was always with Dan.

That was his job.

Our dad named him
Dan's right hand

right before he left us
here alone.

- And how was Robin
as Dan's right hand?

- Uh, you seem real curious
about Robin for some reason.

- That just sounds like
a challenging job he had.

[tense music]

- [scoffs]
Challenging?

I... I'd say an impossible job.

- Robin, my mirror's in there.
ROBIN: Sorry.

DOREEN:
I'm so sorry.

Trust you plan
on helping my boys

move their things into
their father's clinic today.

- Uh, yes.

- We're leaving you with so
many new responsibilities.

This is my husband's
appointment book

and his bill book
for his patients.

This has always been
my responsibility.

We can't expect our husbands
to care for their patients,

mind the schedule,
and sort all the bills, can we?

- [chuckles]
You mean me?

DOREEN:
Yes.

Our husbands are
Latter-day Saints.

Our duty is to help them
stand that tall

without them knowing
we're holding them up.

Dan needs holdin'.

Understood?

- Yes.

AMMON:
Dan?

Out there in the
Louisiana hinterlands,

we won't find many a phone.

This is the number
of the nearest IDS ward.

DAN: Okay.
- For emergencies only.

- Absolutely.

AMMON:
You mustn't waste money now.

- Mm-hmm. Yes, sir.

No, sir.

- No, sir.

- I won't let you down.

AMMON:
No, you won't.

[indistinct chatter]

BRENDA:
I'm... I'm gonna go
check on Jacob.

Hey.

REPORTER ON RADIO:
Consolidating m*llitary bases

on Okinawa.

But a Pentagon
spokesman won't say

whether that means
the U.S. would move troops

to other parts of Okinawa.

BRENDA:
Um...

gosh, we won't be having
that squirrel

for lunch now, will we?

Huh?

I know.

Your folks are leaving.
It's hard.

- Oh.
[clears throat]

BRENDA:
I'm sure they'd love to see
your face as they wave goodbye.

It's okay.

I'll help take care of you.

- As I set out on the
second mission of my life,

Mother's first,

we pray to bring more souls
unto thee

and thy one true church.

And we ask... we ask that
thou bless Dan's stewardship

over our temporal affairs.

It's not simply to maintain
what is ours, but to...

To continue building upon it.

No matter what in this life,
that it may grow in eternity.

These things we pray
in Thy holy name.

[engine revving]

- The house is ours now, boys.
New generals in town, ladies.

Make me my breakfast, woman.
Get!

- Hoo!
- Go!

- Stop!
- Yee-haw!

- That's it! Go!
- Pow, pow, pow, pow!

- Hey, hey.
- [screams]

- Guys! Hey!
- Come on.

- Hey! Hey!

ALLEN: Dad only made
Dan head of house

to get back at Ron
for going his own way.

I mean, Dan wasn't ready.

And neither was
his wife, Matilda.

- Yes, well, it'll be...
it's actually Dan

who'll be popping your neck
now, isn't that great?

Oh, well,
maybe we could offer you

a little discount or something.

If you're running low, we can...

- Matilda, you...
you're not changing prices

without asking our new man
of the house, are you?

- No.

ALLEN:
They were in over their heads.

And that's why I thought
it best to... to lay low.

But Brenda, I mean,
she'd go into a pound

and come out
with every cat, dog,

and baby skunk under her arm.

- Hmm.
- Oh. [chuckles]

- Hey, look,
just trust your gut.

- [sighs]
My gut's all in knots.

I can't do this.

- Do you wanna know a trick?

Um, when I get stage fright,

I just listen
for the promptings

of the Holy Spirit.

Like, once I was
in a Shakespeare play,

and, poof, I forgot everything.

But I heard him say,
"Cross downstage,"

so I did.

And when I got there,
every word came back.

Some say, um, men can hear
the Holy Spirit better.

[whispers]
That's not true. We can.

'Cause, you know,
we don't get at all mixed up

with the promptings
of our you-know-what's.

[both laugh]

- Can I tell you a secret?

- Sure. I'm good with secrets.

- So you, uh,
got yourself a Marlin, huh?

- Yeah? You like her?

- I mean, she's gorgeous.

But...

Well, look, uh, before I
popped the question to Lynn,

Dad, he gave me
a little advice.

All right?
He said that, um...

That the exciting stuff
wears off,

you know, and that
what's really important

is that you find
a woman who will help you

build a family for eternity.

I mean, that's...
that's why we're here, right?

