[tense music]
[hawk shrieks]
♪♪ ♪♪
[animal chittering, bird calling]
ALLEN: And he beat Ron's dog to death with it.
BILL: God said, "Man shall not live on bread alone,"
but He didn't say nothin' 'bout peaches.
JEB: Seems like she dipped into her end-of-days stash.
- Well, if her sons have holed up here with her,
they left a light footprint.
JEB: They're staying outside.
Right out there.
You saw how Sam was living.
All her boys need is tree cover to survive.
If you can rule out the rest of the house,
I'll take care of her.
Then we go look out there together.
- Yeah. JEB: Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Sister Lafferty, when's the last time
you saw your son Ron?
- Seldom...
Since Father passed last year.
Ronnie took it hard. - So you felt responsible?
- What do you mean, "responsible"?
What's he mean, Brother Brady?
- Uh, uh, uh, responsible, uh, meaning--
[chuckles] Well, you know,
I wouldn't wanna put words in anybody's mouth.
- Meaning guilty.
Mr. Brady shared with me that Ron denied his father care
that could've saved his life.
- They're lies.
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!
Stop it.
Brother Brady, you've eaten at my table,
and I've held you in prayer.
You know this is a loving home.
- It was--it wa-- it was a very loving home.
DOREEN: Yes, you see? [breathing shakily]
My hea--my heart's torn open.
You've taken my sons from me,
but if they were here, you would see their innocence
in the way Heavenly Father resides in them.
And Brenda would tell you.
She would.
Rest her soul.
[indistinct police radio chatter]
♪♪ ♪♪
JEB: Follow me.
[indistinct police radio chatter]
[suspenseful music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[indistinct police radio chatter]
♪♪ ♪♪
Don't touch anything.
Stay right there. Don't move.
Just there.
This is where your school met, huh?
- Yeah. Welcome.
JEB: Give us the room, please.
Thank you.
Sit down.
So I wanna know why you didn't contradict her
when she said this was a loving home.
- [chuckles] JEB: You afraid of her?
Or are you afraid of who she might rat you out to?
- [chuckles] Look, it--it--
it must be tough to picture now
with your officers up there yankin' floorboards,
but I'm telling ya, whenever the school came here,
I was met with a positive spirit.
- Even after Ron murdered his own father?
- I would--I wouldn't-- I wouldn't call that murder.
- That's exactly what you called it.
- Brother...
when men of faith say that they feel
the burning of the bosom by the Holy Spirit,
I--I was raised to believe them.
- If they told me their bosom was burning
to let someone die, I'd do my own praying.
- Well, you are very wise, Brother.
Look, I did the same.
I did the same.
You know, I didn't think it was right, but--
but if the Spirit is telling them one thing
and me the opposite,
how do we know which one's it?
[chuckles] They never covered that in my ward.
And there are examples of God's killing orders
all over our scriptures, all over.
- [chuckles] When you were cuffed
and you were facing charges
back at the station, you called it murder.
Now you're here...
and it's all-- it's all just God's command.
No, you're just using scripture,
whatever scripture you wanna use,
moment to moment to save your own skin.
- The rules are the rules, Brother.
You can't--
- I tell you not to touch anything?
So after Ron let his father die,
is that when he started cutting throats?
- Ron did not know where to turn.
He, uh, went on, uh--
well, he called it his "Journey of Truth."
He was seeking a pure Mormonism,
one that his wife might come back to.
So he headed west to Oregon, uh, looking for John Bryant.
RON: Hey, I'm looking for Brother Bryant.
I wrote to him. Am I in the right place?
[dramatic music]
♪♪ ♪♪
JOHN: Welcome, Brother. RON: Hi, hey!
- Come on in, yeah, yeah. [laughs]
RON: Hey! [clicking tongue] [saw whirring]
JOHN: Careful!
- You--you cut this?
- Bryant was an acolyte of Rulon Allred,
the, um, polygamist who was assassinated
for being too liberal.
[children chattering]
So Bryant started his own community in Nevada
and then Oregon,
a--a very loving place.
Polygamy.
Wine.
Ron had an awakening there.
- We'll be done eating dinner
by the time you finish, Brother.
- The last time I cooked, it was--
I was a missionary, okay? - Here, here.
- So you go. - Here.
[John Mellencamp's "Ain't That America" playing]
Like this.
Just like that.
Lean into it. Yeah?
[garlic crunching]
There you go. See?
- It's splitting.
