WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Under the Banner of Heaven episodes 1 & 2.
Under the Banner of Heaven’s religious Lafferty family almost exclusively drinks lemonade at their events – here’s why. FX on Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven tells the true story of Brenda Lafferty’s 1984 murder, which unraveled hidden truths of religious Mormon extremism connected to the real-life Lafferty family. As Under the Banner of Heaven explores the early days of Brenda and Allen Lafferty’s relationship, the series depicts the odd quirks, disturbing past, and dangerous beliefs within the seemingly upstanding Latter-day Saint family.
One of the most peculiar recurring features of the Lafferty family in Under the Banner of Heaven is the notion that they’re almost always drinking lemonade. At every gathering of the family in Under the Banner of Heaven episodes 1 and 2, both the adult and child characters are only offered lemonade. While this is one of the less troubling aspects of the family, it’s yet another quirk of the Laffertys’ very traditional lifestyle that appears odd to outsiders.
Unsurprisingly, lemonade being the Lafferty family's drink of choice is due to the beliefs of Under the Banner of Heaven’s Mormonism. Under the interpretation that Latter-day Saints shouldn’t put harmful substances in their bodies, many traditional and, particularly, strict Mormons interpret this guideline as banning them from drinking coffee, tea, alcohol, “hot drinks,” or, to some, even caffeinated soda. This doesn’t leave many options for leisurely drinks other than water and juice, so Under the Banner of Heaven’s LDS Lafferty family makes an abundance of lemonade in order to strictly follow the teachings of their religion.
Lemonade also seems to be the easiest drink for the Lafferty family to make in bulk for their gatherings, as their brood is extremely large. When the entire family gets together in Under the Banner of Heaven episodes 1 and 2 to meet Brenda and help clear their neighbor’s field, the female Laffertys are shown making lemonade in huge containers. Even when it’s just Brenda, Allen, Dianna, and Ron getting lunch together, the four only drink lemonade. Since Under the Banner of Heaven’s true story will only see the Lafferty family become more entrenched in early Mormon traditions, lemonade and water may be the only drinks the characters will have on the FX on Hulu series.
The guidelines for Latter-day Saints being prohibited from drinks like coffee and tea come from the “Word of Wisdom” doctrine in Mormonism, which was a revelation by founder Joseph Smith that God forbid them from such substances. While the doctrine said Mormons were prohibited from “hot drinks,” many Latter-day Saints don’t apply this to non-caffeinated, such as hot chocolate, hot water, or herbal teas. As such, if Under the Banner of Heaven's characters are shown celebrating the Christmas holiday together, the series may substitute their typical lemonade for mugs of hot chocolate.
New episodes of Under the Banner of Heaven release Thursdays on Hulu.