- Right.
- Yeah.

Not... not for worldly ambitions.

We're not here to meddle.

- She says she wants
a family, so.

- Right, but so then
why is she going to BYU?

Look, all I know is that Dan...

Dan's not gonna like her
stepping on his toes,

and he's the man
of the house now,

so just mind your property.

[chuckles]
- Got it.

JEB:
So Robin didn't like
having Brenda around.

ALLEN:
Brenda just wanted
to help, you know,

but in ways that some
more traditional,

old-fashioned IDS men
might see as interference.

MATILDA: I can't hear the
Holy Spirit anymore.

- Oh.

It's not, like,
an actual voice.

- No?
But I... I used to hear it

'cause it was the Holy Spirit
who told me to come to Utah.

- Really?

- I mean, I had visions
as well...

Telling me to marry Dan,
so I... I flew out here,

and I made him cheese
sandwiches for a picnic,

and I told him
all about my visions.

And do you know what he said?

Heavenly Father had already
told him to marry me too.

- Holy cow.

- But what if it wasn't God
that said it to him?

Like, what if it was his father
who told him that I was broken,

like, broken enough
to say yes to a never-married

-year-old Mormon
who smoked and drank

and fancied my sister.

You know, people used to say
that God bent us both up

so that we'd we fit right.

Then after we got married,

he got so perfect.

It's like a miracle.

And I'm still all bent up.

And if I fail him now...
BRENDA: No, no.

- I don't want to.
- You're not gonna fail him.

You know what I think?

I think that the Holy Spirit
is so close to you,

you don't even realize
it's his voice you're hearing.

Come on, let's try one
together.

Yeah?

Okay.

- Will you please
stay close to me?

I think God sent you to me.

BRENDA:
Sure.

ALLEN:
So the more she tried
to get involved,

the more I thought best
to just get...

Get her away.
JEB: To get her away

from your more old-fashioned
IDS brothers?

- Yeah, well, except Ron.

Ron was an island,
you know, more modern.

He wanted little to do
with the brothers.

- Good day. How are you?

- I think he and Diana
really hoped that...

That I'd go their way,
and I thought it might be safer

or a better fit for Brenda.

- All I'm saying is that
the kids won't miss

what they never knew
was coming.

If we don't have
the cash disbursements,

then we'll have it next.
- This isn't about the money.

It's an investment.

Hey, you wanna
give that to her?

Come on.

Look, an addition like this
will increase

the house value, all right?

- What's the addition?

- It's top secret.

If I tell you,
I'm gonna have to k*ll you.

It's a swimming pool.

- Ta-da! For you.

- How am I
supposed to eat that?

- Well, if you don't want it,
I'll give it to Allen.

- No, no, no, no, look at it.

Look.

It's like a Picasso.
- [laughs]

- Belongs here in the
Guggenheim of whipped cheese.

You better make ugly ones,
or we're gonna starve.

See? She can't even eat it.

- [laughs]

- Um, you know,
we've actually been discussing

the construction downtrend
in my journalism class.

Experts agree we haven't
seen the worst of it yet.

RON:
Yeah, sure,
but if I win another term

in the city council,
folks would be less inclined

to be sticklers
about due dates,

and I can give 'em wiggle room
on things like zoning.

- Hold on, so if you win,
you're above the law?

- I didn't say that.

DIANNA:
Well, you have my vote,
of course,

but if you don't
win again, I'd be happy

because that would mean
you'd spend more time at home.

- What if I can't help but win?
- [laughs]

BRENDA:
Yeah, but there's
no shame in slowing down

if, you know, things slow down.

- If things slow down,
projects get foreclosed on.

And that's sad, but it's like
a half-off sale for property

if you're paying attention.

You know, I got less
distractions now than ever,

so this could
prove beneficial to us.

ALLEN:
Yeah, Brenda,
she was smart, you know.

She often saw what I couldn't...

The trouble, the recession.

- Well, I've been thinking
that if... if times get tough,

the first things folks might
scratch off their list

are mini golf, movies,
and the chiropractor,

you know, so...
- Brenda.

- It's just
from what I can see,

Dan and Matilda could use
all the help they can get.

DIANNA:
Here.

- Hold on.

I shall go and do the things
the Lord hath commanded.

And the Lord told Dad to go
one way,

drag poor Dan with him,

and leads me another way,
away from that energy

that isn't right for me
and my family,

and I have to put
my family first.

It's been like that
for a long time now.

