A Friend of the Family

This mini-series is a well executed telling of the events which befell an apparently good but very naive family in the mid-1970s. The whole story from beginning to end is as colorful as the Pacific Northest settings where it takes place. The acting in this well-casted production really gives the viewer a great picture of the pain and heartache experienced by the Brobergs and the inner struggle experienced by Jan throughout her entire brainwashing and manipulation. Jake Lacy resurrected the false charm and conniving abilities of Bob Berchtold while Colin Hanks showed us a picture of Bob Broberg and the personal pain of distraught father and conflicted husband.

The other cast such as McKenna Grace, Anna Pacquin, and Lio Tipton really complement the aforementioned actors making this a dramatic machine. The pacing does seem to drag at some points because B's mentioning of "the Mission" is like a broken record sometimes. This film serves as a cautionary tale regarding who you choose to trust and I think this story's telling is way overdue. The Broberg's gullibility is pathetic but the time and place and person has to be considered. This is happening at a time when pedophilia was hardly heard about and before kids were showing up on milk cartons. Also, a white family man in the Mormon community established trust rather easily with those in his church. If this was happening back then, it can easily happen again today.

Unbelievable though it may be, even at my age, I was unfamiliar with this story.

The acting, storytelling, and writing is stellar. The way this series has captured the way "B" preyed upon, manipulated and groomed not only his own wife and victim, but the entire victim's family is absolutely riveting.

Having been a child in the 70s who grew up in a religious family, I can understand the naivety and trepidation of the victims. This is very well captured by the writers and actors.

Lastly, the actor who plays "B" gives an incredible performance of a psychologically damaged, manipulative, pervert, pedophile who gaslights everyone he encounters. Actually, all actors gave top notch performances.

Highly recommend.

I would highly recommend watching "Abducted in Plain Sight" on Netflix as a prequel to watching this. You will get a WAY better grasp of everything that happens with this story from start to finish. The fact that Jan Broberg herself introduced this show in the beginning tells me Peacock is asking for permission before telling any true life stories on screen too. BRAVO to everyone involved in this production. So far... I love Anna Paquin, Colin Hanks, Lio Tipton is outstanding and Jake Lacy as "B" is just as terrifying as I remember. I'm looking forward to McKenna Grace's performance. I know this happened in the 70's, but even today... this is a truly crazy story that I believe everyone needs to know about... to know what to look out for, and how to avoid it.

This is not an easy watch and might not be for everyone. It is a very well made, well paced series that tells quite the unbelievable-but sadly real- story. There's not much more to say or the risk it's to spoil it: my take on the bad reviews is that throughout the series you constantly want to switch it off, as frustration towards individuals or the "system" (church, law, police, hospital, etc.) mounts. This is no fairy tale, that doesn't mean it's not with watching, or that actors didn't play well. All protagonists were extremely believable in their roles, with that slight edge of surreality that actually adds up to the realism of the story.

This story is really freaky and it makes me cross, which means the movie did its job causing an emotional reaction. The brainwashing and psychology involved is portrayed well, and is sickening, although not surprising given the storyline. So wrong and so icky, and that vanilla generation with secrets behind closed doors --it's obvious manipulation based upon control and lies that calm the masses to allow the unbelievable to happen. The actors are fabulous. The writing and directing are both spot on. Well done, well done and I think everyone should watch this...and let's hope as a society this layer of clouded belief subsides. I hope the victim(s) don't suffer repercussions for some of the truth revealed and I applaud the main victim for even allowing the story to be told. Hanks, Lacy, Yancey, Grace, Paquin, and Tipton alll give stellar performances.