Peacock’s A Friend Of The Family manages to shine an important light on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family and the multiple kidnappings of their young daughter, Jan.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for the first three episodes of Peacock’s A Friend Of The Family.
One of the most intriguing things about Peacock’s A Friend Of The Family is the fact that most of us will watch the new series already knowing what happens. But even so, nothing quite prepares you for how chilling this series really is.
If you’re a true crime fan, you’ll have been enraptured with Netflix’s Abducted In Plain Sight when it first came out in 2017. Well, the very same case of Jan Broberg and her multiple kidnappings is getting the drama treatment in this new series and honestly, it’s a show with a difference. Unlike the documentary – which although intriguing, definitely left a lot of people questioning the role of Jan’s parents – this new series prioritises the story as told by Jan and her mother Mary Ann.
In the recent wave of true crime content we’ve been enjoying, the question of morality is always present, especially in the aftermath of shows like Netflix’s Dahmer. So it’s good to see that the genre is taking steps to re-centre the victim’s narrative by including Jan and her mother as producers in the series.
The result? The series is told from the perspective of the Brobergs and rather than gloss over personal details and dynamics, it explores how a neighbour like Robert “B” Berchtold (played by Jake Lacy) infiltrated the family.
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The first three episodes (which land as a batch on Sky and Now on 7 October) give us an insight into how manipulative, charming and smooth-talking Robert was. He was the friendly, caring neighbour who started off merely wanting to take Jan out horse-riding, but when Jan’s father Bob (Colin Hanks) denies permission, we see the first glimpse of his nasty side rear its head.
He instead takes his request to Mary Ann (Anna Paquin), who is quickly won over by Robert and his desire to dote on her daughter. Through brief snapshots of silenced conversations and exchanged glances, we quickly see how he manages to invade Mary Ann’s thoughts. And it’s in the flashbacks throughout the episodes that we begin to build up a picture of the complicated relationship Robert had with both Mary Ann and Bob.
What the series manages to do – that the documentary didn’t – is provide crucial context to the case. While it may seem an unbelievable story, real-life Jan reminds us at the start of the series that it was a very different time. “This series is based on my story. I know it may seem unbelievable but we lived in a different world back then,” says Jan.
“I want to tell my family’s story today because so many seem to think something like this could never happen to them. Especially at the hands of someone they know and trust – but it did happen. It happened to my family, it happened to me.”
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While we may know how this whole saga unfolds, nothing quite prepares you for seeing it in its finer details. We see how the Mormon religion provided a cushion of safety to the Broberg family, not quite preparing them for how cruel Robert’s plans for Jan were.
Jake Lacy may be recognisable to many from his hilarious performance in The White Lotus but in this series, he excels as the charismatic Robert, who talks to Mary Ann about prioritising moments to “please herself” rather than caring about others constantly. He’s the man that sees her, refers to her as “inspiring”, but similarly defuses conflict with Bob over a dimly lit, intimate dinner.
He becomes entrusted as “Brother B”, the man who drives the Broberg children to school each day and asks the car full of children (but pointedly only stares at Jan): “Who do you love the most, other than your mum and dad?” To which he has conditioned them to respond excitedly with: “Brother B”.
As well as B’s own wife Gail (Lio Tipton) making allowances for his strange behaviour, it’s chilling to see how such a character like this wove his way into these people’s lives and upended them in such a way.
While the episodes are slow-burning and some may find nine to be a few too many, actually the true crime drama benefits from such a format. It allows the characters to breathe and their individual motivations, characteristics and behaviour patterns (especially as we see each of them interact with Robert) to really shine.
It means that while you may already know the general details of this case, the brilliant performances and attention to character detail in A Friend Of The Family only underlines that a true crime drama is only as good as the thoughtful research that goes into it. Something we need a lot more of in the genre.
The first three episodes of A Friend Of The Family will be available on 7 October on Peacock on Sky and Now, with new episodes dropping weekly every Friday.
Images: Sky
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