Right, Allen?

ALLEN:
But Ron, I'm afraid
he didn't appreciate

her sharing her doubts.

Whether Ron admitted it
or not, he was...

He was Ammon Lafferty's eldest.

He obeyed
our father's commandment

just in the same way
that Dan and Robin did,

you know, to keep
building no matter what.

- You mean
heavenly Father's commandment

or your own father's
commandment?

ALLEN:
Well, both, I guess.

After Joseph finished
the Book of Mormon

and converts
started flooding in,

he moved them all
to Kirtland, Ohio, didn't he,

to build a new Zion.

In that history,
my father found

a gruesome, violent story.

It was a story he used
to motivate us,

you know, that fueled us.

PERSON: Help!
EMMA SMITH: Do you hear that?

PERSON:
Help!

- Emma, stay here.
EMMA: Wait!

- Stay here.
PERSON: Help!

They got my dog!

[dog whining]

JOSEPH SMITH:
What's going on here?

PERSON: I need help.
- Come here.

- For the prophet,
another lamb.

- Stop this madness now!

Cut it down.
I'll pay for the lamb.

OHIOAN: You people owe us
for more than just one lamb.

My people's land you
built upon without permission.

The wood, stone, brick,
you guaranteed payment for.

ALLEN: But the Ohioans
we met there, their governors,

their militiamen, didn't
welcome our peculiar people

with open arms, did they?

JOSEPH:
I wanna give you something...

Something that means
a great deal to me.

Here, take this as a deposit.

A promise.

End this now.

[dog whining]

[g*nsh*t]
PERSON: No! No! No!

- Dog gets the taste of lamb,
it never loses it.

Only trespasses more...
eats more of what ain't his.

- Charles, Charles.
It's all right.

It's all right. It's all right.
It's fine.

OHIOAN: I'm within my rights
to end such thievery.

- Beware...

that you don't find yourself
in conflict

with God's law,

for man's will soon align
with heaven's here.

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Mind the laws we got here,

or face prosecution
like the dog you are.

ALLEN:
It was the story of how
the more challenges we faced,

the more tests we endured,
you know,

the more we could be sure that
we were on the righteous path.

- I know.

I'll help you bury him
after sunset,

for he cannot rest
while the sun is above.

♪♪ ♪♪

If we wish for our
rightful place on Earth,

the safety of Zion,

we must build it.

- We must build it,
no matter what.

♪♪ ♪♪

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- The sh**ting went on
and on, so I hiked up here.

Saw two men with a whole
lot of g*ns, big g*ns,

making all this mess.

♪♪ ♪♪

A lot like the ones I found

nailed on my front door
this morning.

- What did these men look like?

FOREST RANGER:
s, s. Sturdy old clothes.

- IDS pioneer types? Beards?

- Yeah, got plenty
of that up here.

What was unusual
was the girls with 'em.

Looked like they'd just
stepped off a covered wagon.

Saw me coming
and ran for their lives.

BILL:
Did you follow 'em?

FOREST RANGER:
These boys, they weren't
afraid of raising eyebrows.

They wanted my attention.

But I'll tell you what, Chief,

I didn't get
to this age putting my nose

where it don't belong.

I suggest you do the same.

JEB:
We're still waiting
on crime lab,

but Allen's feeling chatty.

He said that Robin
was involved

in some kind of
anti-tax group.

- You can sign me up for that.

- [chuckles]

Uh, he also gave us
descriptions of two other men

in that group, both bearded.

We're following
those leads now.

BILL: Okay, then I'm gonna
take a quick walk

in these woods,
see if I can find

those furry sons of g*ns who
ripped this place to sh*t...

Uh, bits.

- Thank you.

BILL: Listen, if you don't,
uh, hear from me

by : , send somebody my way,
would you?

- Copy that.
Be careful, please.

[door opens]

Brother Lafferty, I could
really use your wisdom.

[choir singing
on tape recorder]

[music stops]

Did you ever attend, uh,
any meetings of a group

that was focused on tax issues?

- You mean
Patriots for Freedom?

[inquisitive music]

- Those papers you were burning
in your, uh,

in your backyard, they were
related to that group?

Things you wanted
to make disappear?

- My brothers and I,
we were building something,

something modern and holy.

But I worried that others
may not understand.

- How's dodging the federal
tax man modern or holy?

- No, you see,
you got it all mixed up.

The taxes were the hurdle,
not the mission.

Have you ever had
an adjustment?

