What Sins of Our Mother is all about without spoiling the show
Sins of Our Mother is far too difficult to describe without giving away too many spoilers. The basic premise is a mother, Lori Vallow, who seems to have an affinity with a strange cult-like belief about the end of days and a chubby writer who preaches these beliefs. Along the way, several people are either murdered or die due to strange circumstances linked back to her. It culminates with her two children who go missing. She makes headlines due to her lies and reluctance to tell other family members and the media what happened. Where are her children, Tylee and JJ? Furthermore, what really happened between her brother and now deceased husband?
If you’re a fan of true crime documentaries where the trouble keeps coming, Sins of Our Mother is going to strike that nerve for you.
Did you know anything about the Sins of Our Mother story before watching?
Yes, I watched a 20/20 episode about it and had watched Doomsday: The Missing Children. Sins of Our Mother tells things from a different perspective than those two programs. While the outcome was known, a lot of new information was given. Doomsday: The Missing Children focused a lot more on the grandparents’ search for the children while Sins of Our Mother is told a lot from the perspective of Lori Vallow’s other child, Colby. This helped Sins of Our Mother become something worth watching even if there were few surprises along the way.
Will Sins of Our Mother make people feel uncomfortable?
Whenever missing children are involved, there is a bit of an uncomfortability factor. There isn’t any blood or gore discussed or shown in this documentary. If things about weird religious beliefs freak you out, this might have an additional uncomfortability factor as it did for me.
What may add to the uncomfortability is that there is so much carnage along the way. It seems like the crimes committed in Sins of Our Mother could happen to any of us by simply trusting the wrong person.
What was good about Sins of Our Mother?
I really appreciated that we got to see things from Colby’s perspective. In the other two programs I watched, he wasn’t shown or made only brief appearances. There may be a reason for this like contractual obligations or maybe he wasn’t ready to start talking. Whatever the case is, it was nice to see a different approach taken.
Sins of Our Mother is a very dark story told in the way it should be. We get a lot of information upfront. The title alone reveals who the main villain will be. It’s Lori Vallow! She’ll make you thankful for your mom.
A deep look into Lori Vallow’s life before, during, and after her sinful and manipulative acts help make her one of the more villainous people to appear in a true crime documentary. This story is still fresh in the minds of many people. It has a little bit of everything with a few big questions remaining at the end. Why did any of this need to happen and who is manipulating who?
What could have made Sins of Our Mother better?
Sins of Our Mother may have benefited from more of a slow burn with its storytelling. It could be because I already knew the outcome that I had an idea of what was always coming next. They do begin with bodycam footage of one of her husbands talking to police in what was pretty much the end of the first of the three parts. It’s not as much of a “what’s next” as much as it is a “why” that’s posed throughout.
The story of Lori Vallow may certainly have another leg to it. We have unanswered questions about her new husband, Chad Daybell, and exactly how involved he was with everything. Daybell, if you’ve been paying attention closely, is the chubby writer she becomes obsessed with. I’m hopeful we get yet another version of this story. This story isn’t over yet.
Is Sins of Our Mother worth watching?
Even if you know the story and have watched other coverage of it, I find Sins of Our Mother more than a repeat of a tale I knew all about. It’s such a weird story that involves multiple murders, cults, and an unfounded belief in zombies. It’s layered. It’s the kind of true crime documentary that could have another part or two and carry one for many years.
Sins of Our Mother feels like it might be only the first in a longer series someone eventually puts together. We don’t get an honest answer to a lot of the questions. We should expect more documentaries covering this story in the future. Rather than wait, this one is worth watching to fill you in on a lot of the details.
Overall Score: 8 out of 10
You’ll find something you like about this true crime documentary and even more people to come away hating. There are a lot of bad people beyond the sinful mother. She’s just the link between them.
Interested in watching Sins of Our Mother or learning more about the case? Below you will find affiliate links to the series as well as other information about this case. By using this links, I may receive a small commission of any purchase you may make.
Watch Sins of Our Mother on Netflix
Watch Doomsday: The Missing Children on Amazon
The Doomsday Mother: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and the End of an American Family by John Glatt
If you have a series or film you want to know my opinion on, please leave a comment below. I may have already written about it. I can save you some time from watching a dud.
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