- You learned something new.
♪♪ ♪♪
- No--no, thanks. Not for me. Thanks.
- No?
Put our prophet in historical context.
He wrote the Word of Wisdom during the Temperance Movement.
He had to suggest going easy.
But he did it "not by commandment or constraint."
The Lord gives us wine to gladden the heart.
It's natural.
Spiritual.
[garlic crunches]
- See? [chuckles]
[both chuckle]
Here, you do not ever have to do a thing
that you do not wish to.
- No, it's wonderful.
This is how I always thought faith should feel.
I miss my wife.
It--
we've been fighting, and I just...
think I know that she feels--
there's such peace here.
If she--if she could-- if she could see this,
if she could feel this--
[sighs]
- Jesus came to me with revelations,
commanding me to build an order in preparation for my role
as His One Mighty and Strong
to put His church to rights, Brother.
Your wife will experience
the holiness you found here too.
The love.
Ron...
may I baptize you?
Ron Lafferty,
having been commissioned of Jesus Christ
and by the authority of the true Melchizedek priesthood,
I bless you that you may find peace
and purpose as a servant of our order.
And I baptize you in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
- [exhaling heavily]
[both chuckle]
BERNARD: So he came back,
only to find his home emptied.
So he came back here.
[soft music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[door clicks open]
- [chuckles]
My eldest brother.
Wow, um...
what a surprise.
You're back.
♪♪ ♪♪
Did you find what you were looking for in Oregon?
- [chuckles softly]
No, it-- it's just the beginning.
It's the beginning.
I might go to Canada, to Bountiful, 'cause it's a--
it's a journey... DAN: Yes, yes.
- That I'm on. DAN: Yes.
So you're leaving us again?
- She's gone, and my kids are gone.
- Ron, uh--hold--hold on.
RON: Let me see what's down here.
DAN: Ron, hold on, hold on.
ONIAS: Is the product of a compromised, corrupt, and...
double-crossed institution.
We call for a restoration of holy principles.
- Ron. - Hey!
- Welcome back. I missed you.
- Interesting things going on.
- Quite an operation, huh?
DAN: These are our pamphlets.
They're warnings to the church. It's cool, right?
We're sending a warning to the church.
- And what is this? DAN: Revelations.
Revelations delivered by this man here, Bob,
the Prophet Onias.
- I've waited a long time to meet you.
- Heavy.
What are you doing, Brady?
You're writing down all his words.
- I'm just transcribing-- - What are you, a secretary?
- No, it's not like that, Ron. I'm not a--
I'm not a secretary. ONIAS: No?
Aren't we all the Lord's secretaries?
Your brothers have helped me to do in two weeks
what would've taken me months alone:
send a warning to apostles, bishops,
stake presidents worldwide.
- A warning? What about?
- They must restore plural marriage.
- Oh. ONIAS: Restore the restriction
of priesthood to white men.
Our doctrine states that Satan founded the Black race
when he taught Cain to place his seed into the beasts.
These truths can't be changed just to satisfy
the whims of public opinion,
which is exactly what the church is trying to do.
- He's got all the answers, huh?
- I received a calling to restore a school
for His work.
- This guy? He's your prophet?
- Onias is simply guiding us in your absence.
That's all.
Onias, would you tell Ron about your revelation?
ONIAS: Yes.
Before meeting your brothers,
the Lord told me that He had singled out six
to help build a city of refuge for His last days.
I believe that you and your brothers...
are those six.
- Ron. Hey, hey, hey.
Calm down. RON: He's a salesman.
Yeah.
Yeah, a pimp.
I think you should get lost.
[tense music]
JEB: Did Onias leave willingly?
BERNARD: Uh, Onias
asked all of us to, uh, accompany him to his mine,
uh, including Ron, but...
Ron insisted that they go alone.
ONIAS: [panting] Unless your aim is to end me,
a rest, Ron?
If we slow our pace-- my lungs...
RON: Okay. - Yeah, they're not the same
since the tuberculosis at 19.
The Dream Mine.
The product of a bishop's revelation
100 years ago.
In the bishop's dream, the Angel Moroni
flew with him 1,000 feet down into the Earth
until they reached a 3-foot capstone
covering an extraordinary treasure:
caverns of white quartz with roofs of gold.
- Yeah, some dream there, Bob. ONIAS: Indeed.
Mining's gone on here ever since,
since his vision.
Slow and costly labor.