A chiropractic adjustment?

It's our family business.

Dan and I, we traveled
to Los Angeles

to learn new methods,
new techniques.

We brought them back to share
with our wider IDS family here.

This was our holy mission.

- [whispering]
Heavenly Father,

please guide my hands.

- Okay, uh, stop it.

Who are you talking to?

- I'm talking to the Lord.

The Lord guides my hands.

PATIENT:
You don't know what
you're doing yourself?

- [laughs]
No, no, brother.

Brother, it's all right...
our... our methods

are just a little different
from our father's.

His are more old fashioned,

and see, we, using the Spirit
as our guide...

- Old fashioned
works fine for me.

- Well, if old fashioned
works fine for you,

then why do you have to keep
coming back here

year after year?

I mean, we want you
to get better.

You understand?
Here, let me...

let me show you something,
I think I might have

helped you a little bit
with that.

See, you're through
adjustment now.

Now... and slowly
take a walk around.

How does that feel?

It feels better, doesn't it?
I can feel it. It looks better.

- Yeah, I'm just more
comfortable with old fashioned.

It's time to go, sweetheart.

- Wha... what do you mean
time to go?

No, there's still plenty of
time in... in our session left.

We... um...
DAN: If you could just

give us ten minutes,
then I think

I could change your mind.

- Okay, look,
Matilda, she's gonna

give you a call in a few days,
see if you're feeling better.

I think you're gonna be
feeling a lot better,

and then maybe you wanna
book it again, hey?

How about that?
PATIENT: Okay.

Yeah, sounds good.
DAN: Okay, well,

if that's how you feel,
I hope you have

a great rest of your day.

PATIENT: You too.
DAN: Mm-hmm.

[door shuts]

Did I say something
to offend him?

ROBIN:
Did you? No, no, no.
He's just... come on.

This guy, he's an old grump.

But when he feels better,
which he will,

he's gonna wanna come back.
DAN: Absolutely.

ROBIN: It's all right.
DAN: Wouldn't call him

a very prayerful man,
would you?

- No, I wouldn't, either.
- Yeah, you can say that twice.

Wouldn't call him
a very prayerful man.

Connect with that
and help him out.

You're swamped
in the bills here, huh?

- Um, yes.
DAN: We get the water

and electricity paid?
- Uh, not yet.

But there's
a past due tax bill,

and there's a license fee
as well.

- Mm, well, I think that
we need water and power

more than the government
needs more of our money,

don't you think?
[laughs]

It's unbelievable.

It really is.

License fees.

What... why do we have to pay
license fees anyway, Robin?

What is that?
ROBIN: I...

- Didn't... didn't...
heavenly Father

give us our license for free?

Didn't he do that?
Not the Feds?

- Absolutely
- Absolutely. Not the Feds.

Unbelievable.

And we are not calling Father.
We're not doing that.

No, no.

[sighs]

[eerie music]

[laughs]
Of course.

♪♪ ♪♪

That's what this is.

That... this is a test!

That was a test!

Heavenly Father
is challenging us to...

To create a better and bigger
newer practice together.

It's just... that's all it is.
It's a test.

That's what we're doing.
ROBIN: You're right, brother.

I couldn't see it,
but you could.

DAN: It's a challenge
from heavenly Father,

and we're gonna meet it.

- I'm surprised to hear
that your good family

was in any kind of trouble.

Did the brethren know?

- No.

We're Laffertys.
We circled our own wagons,

shouldered the wheel.

We just needed
a little more time

to get around the hurdles...
namely, the U.S. government.

DAN:
So you go.

- Something that starts with R.

- R.
Something that starts with R.

The radio.

- Yep.
- All right.

Okay, I spy with my little eye

something that starts with T.

- Uh...

A tree.

- Patriots for Freedom
was just helping us to navigate

around our unjust tax burdens.

- Trying to get
an extension or...

ROBIN:
No... by filing lawsuits
to relieve all citizens

of these unconstitutional
federal taxes

that must make
our founding fathers

roll in their graves, Brother.

- Were you expecting somebody?
- No.

- No?

Okay. Let's take a look.

So why don't you stay
out here with the girls, huh?

MATILDA: Yeah.
- Okay.

- And we were making progress,
but the adversary

was hard at work too.

- Adversary
as in Satan's forces?

ROBIN: Indeed.
- Mm-hmm.

ROBIN:
So Jimmy Carter,
socialism, haughty women

who don't know their
rightful place,

Gentile tax collectors who
inv*de our lives, our homes.

