Ep 4. The Sins of the Father

The episode "The Sins of the Father" is the fourth installment of the second season of Deadly Devotion, a documentary-style crime series that delves into the often-fatal relationships between people and their deep-rooted beliefs. In this episode, viewers are taken on a chilling journey through the intertwined stories of two families, each plagued by the haunting legacy of their forefathers.

The first family is that of Richard and Diane Lang, a seemingly happy couple with three teenage children. But beneath the surface, their lives are marred by Richard's obsession with a religious cult that he had joined years earlier and subsequently left, but could not escape. When Richard suddenly becomes ill and dies, the cause of death is revealed to be cyanide poisoning. As investigators dig deeper into the case, they discover that Richard's paranoia about the cult had reached obsessive levels, and that he had been secretly dosing himself with the poison to "build up immunity" in case the group ever came after him. The question becomes whether his death was the result of an accidental overdose or of foul play.

The second family is that of Jerry and Sharlene Pawlak and their three adult children, who all still live at home. Jerry was the head of a small, insular religious group that he had founded many years earlier, and that revolved around his own unique interpretations of Biblical teachings. But when he dies suddenly and mysteriously, the family's closely-guarded secrets begin to unravel. It is revealed that Jerry had been involved in numerous affairs with female members of the group, some of whom were under the age of 18. The investigation into his death leads to shocking revelations about the extent of the group's control over its members, and the physical and emotional abuse they suffered at Jerry's hands.

As the stories of these two families unfold, viewers are forced to confront the dark and often dangerous consequences of putting blind faith in religion or in charismatic leaders. The sins of the fathers have not only affected their own families, but have had far-reaching effects that have torn apart entire communities and caused irreparable harm to those left behind. Through interviews with family members, law enforcement officials, and experts on cults and religious extremism, Deadly Devotion takes a sobering look at the dangers of unchecked devotion and the measures that must be taken to prevent such tragedies from happening again.