The Lord commanded me to build a city of refuge
here beneath His mine,
but His mine will not yield its treasure
until the One Mighty and Strong
appears with the scepter of power in his hand.
- Is that you?
- No, not me.
My job is to teach him when he arrives.
[exhales heavily] Ron?
- Mm?
- Who do you think our One may be?
- I don't know. Why don't you go ask
that prophet up in Oregon, Bryant?
'Cause he says he's the One.
- Is that why you went to meet him?
Are you looking for our One as well?
If you scale every mountain,
cross every ocean, desert,
you'll still never find him,
for how can you find what was never lost to you?
What you've had with you your entire life?
You.
Ron...
I believe that you may be our One.
- [scoffs]
Oh, yeah.
You know, I've heard that before.
Yeah, and it's not true.
You know what's true? I have no--
No church, no wife, no kids, no...
home.
[chuckles] I'm as useless as your mine.
- God takes what you love so you cannot turn back.
Who can deny that we're in a time of great need,
that we are in His last days?
But if you are His One,
He will open this mine
for us to provide for the construction
of a temple in New Jerusalem.
And you will rebuild your family,
for when they learn how blessed you are,
Dianna will run back to your side
with more love in her heart than you have ever known.
[pensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
- How--how could-- how can--
how can you know that?
- I will teach you...
To hear the still, small voice of God,
which whispereth and pierceth all things.
A voice to make your bones quake.
I will teach you to receive His revelations,
revelations that we will bring
before our School of the Prophets
for their approval.
And in this way, we may confirm that...
you, Ron,
are our One.
♪♪ ♪♪
RON: H...
BERNARD: It was on my home computer...
RON: U...
BERNARD: That Ron worked out his early revelations.
RON: S...
BERNARD: But, uh-- but I am telling you,
all he wanted, more than anything,
was his wife back, his family.
[static crackles]
BILL: [over radio] Pyre to the carport. Over.
I don't see Mother Theresa in there
sawing off a shotgun herself.
- I got a feeling she knows who did, though.
I think your skill set may be better suited
to Sister Lafferty.
- A little vinegar.
- Yeah.
BILL: Come on, you think she didn't know
what they were up to
or where they are now?
She's the den mom to this troop of demented Boy Scouts.
- How dare you let this dark-skinned Lamanite
speak to me in this way?
- I see a mark on you as well.
Your granddaughter's blood.
- Remove this man, Brother Pyre.
- A judge has given his okay for his presence here.
- Well, do you not answer to our judge in heaven first?
No?
Then you're no saint.
BILL: I don't much care if you think the devil himself
wrote Utah laws.
You live here,
Utah law applies to you.
- See what happens if you chain me.
BILL: I'll tell you what'll happen.
You'll go to prison on accessory charges
so when all your sons get put to death,
you won't even be allowed in the gallery
to say your farewells.
DOREEN: Why'd you blame my boys for this evil?
Why not the two with them?
- Two?
Who are you talking about?
- You mean Prophet Onias?
- Sister Lafferty, if there were
two other men with your boys...
[tense music]
Why not tell us who they were and clear your family's name?
♪♪ ♪♪
Tell me this: did they have beards?
♪♪ ♪♪
All right.
Okay.
You want us to leave you in peace?
So...
you'll give us names.
[handcuffs rattling]
- One called himself Chip.
And the other called himself Ricky.
I didn't care to know anything more.
It's the truth.
I swear on my salvation.
[handcuffs rattle]
JEB: Ricky and Chip-- those names ring a bell?
20s, long hair, not LDS.
BILL: Doreen said they were unwashed
and smelled like skunk.
You think Dan and Ron would've been hanging out
with a couple of potheads?
- Well, I--after Oregon? Maybe.
- Update the APB.
And Onias-- if we go to his Dream Mine,
could we find Ron and Dan up there?
- Maybe. BILL: Surveillance. Chip.
- Should we expect to be fired upon, Mr. Brady?
♪♪ ♪♪
[engine turning over]
[heavy breathing]
♪♪ ♪♪
BRENDA: Betty, if you have time
before you and Daddy head back,
can you run me and Erica to the pediatrician real quick?
Forget it, Betty. He's here.
You're okay.
It's okay, you're just gonna go in here for a second.
[baby crying]
Where were you, Allen? Where were you?
Were you up the mountain?
Were you down on your knees again,
praying to your brother's make-believe messiah?
Please, we have to go to the doctor.