♪♪ ♪♪

- Hello!

Hi.

SUITED MAN:
Hello.

Are you Ammon Lafferty?
DAN: No.

Who are you?

SUITED MAN:
We sent four notices,
including a notice to appear.

It was signed for,
but we received no response.


- I mean, they're bills
or what?

SUITED MAN:
Past due tax notices.

- Tax notices?

SUITED MAN:
The ones I found
neatly arranged

in your bill book there.
DAN: Mm-hmm.

SUITED MAN:
I've been ordered
to seize assets.

So I need you to step outside
till I'm finished.

- Seize assets?
[chuckles]

Hey.

Okay, well, how about
we make a deal?

How about I pay half now,
okay, and half later?

How would that work?
SUITED MAN: Sorry, Charlie.

That's not how this works.

I need you to step outside.

- Who said my name was Charlie?

You didn't even ask my name.

- Well, if your name
isn't Ammon,

doesn't much matter
to me who you are.

I got three of these today.
It's not personal.

- [laughs]
It's not personal?

It's not personal?

I am standing here

looking at you in the eye,
man-to-man,

and that ain't personal to you?

Are you even from here?
- Connecticut.

Just so you know, my partner
will be here any minute.

Or I'm happy to call
the police back

who lawfully let me in.
- No... no... let me finish!

SUITED MAN:
I'll have them remove you, sir.

- Let me talk!

Connecticut
can walk into my home

and they can steal
my private property!

You can just do that! Huh?

Who the hell
do you think you are?

- I'm empowered by
the United States government.

That is who I am.

Out!

- [grunts]

[screaming]

Get him outta here!
ROBIN: Where are you going?

Who are you? Who are you?
DAN: Get out!

ROBIN:
Dan, come here, come here!

[Dan yells]
Come on, Dan, sit down.

DAN: Get him out of my house!
ROBIN: Sit down, sit down.

It's all right. He's gone.
Take care of him! Now!

[Dan whimpering]

- Matilda! Matilda!
MATILDA: Yes?

DAN: Did a notice to appear
come in the mail?

- You told me not to pay it.
- [groans]

- So... so I listened
to the Holy Spirit for guidance

and I asked him,
and he said, "Matilda",

"you have to do as you're told

"because Dan's plate is filled

with a new and holy mission,"
just like you said, yes.

- Oh, did you hear
him say that?

- I did what he told me to.
- You hear the Spirit say that?

He said... uh...

I believe you.
I believe you.

[laughs]
I believe you.

He always speaks to you
so clearly.

He's showing us
a more righteous path.

Heavenly Father is showing us
a more righteous path.

- And this means
that Brenda was right.

She was right.

[Dan groans]
I can hear him.

I can hear him.

JEB: So this... this Brenda
woman, she interfered?

- The world seduces women
to abandon their virtue,

and then their ambition grows
and spreads like a disease,

distracting them
and those around them

from their responsibilities.

[knock at door]

JEB:
Yeah?

- It's : , sir.

No radio response.

- Wh... what's wrong?

- It's fine.

- No, no, we should pray
together for guidance.

Don't you think?

[eerie music]

♪♪ ♪♪

[wings rustling, birds cawing]

[metallic rattling]

[distant wailing]

♪♪ ♪♪

[metallic rattling]

- Come on out.

I'm a policeman.

I won't harm you.

♪♪ ♪♪

[metallic rattling]

[wailing]

Stop! Freeze!

♪♪ ♪♪

Stop where you are!

Ahh!

JEB:
Allen, I need to know,
did anyone in your family,

anyone at all, object
to you marrying Brenda?

- I mean, I... I don't have
to tell you what it'd be like

to have a wife who's seen

as interfering in men's affairs
in this valley.

But my father's
old Mormon tales

just fired her up more.

You know, it's like she
wanted to be a Lafferty boy.

PROFESSOR:
All right, you crazy kids.

That is all the time
we have for today.

See you all on Tuesday.

- Sir?
PROFESSOR: Hmm?

- Why do you think people
in Salt Lake County

wanna see men read our news
reports more than women?

- The news is being written
by men and women these days,

but the choice of host
is about finding

an authority they'll trust.

Wouldn't want your hard work
to be read by someone

an audience isn't apt
to believe, now, would we?

- Oh, my. Heck no.
PROFESSOR: No. [laughs]

- But I'm curious.
PROFESSOR: Hm?

