Re: Banner of Heaven: My Take (So Far)
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2022 7:17 pm
But I have a really really small brain that is barely functional. Barely.
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But I have a really really small brain that is barely functional. Barely.
I cringed throughout the series, not recognizing any of the characters. I didn't grow up in happy valley but I have family from there and they seemed, back then, to be far away from the way Mormons of the 80's were portrayed in the series. Too much father in heaven obviously. It made me kind of defensive to tell the truth as these are still my people.Dr Moore wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 3:43 pmAlso, the interplay between blood atonement and temple penalty commitments, together paint the Lafferty's twisted sense of rightness. To the director, I imagine that twisted thinking required somehow conveying both sides of that interplay. Not saying I agree with visually replaying a part of the temple ceremony -- a tactful conversation *about* covenants and penalties could have done the job. However, I do understand why some people carry so much anger about the destructive side of Mormonism (and its obsession with secrecy), and unfortunately we live in a world where toxic organizations have lost their ability to maintain a demand for secrecy, or respect for claimed sacred things, in the public eye. Mormonism has plenty of good, but plenty of toxic too.Dr Exiled wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 2:22 pm
I think the temple content was there to make the surrounding culture/church look culty enough to spawn the likes of the Laffertys. That was one of the main themes of the show - crazy Mormon cultists with their odd rituals and their murderous mountain meadows past, of course, could give birth to Lafferty types. It was only a matter of time. However, I agree that it was too obvious a connection. I was surprised that there wasn't an overlay of the murder scene and the temple, just to make it more obvious.
Do believing LDS complain as vocally when film/media/audio scenes are made public of other "sacred" spaces of other religions and/or cults? It's a house of mirrors and angles, and insofar as 99% of the population is concerned, believing LDS have no special ground to stand on in demanding special treatment on secrecy.
100%. Also, is pusillanimous a root of p***y, or a derived version for intellectual historians?Kishkumen wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 8:25 pmI was surprised by the extent to which BY was thrown under the bus. Not that I had much of a problem with it. I think of BY as the guy who got the Mormons out to Utah, and that is about as much as I want to give him credit for. Aside from that he was a cravenly, greedy, irresponsible tyrant. So, no, I don’t really mind the way he is thrown under the bus. I think BY is the person most responsible for the freakish nature of Mormon fundamentalism, and in that way he is a forerunner of people like the Lafferty boys, but Mormonism is a lot bigger than BY’s pusillanimous self.
Yeah, fair enough. Execution could have been better. The caricatures did get taken to too far an extreme and that is unfortunate because members who should know the story have reasons to ignore the series as blatant anti.Dr Exiled wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 8:20 pm
I cringed throughout the series, not recognizing any of the characters. I didn't grow up in happy valley but I have family from there and they seemed, back then, to be far away from the way Mormons of the 80's were portrayed in the series. Too much father in heaven obviously. It made me kind of defensive to tell the truth as these are still my people.
However, I can see why the connection was made between Brigham Young and his more fundamentalist bent and the Laffertys. Brigham Young was a real despot and I think he knew all along about Mountain Meadows and probably ordered it to show the US and the approaching army that we meant business. The comparisons could have been a little less obvious though, but, subtlety and nuance is sacrificed to reach a larger audience and we are left with simple connections.
I wouldn't watch it again and binged the first go around because I wanted to see how we were being portrayed.
I have now finished the series as of last evening, Good Doctor.Doctor Scratch wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:40 pmReverend: how far into the show have you gotten at this point?
Gotcha. I more or less agree with the majority of the takes on this thread—yours included. In the “pantheon” of Mormon-related art/media, I think this is one of the better entries. Overall, though, I thought “Big Love” was a better series.Kishkumen wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:45 pmI have now finished the series as of last evening, Good Doctor.Doctor Scratch wrote: ↑Wed Jul 27, 2022 11:40 pmReverend: how far into the show have you gotten at this point?