Every minute, I worry, could her fever get too high?
Is it an infection? And even when you're here,
I feel so alone. ALLEN: I just need some time
to figure out which path we should be on.
- What is there to figure out? Your brothers are wrong.
- How--how--how do you know? How could you possibly know?
- Look at how their lives turned out.
- Can you just shut up? Just shut up for once.
- I will not!
And I will not watch you get excommunicated, too,
because of their idiotic-- - I said shut up!
- [gasps]
[baby wailing]
- I'm sorry. Brenda, Brenda, Brenda.
Please. - No.
ALLEN: Please, Brenda.
[baby crying]
[keys clatter]
[baby screaming]
BRENDA: Hey.
JIM: You okay? BRENDA: Yeah.
JIM: Yeah.
BETTY: Yeah.
- Hi, honey.
Hey, sweetie.
BETTY: Time to go visit the doctor, Erica.
[baby crying]
- Keep you company while the girls are at the doctor, Allen?
Yeah? Good.
[radio tuning]
[Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warne's "Up Where We Belong"]
Ah, there we go. There we go.
♪♪ Where the eagles cry ♪♪
♪♪ On a mountain high ♪♪
♪♪ Love lift us up where we belong ♪♪
It's okay to listen to popular music sometimes, right?
Don't you think?
JOE: ♪♪ Up where the clear winds blow ♪♪
- I--I suppose so, sir. Yes.
- You know, sometimes, uh,
being a Mormon is like guesswork.
Heavenly Father's gift of personal revelation.
A lot of responsibility, you know?
ALLEN: That's something I-I take very seriously, sir.
- Yeah.
Yeah, but something I've seen as a bishop,
sometimes our--
sometimes our more serious members
get the most carried away.
- I--I just want to live precisely
by the example of Joseph Smith
so I can be with your daughter forever, sir.
JIM: Oh, is that it?
You're not living in a covered wagon, now, are you?
- No, sir.
JIM: You're not getting tarred and feathered
wherever you go, right?
- Well, no. JIM: Well...
so living precisely like Joseph Smith,
that's gonna be a challenge nowadays.
But...look at the amazing thing
Heavenly Father did for us, right?
Provided a religion to weather the changing world.
Hmm? D&C 56:4.
You know what that is?
"I, the Lord, command and revoke, as it seemeth Me good."
Command and revoke.
Revoke how, Allen?
By "the voice of My servants whom I've appointed
to lead My people."
And that's what's funny about so-called fundamentalists.
If they wanna be so literal,
wouldn't they follow the doctrine
that the church must evolve? Hmm?
How about a chocolate?
JOE AND JENNIFER: ♪♪ Where the eagles cry ♪♪
♪♪ On a mountain high ♪♪
- D&C 89:
"Hot drinks are not for the body or the belly."
"Hot drinks" refers generally to caffeine,
and chocolate has caffeine.
- Yeah, chocolate has caffeine.
It's got a little caffeine.
You're right.
But most Mormons I know eat chocolate.
I'll tell you something, growing up,
Brenda loved Hershey's syrup.
How about you?
Think you might be able to enjoy a chocolate milk
now and then?
JOE: ♪♪ No time to cry ♪♪
- You look like a cherry cordial kinda man to me,
So I'm gonna give you this one right here,
this one in the middle.
Take that.
JOE AND JENNIFER: ♪♪ Love lift us up ♪♪
♪♪ Where we belong ♪♪
JIM: Take it.
♪♪ ♪♪
JOE AND JENNIFER: ♪♪ Where the eagles cry ♪♪
♪♪ On a mountain high ♪♪
- Gotta do a cheers, right?
Cheers. [chuckles]
Come on.
JOE AND JENNIFER: ♪♪ Far from the world we know ♪♪
JOE: ♪♪ Where the clear winds blow ♪♪
JOE AND JENNIFER: ♪♪ Love lift us up ♪♪
♪♪ Where we belong ♪♪
♪♪ Where the eagles cry ♪♪
- Temperature coming down?
- Yeah.
I'm going to Missoula.
Real good broadcasting market.
Grandma and Grandpa can help with Erica while I'm at work.
- What do you mean, "going"?
- No, but this is how it started with Dianna.
An--an evil presence is in his family.
And what if Allen's caught it too?
They scare me, Betty.
[tense music]
And Allen's the baby boy.
I mean, he-- he worships his brothers.
BETTY: I just hate to see the Lord testing you like this.