- You don't mind my curiosity,
do you, sir?

- It is a critical part
of the job.

- Who do you trust more:
men or women?

- Oh, uh, people far higher up
make that decision here.

But if you're asking me
personally and off the record,

I see no difference.

- Will you ask the higher-ups
why I can't be trusted?

I mean, Jane Polly
hosts "The Today Show,"

and people all over
find her trustworthy as heck.

- All right.
Let's give it a try, shall we?

- Now?
- Yeah, get on up there.

- Yeah?
PROFESSOR: Yeah.

- Okay. Okay.

PROFESSOR:
Let's push you right
in the deep end.

- [whispering indistinctly]

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

PROFESSOR: Okay.
- [clears throat]

PROFESSOR:
Just grab the house lights.

And camera.

Ready? In three.
[mouthing]

- The once red-hot housing
market has begun to cool

amid fears of looming
interest rate hikes

by the federal government.

Home sales have dropped nearly
% in the first quarter,

causing jitters
among local developers.

- Nice.

Good, good.

Now...

smile real big for me, Brenda.

Hmm.

Ah, you have
such beautiful teeth.

- Oh, was my, uh...
my reading that bad?

PROFESSOR: No. No.
[chuckles]

It was fine. It was fine.

- Well, is that
good enough for you to ask

if I can't at least fill in
if one of the boys gets sick?

- One step at a time.

Can't just jump
into the deep end.

Can we, Brenda?

- Can I ask you
another question?

Do you lock yourself in here
with the boys, too,

or just with the girls?

- [chuckles]
Sister Wright, uh...

I don't think
you understand...

BRENDA:
It was just a question.

But one that gives me
renewed confidence

you'll ask why only boys
do the news here.

And if the higher-ups don't
give you a fair answer,

you'll press them for one,
like good journalists do.

- [chuckles]
- Because I'm also confident

they'll find my question
about being locked in here

alone with you
thought provoking.

[whispers]
But I bet we both hope

that can stay off the record.

[chuckles]

ALLEN: She wanted to build her
own kingdom and fight for it.

Hey, sweetheart.
- Oh, hey.

- How'd it go?

BRENDA:
See you next Tuesday
for the : news.

PROFESSOR: Right.
ALLEN: But, you know,

our daddy never meant
for girls to keep building.

- Did you tried to stop her?

- [chuckles]
No, no.

Oh, I loved that about her.

Why, do you not approve
of women like that?

- We're not here
to talk about me.

ALLEN: It was just...
- Did your brothers

try to stop her?
ALLEN: You know, it's not

that extraordinary
for Mormons to,

you know, make sure folks
were in their rightful place.

Mormons, non-Mormons,
Blacks, whites,

and men and women.

Truly, they... you know, they all
have their rightful place

in your kingdom of heaven,
don't they?

JEB:
Well, even if that
were true, Allen,

a Latter-day Saint does not
k*ll someone

for stepping out
of their rightful place.

ALLEN:
No?

It's all over our history
and our scriptures.

♪♪ ♪♪

- [grunts]

ALLEN:
God told Nephi

that it's better
for one man to perish

than for a whole nation
to dwindle into unbelief.

And if God commands it,
an obedient saint

will exile, will steal...

will k*ll.

JEB:
So she was too assertive
for your dad,

she was too invasive for Robin,

and she was too ambitious
for most of your family,

and yet, you still thought
it wise to subject them

to her invasions, eternally?

- Well, Brenda wasn't
too anything for me.

BRENDA:
Utah is now facing
a double dip recession.

As far away as Washington D.C.
may seem to some,

the Capitol is breathing down
local shop owners'

and builders' necks.

And some say
the Federal Reserve

is to blame for the
double-digit interest rates

that have caused the freefall
in new construction.

- She's so good, right?

[Brenda continuing
indistinctly]

- Yeah, she gets
what she's after.

- I wanted to marry her
from the very first moment

I set eyes on her.

My dad wanted that too.

Can't get into
the celestial kingdom

if you're single, right?

JEB:
You didn't... you didn't
marry her on day one, though.

You... you waited.

Something worried you?

- Her bishop dad.
- Mm.

ALLEN:
And she wanted me to meet him

before I popped the question.

CHILDREN:
♪♪ When we come ♪♪

LAREA: Whoo!
JIM: Bravo! Bravo!

Larea, did you hear that?

LAREA: Beautiful.
- Wonderful. Wonderful.

