Abuse of Power
After her husband dies, Leann (Mary McCormack - Mystery Alaska) and her daughter, Julina (Haley Lu Richardson - F6: Twister), move to a polygamous community somewhere in Utah where Leann becomes the fourth wife of Merril (Sam Hennings). It is there that Julina meets Ryder (Jack Falahee) and with their teenage hormones kicking in start seeing each other in secret, promising each other to be faithful to each other. The trouble starts when Ryder's father and the community's prophet, Ervil (William Mapother - Drew Peterson: Untouchable), decides Julina will become his new wife banishing Ryder from the community as he shows signs of anger.
Never once to my knowledge does "Escape from Polygamy" mention Mormon but it takes us into a Mormon like, polygamous community to give us a fictionalized romantic drama. Now I enjoyed "Escape from Polygamy" but I would be lying if I told you it was the most subtle of made for TV movies ever made. And it rarely attempts to deliver any depth, preferring to keep things entertaining at a surface level for those who don't want to be challenged by what they watch.
As such during the build up it hints that whilst Leann is a woman who is devout in the way of the polygamous community, no qualms about becoming a fourth wife to an older man, her daughter Julina is less accepting of the ways. All of which builds to her and Ryder falling for each other when she comes across him sun bathing with his shirt open on the rocks away from the community. All of which builds to the romantic side which is very sweet with them dancing together, Ryder sneaking in to Julina's room and basically actors Haley Lu Richardson and Jack Falahee being the best looking people in the whole movie so they of course look good together.
But there is more and right from the word go we have Ervil the prophet who is sinister in the way he acts around the girls of the community, especially Julina. It doesn't take a genius to work out that this guy has a penchant for young girls and it doesn't really surprise us when Ervil abuses his position and says it is the word of God that Julina will be his new wife. But we also have Ryder's disappearance from the community which is not the first time a young man has suddenly disappeared from the community.
How does this all play out, well all I am going to say is that Julina ends up trying to escape from the community which is no spoiler as the title suggests that. But like everything else in "Escape from Polygamy" it is not subtle in the way the story unfolds or how it ends and the truth about Ervil abusing his position as the community's prophet comes out.
What this all boils down to is that "Escape from Polygamy" is entertaining but only in a shallow easy to watch way for those who do not want to be mentally challenged by what they watch.