Brenda, you made an eternal vow before Heavenly Father
in a temple.
You have a responsibility now to make this work.
You have to take this to the church first.
You know that.
They may say it's time to throw in the towel.
Or they may help you resolve your differences with Allen.
♪♪ ♪♪
JEB: You can't blame yourself for this.
I would've done the same thing,
I would've said the same thing.
I would've guided her back to the church too.
- If I'd known how powerful the Lafferty name was in Utah,
who all would line up in their defense...
JOSIE: Stop her! Stop her!
JEB: Oh, shoot. Sorry. JOSIE: Stop her!
She's trying to kill me! JEB: Mom.
She's trying to kill me! JEB: Hey, Mom. Hey, hey, hey.
- Josie, Josie-- - Ah!
- I am so sorry. - Hey, hey, hey.
It's all right. - Uh, we were just
trying to do the bath. - Oh, sure, yeah.
That's fine. It's all right. - Oh, no!
- Mom-- - I--I'm just trying to--
I'll take her. - [snarls]
- Ow! - Mom! Mom! Mom, no! No.
Hey, look at me. Hey, no.
You okay? - I can take her.
JEB: No, it's okay. I got her. I'm sorry.
Why don't you take the girls to the store?
There you go. JOSIE: I'm a cat.
- Hey, you're not a cat. You're my mom.
Hey.
[chuckles] Okay.
Wanna sit down?
Hi. - Should we go?
JEB: No, it's fine. Sorry. - It's okay.
- This is Jim, and this is-- this is Betty.
- Jim. Betty. - And they're from, um--
they're from Twin Falls, Idaho. - Oh.
- Yeah.
- Do you think us Utah Mormons, uh,
have--have sticks up our you-know-what?
- No. If anyone thinks that,
it's just, uh, we're jealous
because you get to live here in Zion.
You know? - Well, aren't you a cutie?
[laughter]
JEB: Here you go, Mom. - Oh.
- Sister Wright, I assure you that the Lafferty name
does not have any power over me.
- So tell me, why did they do this?
- I don't have all the facts yet.
But I can tell you that the Laffertys,
they saw your sister as a very, very powerful person...
And a formidable obstacle.
- We wrote each other. Constantly.
She told me every detail of her life,
every little thing on her mind.
- It must feel like a violation,
handing over letters that Brenda wrote only for you.
- What will you do if these letters cause trouble
for people even more powerful than the Laffertys?
If somebody above even the police
tell you to make this disappear?
- I'm only beholden to your sister.
I won't be deterred, not by anybody.
I--I swear to you.
♪♪ ♪♪
intention is of the devil.
- [chuckles softly]
Well, no one's being contentious, Mom.
- [laughs]
You know, when Becca took off my dress,
the devil said, "Pinch her!"
And I did.
- You wanna tip back? I can rinse your hair.
JOSIE: I think the devil made me do it.
He's testing me before I can join your father.
- [chuckles]
- He needs to know my worth.
So give me your blessing.
- Mom...
Heavenly Father already knows how worthy you are.
REBECCA: We're home. - Okay, I gotta--
I gotta put the kids to bed, and I've gotta--
so let's tip back. - Oh, no!
JEB: Let's tip back. - No.
JEB: Okay, okay.
Okay.
Josie Ann Pyre...
Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ
and by the authority of the Melchizedek priesthood...
I bless you--
I bless you so that you may hear the Holy Spirit
and find peace.
I gave my mom a bath, I put the girls to bed,
and I started reading Brenda's first dang letter,
and then I passed out.
- Everybody needs sleep.
Call came in from the 7-Eleven on East State Street.
Clerk witnessed a bearded man
stuffing pork rinds down his pants.
- East State? That's near me and Becca.
We gotta find Onias ASAP.
We have to track Doreen's pair of evil ones.
We got Dan and Ron, and now we got a 7-Eleven shoplifter?
We don't have the men.
- Send Morris on 7-Eleven.
I'll take Onias and the Dream Mines.
- Alone?
- Divide and conquer, Brother.
- I faked a blessing for my mom last night...
Just so that she would rinse her hair out.
It's pretty easy.
I used to love Pioneer Day.
Ooh, it was my favorite day of the year when I was a boy.
[pensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[wind whooshing]
♪♪ ♪♪
Covered wagon rides, rodeo.
♪♪ ♪♪
Did--did Brigham Young just lie to his saints
just like I did last night...