Oh. Did you like that?
- Yeah.

- Yeah, that was great, huh?

Ugh, stock market, huh?

- I'm sorry?

- Making investments, huh?

- Oh, uh, no, it's not
that kind of bears.

A, uh, a brother gave it to me.

It's a Christmas present.

It's about how to b*at
traffic tickets in court.

[clattering]

- Sorry.

- Get a... get a lot
of traffic tickets?

- Well, uh, there are a lot of
speed traps in Utah nowadays.

- Mm-hmm.

- It just feels like the
government trying to make money

more than public safety, right?

- Yeah. Sure.

I'm curious, Allen.

Tell me, who would you say
runs things in your household?

- Well, uh, my father's
the patriarch,

and he... he keeps things
in line.

- Yeah?
How does that work for you?

The... the man of the house
running it all?

- Well, you can't get far
in a leaky ship,

and, uh,
it's the man of the house

who keeps things shipshape,
right?

- Well, I don't know
about that.

I mean, girls seem to
have us boys outnumbered

in this old house.

Right, pal?
CHILD: Can I go now?

- You wanna go? Go ahead.

- Ca... can I be excused, too,
sir?

I promised your girls I'd, uh,
help 'em build their gliders.

- Oh, they'll be fine.

I taught my girls
how to build things.

But I do admire a man
of his word, so go head up.

[chuckles]

- You know, after my folks
left, things got tougher.

I started to see
a new door, you know,

that maybe we could keep closer
to her roots than mine

and stay away
from my family's pressures.

BRENDA:
I mean, ask anybody
in Salt Lake

what it means to be a Lafferty.

They all went on missions and...

And started
their own businesses.

And their family tree goes
way back to the pioneers.

I mean, it's like
marrying into royalty.

- Marry... he's asked you
to marry him?

- Well, if that's what you're
so bent out of shape about, no.

Not yet.

- He does seem a bit
insubstantial for his age.

- He's starting his
own tiling business.

I mean, there's no end
in sight for tile, Dad.

- [laughs]
- Well, that's a whole lot more

substantial than the boys
here in Idaho.

- Hey, come here.

[soft music]

You see there?
First star of the night.

You reckon I can sh**t it
out of the sky?

- Yeah.
- Maybe, yeah.

- Maybe?

- Well, you heard him
say how he thought

men ought to run things.

Honey, he sounds a little
dusty to me, all right?

It's the ' s now.

I want you to use
your education.

There's no reason you
shouldn't have a life too.

- Get down.

[fireworks crackle]

- I thought Betty would
get serious first.

- Who the heck is gonna
marry Betty?

In Argentina?

I mean, she doesn't
even speak Spanish.

I love him, and you're in here
making him say stupid things.

- There's just something
inside me that says,

"Just... just... just calm down.

You know, wait and see."

[fireworks exploding]

LAREA:
Jim?

- For the love of Pete.

ALLEN:
I'm... I'm sorry!

JIM: I got it.
ALLEN: I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

- I got the... Allen, step back.

♪♪ ♪♪

ALLEN: I... I'm sorry, sir.
JIM: It's out.

JEB:
Allen.

Allen, why are you afraid of...

Brenda going near
your own family?

[somber music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- You know, once, Ron got
this mutt for his birthday.

Oh, gosh, he...
he loved that dog.

And one day, my dad
came home from giving

a blessing to a sick neighbor,

and my brothers
hadn't done their chores.

So he got us all
to stand in a circle.

Then he called the dog
into the center.

[dog whining]

And he picked up Ron's own
baseball bat,

the metal kind.

And he b*at that dog
to death...

To teach us boys a lesson
about responsibility,

about our rightful place.

So what if this time, you know,
he comes home from his mission

and decided that Brenda
needed to be taught a lesson

about her rightful place?

No.

- Did any of your other
brothers' testimonies falter?

Robin's or...

- What is... what is with this?

Why... why do you keep
asking about Robin?

- I'm trying to find out
the kind of man

that I'm... I'm looking for,
Allen, what his beliefs were,

or what his interests are.

- Robin was... is the most loyal
to the church.

I mean, he...
he's a true believer.

All right? That's Robin.

- Are you certain that
the men who did this

were all strangers?

Is it possible that any
could have been family?

- Certain?

No.

I can't ever be certain
about anything again.

But I have learned
to live with doubt.

Do you ever feel doubt?

- I told you we're not
here to talk about me.

- Now, things change
when you have kids.

