Who Are Detectives Jeb Pyre And Bill Taba? Are They Real? You may ask if you’ve watched the first episode of Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven.
Hulu’s newest offering Under the Banner of Heaven streamed on 28 April 2022. The show is an adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s 2003 true-crime bestseller of the same name. The book recollected the gruesome killings of Brenda Wright Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her baby daughter.
The show, like the book, delves into the founding of the Church of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) by Joseph Smith in 1830, looking to make sense of the double murder. It soon becomes clear that the rise of fundamentalism in Mormonism, which Krakauer called “the quintessential American religion,” is more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Under the Banner of Heaven was created by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), who was brought up in the Mormon church. Over the course of seven episodes, he wanted to explore “just how patriarchal the church had been, and in many ways still was,” he told Vanity Fair before the show’s premiere. “And how such an absolute patriarchal structure threatens the safety of many women”.
Consequently, on 24 July 1984, Brenda was found dead by her Allen on the floor of their suburban Utah home. Her throat was slashed after having been choked by the cord of a vacuum, according to a 2004 report from the Deseret News, a subsidiary of the Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the LDS Church.
Allen and Brenda’s 15-month-old daughter was also brutally killed in the attack that took place on Pioneer Day.
They were killed by Allan’s two brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who were self-proclaimed prophets. Ron and Dan, always had tension with Allen’s wife Brenda because she challenged their views on Polygamy. Ron later claimed that he had received a revelation from God to kill his sister-in-law Brenda and her 15-month-old daughter Erica. He explained that she was resistant to his fundamentalist belief in polygamy.
Who Play Detectives Jeb Pyre And Bill Taba In Hulu’s Under The Banner Of Heaven?
In Hulu’s Under The Banner of Heaven, actor Andrew Garfield plays the role of Jeb Pyre. Andrew recently starred in 2021 Spider-man: No Way Home. Silence (2016), The Amazing Spiderman and The Amazing Spiderman-2, The Social Network, and many more are Andrew’s notable works.
Speaking about his character, Andrew told Variety, “He’s very understated, a solid center of the story that is the audience’s eyes”. He added, “Not flashy, a very solid dude and internal. I wanted to play with that – be as internal as possible – and less expressive than I’ve been in recent projects”.
Moreover, to prepare for the role, Andrew said that he immersed himself in Mormonism, learning as much as possible about the radical FLDS sect, which practices polygamy. He also made a “little research trip” to Utah to meet with “countless ex-Mormons, current Mormons, future ex-Mormons, cop Mormons,” he said, adding, “I just asked lots and lots of questions and tried to immerse myself in that culture as much as possible and made sure that there wasn’t a hair out of place in that way.”
Whereas, actor Gil Birmingham plays Bill Taba in the show. Pieces of Her (2022), Yellowstone (2018-2022), The Space Between Us (2017), and House of Cards (2014) are some of his notable works to date.
Are Detectives Jeb Pyre And Bill Taba Real Life Characters?
No, Jeb Pyre and Bill Taba, two detectives on the Hulu show are not the real-life characters. Dustin Lance Black, the creator of the show, conceived the idea for the character to portray the impact of Brenda and Erica’s murders in a pious Mormon.
Also, Jebb illustrates the distinction between religious extremists and common believers through his fictional existence. Against the backdrop of Brenda and Erica’s deaths, Detective Jebb does the same.
Like Jeb, Bill Taba is also a fictional character on the show.
Bill is a Native American police officer from Las Vegas the locals don’t like. Even Bill’s partner, Jeb, believes that as a non-Mormon, he cannot fully comprehend the case’s mechanics. Dustin demonstrates how unbending religion-based communities reject someone who does not belong to them through the experiences of the fictional Bill.
Who Inspired The On-Screen Characters Detectives Jeb Pyre And Bill Taba?
Two characters detectives Jeb Pyre and Bill Taba are the manifestations of the show creator’s imagination.
Dustin Lance Black explained about Jeb saying, “a very good man, a mainstream Mormon man, who may be just hasn’t asked some of the tough questions yet”. The creator addresses various questions about Mormonism through the character. He attempts to show how fundamentalist ideas do not connect with the living and religious ideals of an average Mormon man.
Furthermore, Dustin sees himself in Jeb Pyre because of his Mormon heritage. “As Mormons, we’re taught to doubt our doubts, to put your questions on a shelf. I wasn’t going to stop asking questions,” Dustin told Vanity Fair in the same interview. “I just did them in the most Mormon, polite manner I knew how, and boy, I speak that language. I’m good at it,” he added.
Bill’s character provided a non-Marmon perspective to the table during the investigation of the murders. Jeff approached the suspects individually to interrogate them, “Mormon to Mormon”. But, Bill depends on impartiality to solve the case.
Black depicts how the Mormon group treats an outsider, or any other rigid religious community, through Bill.