To drive 'em out of the American territory
just so he could marry as-- as many wives as he wanted...
Without fear of prosecution?
♪♪ ♪♪
BRENDA: Dear Betty, I took your advice
and wrote to the highest office short of the Prophet.
The General Authorities
and a member of the Quorum of the Seventy
agreed to meet with us.
Guess my comms major was good for something.
My husband's brothers are his heroes,
so when they say they're receiving revelations,
he listens.
To be clear, Allen hasn't acted on anything,
but, um...
evil thoughts are the things which defile a man, so...
- Brigham Young gave the key whereby a revelation is true:
"If it comes from God,
"it will cause an increase of love and appreciation
for the brethren."
This is a sign Satan cannot duplicate.
Has there been an increase in love
when your brothers act on their revelations?
ALLEN: I--I just-- I find it hard to believe
that Brigham thought revelations would always
increase love and appreciation.
GENERAL AUTHORITY: Why is that hard to believe?
- How about Mountain Meadows?
I mean, I doubt love and appreciation sprang forth
when he was ordered to--
140 men, women, and children executed,
but that's what God commanded, so he did it.
- We are not here to discuss ancient history, Brother.
We are here-- - Ancient history?
This is barely 100 years ago.
We're talking about the founder of our university,
the man who's honored with statues all around town.
- We are here to discuss your family.
- I just--I-- I need to understand.
Are only some of Brigham's revelations true?
And if so, which ones?
- We are to follow today's prophet.
Healing the problem of your wife
begins with choosing to do that.
- You think I'm gonna choose marital advice from--
from people who can't reconcile their history
with what they claim to believe?
GENERAL AUTHORITY: You sit before a body of men
authorized to be the Lord's representatives on Earth today.
- Joseph Smith says we all have the gift
of personal revelation.
What my brothers say isn't full of half the holes
and contradictions-- - Two of your brothers
have been excommunicated already.
- Yeah, and now they're free of this fraud.
Come on, Brenda. Let's go.
Brenda.
[door slams]
- Sister, feel assured,
you will be rewarded in heaven for your courage.
- I, um--
I am so grateful to you all.
But I feel,
as do others, there is--
There is not a thing that can stop Allen
and his brothers now.
And I--I can't wait for this to grow worse.
I appeal to you...
To grant a divorce.
- Sister...
would you allow us to give you a priesthood blessing
and appeal to Heavenly Father?
Sister Brenda Lafferty,
by the power of the holy Melchizedek priesthood
which we hold
and as a representative of Jesus Christ
on this Earth,
we, the Elders of Israel,
pronounce a blessing upon thy head.
The Lord acknowledges you as a chosen daughter of Zion,
and you are hereby directed
to not abandon thy husband.
Heavenly Father calls you.
Because of thy righteousness,
thou hath been chosen to shepherd the Lafferty family
back to the fold.
Not only Allen-- every Lafferty.
Verily, their eternal salvation
is in thy hands.
He will prepareth a way for you to accomplish
that which He hath commanded.
We bless you with strength in this sacred calling
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
JEB: Did you know that?
That the church gave her that calling
that pitted her against Ron and Dan?
You didn't ask her what happened in that room
after you left her in there?
ALLEN: I stopped coming home for dinner.
I knew then, without a doubt,
that our church is built on lies.
Lies upon lies.
But I thought Brenda would leave me
if I spoke such words aloud,
so, uh--so I lost sight of my wife.
And you're--you're right.
I--I do carry blame.
If--if I had been a more attentive husband...
[voice breaking] I--
I could've stopped all this.
I-- [sobbing]
I could've stopped it.
- I'm not gonna-- I'm not gonna charge you
with any crime, Allen.
I'm releasing you. You're free to go.
- You must despise me.
- No.
You got anyone you can stay with?
ALLEN: I--um--
Is--is my mother's house under investigation now too?
Well, who in Utah will have me, then?
The apostate son.
I'm sorry if this sounds wrong at all.
I'm struck by the sensation that...
you might be the only person in the world I can talk to,
who might understand me.
Can I please stay here?
Just for--for one more night?
I'm--
I'm afraid of being alone out there.
- Yeah.
At the Dream Mine.
Talked to a guy who owns a service station here.
Says old Onias buys gasoline by the barrel from him.
Thinks he may have a trailer
hidden on the west side of the mountain,
down below the mine.
JEB: Bill, do you need backup?
BILL: Nah, don't worry about me.