You know, and the things
you used to ignore,

they get under your skin.

Especially if you have girls.

You want the best for 'em.

And I could not see how
the best for my little girl

was being caught up in a church
that would force her

to make covenants
to obey all men

for the rest of her life.

Do you have daughters?
- Stop it. Stop it.

Allen, stop!
I ask the questions.

If you keep wasting
precious time,

you're gonna find yourself
with an accessory charge.

Understood?

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- Sorry.

Really, I... I am. I am.

JEB:
I need you to try
to get some sleep.

I'll be here for you
when you wake up.

I promise.

♪♪ ♪♪

[eerie music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- [grunting]

REBECCA: You called in
the Church Relief Society

for a birthday party?

[laughs]
You are in real trouble.

JEB: Ugh.
REBECCA: But you're also

the sweetest husband
in the world.

I tell you what, we'll never
get through all this cake.

[both laugh]

- How's Mom handling
the racket?

REBECCA:
She's not awake yet.

- We've got it all
in hand, Brother.

- [laughs]

Are, uh, are you still okay

to meet
with the bishop tonight?

- Oh, the girls'
baptism interview, of course.

You know, I sure wish

it was the only thing
on my mind, Becca,

so I can be fully there for it.

DESK COP: It's : , sir.
- Um, honey, I'm so sorry.

I've... I've really
gotta go right now.

I love you so much, okay?

Kiss the girls.

- Okay. I'll see you tonight.
- Bye.

Call Forest Services.

If they don't have eyes
on Taba, call County

and get them to his last known,
pronto.

[tense music]

Robin, I have men out there

looking for your brothers
right now, so I need to know,

are my officers in any danger?

- Well, that depends,
Officer Pyre,

on what they intend to do
to my brothers.

- Officer,
not "brother" anymore.

- Look, if your officers
are in any danger,

then they only have
themselves to blame.

The government came after us,
not the other way around.

And when aggrieved and att*cked

time and again by the unjust
laws of Gentile lawmen...

[crashing]
[shouting]

To the point
where our religion,

our families, our freedom
is threatened...

- Joseph!
JOSEPH: Emma!

Please, my child!

ROBIN:
Do we, the Lord's
covenant people,

do we surrender our values?

No!

[people clamoring]

TOWN OFFICIAL:
The "Prophet" Joseph Smith.

EMMA:
Please, no!

TOWN OFFICIAL:
Leader of God's chosen people.

Except now, we have a witness
to your crimes and whoredoms

committed over and again
with an unmarried woman.

Defiling your holy
marriage vows, Mr. Prophet.

Now you face our law,
man's law, Ohio law.

ROBIN:
I'll grant you your concern.

It cuts to the very heart
of the matter

to what may soon
be the culmination

of a centuries-old conflict
between His righteous people

and a wicked state.

TOWN OFFICIAL:
Doctor, he may take your
tongue to stop your lies

or clip your manhood
so you don't get the itch

to commit such acts again.

You choose, Prophet.

- No!
No, you ungodly wretches!

Do not touch him!

- Once you've cut from me,

I'll be made whole
in heaven again.

But God will choose the
same portion of your flesh

and burn it from you
for eternity.

♪♪ ♪♪

- If you wish to live,
gather your things and leave.

[dramatic music]

♪♪ ♪♪

Bring the tar
and feathers, then.

- No! Joseph!
God will strike you down!

- God's inspired laws
versus man's broken ones,

for behold, the time is coming.

And the original laws of God,

revealed to our
founding fathers,

must be delivered
from Babylon.

OHIOAN:
Get out of Ohio!
You're not welcome!

[people shouting]

♪♪ ♪♪

ROBIN:
And nothing...

Nothing can stop
the political kingdom of God

from rising in glory.

♪♪ ♪♪

BILL:
Hello?

Is anyone home?

ROBIN:
So yes, your good officers,

before they press any further,
I would urge them

to consider
the words of our prophet:

JOSEPH:
For if they resist us again,

we will tread upon
the ashes of the wicked

after they are destroyed
from the face of this earth.

- So you k*lled her, then...

For daring to resist you.

[tense music]

♪♪ ♪♪

- What do you mean?

[Allen shouting]

Who... who is that?

Who... who else do you have
in here?

[shouting continues]
Who is that?

Hey! Answer me!

- He... he woke up screaming,
sir.

ROBIN:
Allen!

♪♪ ♪♪

[soft guitar music]

♪♪ ♪♪
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