Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of FX on Hulu’s crime series ‘Under the Banner of Heaven,’ titled ‘Revelation,’ centers around the aftermath of Jeb Pyre and Bill Taba’s encounter with Bernard Brady. The latter informs the detectives about Ron Lafferty’s visit to John Bryant’s polygamist community in Oregon and how the journey had changed him. Brady also talks to Pyre and Bill about the involvement of Prophet Onias in the activities of the School of the Prophets. The detectives focus their investigation solely on finding Ron and his brother Dan Lafferty. The episode ends with Pyre confronting a life-altering challenge and let us decode the same for you! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 6 Recap
‘Revelation’ begins with Pyre and Bill continuing their investigation at Ron’s family home. Pyre asks Doreen about her son Ron letting his father Ammon die without providing adequate medical care. With Brady, Pyre and Bill investigate the basement of the house, which was used as the office of the School of the Prophets. Through Brady, the detectives come to know that Ron had dived into the fundamentalist Mormon beliefs after his interaction with John Bryant, a polygamist Mormon leader based in Oregon. They also find out about how Prophet Onias influenced Ron to believe that there’s a God-selected one among them to fulfill the Heavenly Father’s wishes.
Prophet Onias accompanied Ron to the Dream Mine, where they expect to mine gold for the sake of their restored/fundamentalist Mormon community. Onias let Ron know that he can be the selected one among them. Ron eventually got more involved in the activities of the School with his brothers. While talking with Doreen, Pyre comes to know that two men, Chip and Ricky, accompanied Ron and Dan when they likely went to kill Brenda and Erica. Pyre talks to Brenda’s father Jim and sister Betty.
Betty hands over a set of letters written by Brenda to Pyre for him to solve the murders. Pyre reads the same and finds out that Allen was leaning towards the fundamentalist beliefs of his brothers, even refusing to take Erica to a doctor. Brenda and Allen had to see the LDS Church elders for blessings, who discouraged Brenda from obtaining a divorce from her husband. Ron started to receive revelations from God and he shared the same with his fellow members of the School, only for Onias to proclaim him as the God-selected one among them.
Under the Banner of Heaven Episode 6 Ending: Is Detective Jeb Pyre Losing His Mormon Faith?
Yes, Detective Pyre is losing his Mormon faith. When Pyre starts investigating Brenda and Erica’s murders, he tries to ensure that the incident will not harm his Mormon community severely, especially since several Mormons are suspects. Gradually, he understands that the very faith he clings to has played an extremely unacceptable part in the murders. It doesn’t take long for Pyre to understand that the murders were religiously motivated, which affects him as a man of faith. The encounter with Sam Lafferty and the revelation of “a holy list” further inspires him to question his faith.
Pyre soon realizes that his faith is severely misogynistic, which harmed the lives of Ron’s wife Dianna, Dan’s wife Matilda, and Allen’s wife Brenda. Pyre’s understanding that the women of the Lafferty family, one of the most pious Mormon families in his community, have suffered severely in the name of their faith crushes him, who is a father of two daughters. He hesitates when his daughters are ready to attend their first communion. In addition, the existence of rituals like blood atonement makes him perceive that the real Mormon faith is more dangerous than what he has been practicing all his life.
After getting to know more about the revelation Ron supposedly received from God, Pyre hits a rock bottom. He fails to believe in his faith completely and seeks comfort in the holy scripture. Pyre is not encountering an individual/personal conflict but something that can affect his Mormon family as well. Along with his gradual loss of faith, Pyre is also concerned about how his pious wife will deal with and accept his changes.
Where are Ron and Dan? Are They with Prophet Onias at Dream Mine?
Pyre and Bill start to focus on finding Ron and Dan when they realize that Sam didn’t commit the murders. Their discovery that Ron believed in the fundamentalist beliefs of his brother Dan further solidifies their suspicion that the brothers killed Brenda and Erica. The Lows’ revelation that Ron was infuriated at them for helping Dianna leads the detectives to connect Brenda and Erica’s murders to the aftermath of Dianna’s divorce from him. Still, they fail to find the brothers irrespective of following every possible lead. Meanwhile, Brady informs them about Prophet Onias and Dream Mine.
Since Prophet Onias was the first one to declare Ron as the God-selected one, who would guide them to the original ways and methods of the Mormon faith, he may be helping Ron and Dan to hide from the authorities. The brothers may have been hiding at Dream Mine since the establishment is nothing but a sanctuary for them. Bill considers the possibility, leaves for the mine, and even comes across Onias. He may find the brothers hiding at the place but arresting them may not be an easy task for him since he arrives at the mine without any backup.
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