I make friends everywhere I go.
What do you have?
- Uh, I think Dianna may be in more trouble than we thought.
The latest letter from Brenda to Betty basically saying
that the church put Brenda on a collision course
with Ron and Dan.
BRENDA: Dear Betty, Allen's brothers
have their wives churning butter and baking bread now,
saying they defiled their homes with store-bought,
so I'm buying them all Sara Lee and butter
to remind them they don't have to live like this.
Because if Sam or Robin think they might lose their wives,
maybe they'll start to see things clearly again.
The church even sent missionaries
from Salt Lake to help.
After all our sisters have been through,
I thought it'd be nice if a couple hunks
reminded them of His true church.
- Sister Lafferty, the restored Gospel
can reach any Gentile if they're among the Lord's elect.
It needs no bells and whistles.
- Sure, um, but the people you're going to be talking to
aren't really Gentiles.
They're Mormons
exploring some obsolete practices
that we modern Mormons wouldn't even think to do
in our wildest dreams.
You know, um, multiple wives, marrying children,
picking fights with the government.
Maybe just invite our sisters to embrace modern life.
I mean, God wants us to shop, right?
- Capitalism is part of Heavenly Father's plan
to help the church prosper in the latter days.
- And He needs every one of us
to build His kingdom on Earth, doesn't He?
- Uh, big gates move on small hinges.
- [laughs] That's a good one.
Okay, well, here are their addresses.
And remember, don't talk to the men.
[apprehensive music]
And if our sisters start saying things
that don't sound LDS,
maybe just remind them that they're facing
eternal separation from their families.
But don't-- don't be a downer about it.
[indistinct chatter]
Unfortunately, the sweet missionaries' efforts
with Sara and Lisa weren't as, well, fruitful as I'd hoped,
so I had to double my efforts.
JEB: Ron got wind of it that it came from Brenda
and it came from Dianna,
and they sent Matilda as a messenger,
knocking on the door, giving a not-so-veiled threat.
- Hi.
MATILDA: Gosh, Erica's gotten big.
- Oh, I know. She's a good eater.
Come in. Dianna's here too.
- No, I--I--I can't.
- If you're worried Dan will see us, come in.
We're making Kool-Aid. - I'm not worried about Dan.
I still have faith in my husband.
- Oh, I see.
- You've been fornicating, meddling in holy work,
trying to buy our sisters back into a corrupt church
with store-bought butter.
- We just wanna get back to how--
- Have you heard of blood atonement?
- No.
- Me neither.
[chuckles] Isn't that funny?
- I'm not sure.
- A wife who alienates her husband from her children
could be risking her life.
Dan says that there are some sins
that can only be redeemed through the shedding of blood.
That--that's all.
- Dan said that to you?
Are--are you asking me for help?
- No, I'm saying that we must put personal feelings aside
and obey the Lord.
A wife who alienates her husband from her children
risks her life.
[tense music]
♪♪ ♪♪
JEB: That's when the Lows and Brenda kind of teamed up
and started to smuggle Dianna out of Dodge.
LOW: We ask this through Jesus Christ.
Amen. ALL: Amen.
♪♪ ♪♪
- I've been thinking what my life would be like
if I hadn't followed Ron into the church.
It's just--
it's brought so much pain to my children.
I think--
I think I'm losing my testimony.
- Oh, Dianna. Please don't.
For now, I need you to put your faith in me.
- Brenda, you're not safe here.
- I'm going to put an end to this wickedness.
It is my calling.
Write to tell me you're okay, yeah?
Remember, no-- no return address.
♪♪ ♪♪
- [clears throat]
All right!
[engine turning over]
We're ready.
BILL: Oh, these poor women.
You think Brenda knew where Dianna was headed?
JEB: Well, the Lows said that Brenda was the only one
that Dianna told.
It's possible Ron could've gotten it out of Brenda
before they did what they did to her and her baby,
in which case, Ron...
[sighs] You know.
In which case, Ron may have already found Dianna.
- Allen. Allen, sorry.
I, um-- I have to make decisions now
about where I allocate my men,
and I don't wanna waste resources or time,
so tell me,
after Dianna left, is there any way
that Ron simply just let her go?
ALLEN: No, no.
She, uh--
he wouldn't move on from her.
Ever.
[keys clinking] You okay?
- Yep. [exhales heavily]
Just, um, visions--
visions have--have, uh, come knocking and, um...
Dark visions and, um...
I--I don't know. I don't know.
Sorry, I don't know what this-- [chuckles]
Who--who's behind this new voice in my head, but, um,
it's pretty, uh--it's a pretty significant distraction.
Sorry. [sniffles]
ALLEN: It's not new.
And it's not a distraction either.
It's what happens when you're taught your whole life
that you need God to guide you.
It's frightening...
Being alone with your own mind.
- How have you managed-- managed this?
- I tried to defeat the church,
in my own mind,
see what kind of person was left behind.
I read our history.
All of it.
All of that personal revelation,
it seems to me that it's just
men listening to their own selfish desires
and calling it God
so they can justify...
[pensive music]
Anything.
♪♪ ♪♪
- Yeah. ALLEN: I have a book.
It's red.
Bright red.
So I put a, uh--
a woodworking textbook cover on it
so Brenda would never find it.
It tells the-- a truer story of our people.
Our history, our church.
- Okay.
- I imagine you have it in your evidence now.
- I do.
♪♪ ♪♪
Thanks.
♪♪ ♪♪
RON: Thus saith the Lord:
D...
I...
A...
N...
A.
"Thus saith the Lord: take pen in hand
and write the things which I command."
"This unto my maidservant Dianna.
"Thou art a chosen daughter,
"but My wrath is kindled against thee
"because of thy rebelliousness against thy husband.
"If thou wilt repent,
"I will greatly bless thee.
Otherwise I will remove thee from thy place."
"Amen."
♪♪ ♪♪
ONIAS: I ask of you all
to listen to the still, small voice
and ask of His wisdom.
Are these Heavenly Father's words?
Listen, listen.
Now, let's vote.
♪♪ ♪♪
[dramatic music]
♪♪ ♪♪
Ron.
These words are not your own.
These are Heavenly Father's words.
You, Ron...
are our One.
♪♪ ♪♪
The One.
♪♪ ♪♪
ALLEN: I have a book. It's red.
You have it in your evidence now.
♪♪ ♪♪
- [breathing heavily]
♪♪ ♪♪
It is enough.
♪♪ ♪♪
From this valley, we will never run.
And if they attempt to throw us over again,
in the name of God,
we will lift the sword and slay them!
♪♪ ♪♪
CLERK: This is where I said, um,
was the gentleman planning on paying for his merchandise?
Polite, you know. - Sure.
Is that a screwdriver? CLERK: Yes, sir.
- You think it's Jacob Lafferty?
It looks just like him. - Yeah.
You catch his direction? - The neighborhood there, sir.
[tense music]
♪♪ ♪♪
- That's--that's where my home is, my kids.
♪♪ ♪♪
[dogs barking]
♪♪ ♪♪
[gun clicks, drawer slides shut]
♪♪ ♪♪
[breathing shakily]
[inhales deeply]
[sighs heavily]
[apprehensive music]
♪♪ ♪♪
[engine rumbling]
♪♪ ♪♪
[breathing shakily]
♪♪ ♪♪
BILL: You wanna turn that headlamp off
and state your name, sir?
- They sent a Lamanite?
I see.
The faithful call me Prophet Onias.
You may call me Bob.
- You mind putting that skull cracker
down on the ground for me, Bob?
- My hammer is for the Lord's work.
Terrible what happened to the woman and her child.
But I do understand that murder runs in your people's blood.
Must seem ordinary to you.
If you'd like to talk more,
you'll have to do so in my home,
provided you leave the gun in the car.
♪♪ ♪♪
- [breathing heavily]
[door clicks] Oh!
[breathing heavily]
[car door slams]
- Did you have nightmares?
- [exhales heavily]
- [gasps]
- I'm struggling, honey.
- [breathing shakily]
[sobs softly]
[breathing shakily]
Can you pray with me?
Babe, can you do that?
- Yeah.
Yeah, of course.
Um-- [sniffles]
[exhales heavily]
Our dear Heavenly-- Heavenly Father,
I come to Thee in grateful prayer.
I, um--
I thank Thee.
So sorry, honey.
REBECCA: I love you,
but I can't struggle through this with you.
I need you to do something for us.
I need you to bear your testimony
before our congregation.
I need our girls to see and hear
that their sweet father,
our priesthood holder,
that he still believes.
- Okay.
Yeah, okay.
Okay.
- Come to bed. JEB: I will, yeah.
[gulps]
[whimpering softly]
[sobbing]
[dramatic music]
♪♪ ♪♪