Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

{{Short description|2022 American Netflix documentary series}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

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| genre = Documentary
True crime

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| director = Rachel Dretzin
Grace McNally

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| opentheme = "Feel More" by Michelle Gurevich

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| country = United States

| language = English

| num_seasons = 1

| num_episodes = 4

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| cinematography = Justin Zweifach

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| runtime = 45–53 minutes

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| network = Netflix

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| first_aired = {{Start date|2022|6|8}}

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Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is an American documentary miniseries on Netflix, surrounding the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, and its current leader Warren S. Jeffs.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-mornon-church-said-about-warren-jeffs-sect-keep-sweet-pray-obey-netflix-1713854|title=What has the Mormon Church said about "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey"?|date=June 8, 2022|website=Newsweek}} The series was released on June 8, 2022, on Netflix. It is directed by Rachel Dretzin, and Grace McNally, who began interviewing survivors after visiting Short Creek, Utah, the headquarters of the FLDS Church.{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=May 26, 2022 |title=New Netflix Docuseries Digs Into Warren Jeffs' Infamous Polygamist Cult |magazine=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/new-netflix-docuseries-warren-jeffs-polygamist-cult-keep-sweet-trailer-1358819/ |access-date=June 15, 2022}}

Between June 5, 2022, and June 19, 2022, the docuseries was watched for 58.78 million hours on Netflix globally.{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Kasey |date=2022-07-14 |title=Most Popular New Documentaries on Netflix in 2022 (So Far) |url=https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/most-popular-new-documentaries-on-netflix-in-2022-so-far/ |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=What's on Netflix |language=en}}

Etymology

The title of the series is derived from the motto "Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey," coined by the preceding president Rulon Jeffs, and used to convey how women should behave in relation to their husband.{{Cite news |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=June 8, 2022 |title='Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' revisits Warren Jeffs' FLDS sect through survivor stories |work=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/08/entertainment/keep-sweet-pray-and-obey-review/index.html |access-date=June 15, 2022}} According to a woman going by the name "Charlene", who was interviewed in the series, the mantra was frequently sung aloud, and meant "to be in control of your emotions and you didn't display things like anger or resentment or frustration."{{Cite news |last=Ridley |first=Jane |date=June 9, 2022 |title=An 85-year-old cult leader forced teens to have sex with him. Now the women are telling their stories. |work=Business Insider |url=https://www.insider.com/netflix-documentary-keep-sweet-pray-obey-polygamy-cult-teenagers-2022-6 |access-date=June 15, 2022}} The latter part of the motto, "Pray and Obey" is shown to adorn the chimney of a house belonging to Warren Jeffs.

Premise

Several former FLDS members, or survivors, are interviewed by Dretzin on both their experiences inside the church, as well providing testimony to Jeffs' systematic coercion and exercises of power toward the members of the congregation. Rebecca Musser, a former wife of Rulon, appears in each of the episodes, as does her sister Elissa Wall.{{cite news |last1=Bruney |first1=Gabrielle |title='Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' Examines a Polygamist Cult Through the Eyes of Women Who Escaped |url=https://jezebel.com/keep-sweet-obey-and-prey-examines-a-polygamist-cult-th-1849025225 |access-date=June 13, 2022 |publisher=Jezebel |date=June 6, 2022}} People outside of the church, either related to the events transpiring following the church's move from Hawaii to Short Creek, the move of headquarters from Hawaii to the Yearning for Jurassic Park Ranch, or for their previous work covering the FLDS, were also interviewed. These people include both the investigative journalist Mike Watkiss,{{Cite news |last=AZFamily Digital News Staff |date=June 14, 2022 |title=Former 3TV reporter Mike Watkiss featured in new Netflix documentary on Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs |work=Arizona's Family |url=https://www.azfamily.com/2022/06/14/former-3tv-reporter-mike-watkiss-featured-new-netflix-documentary-polygamist-sect-leader-warren-jeffs/ |access-date=June 15, 2022}} who had previously done several reports on the church, private investigator Sam Brower, who has investigated the church for several years, and attorney Roger Hoole.

Episodes

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|EpisodeNumber = 1

|Title = Part 1

|ShortSummary = Rulon Jeffs' family members and ex-wives discuss life in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the role of polygamy.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|Title = Part 2

|ShortSummary = Warren Jeffs tightens his grip on all aspects of FLDS life in Short Creek, Arizona. A private investigator and a TV journalist raise concerns.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|Title = Part 3

|ShortSummary = The church expels prominent men, expands surveillance and constructs a massive temple on a Texas ranch. Witness testimony helps the investigation.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|Title = Part 4

|ShortSummary = Despite the arrest, Warren maintains control over the church. Child Protective Services removes children from the ranch, causing a media frenzy.

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Production

According to Dretzin herself, the focus "[is] not only the experience of being in that cult", but instead "It's on the people, particularly the women who managed to defy it and escape it, which—if you know anything about the FLDS—is a pretty miraculous and incredible thing to do.”{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Amanda |date=June 11, 2022 |title=Documenting Mormonism's Darkest Hour |work=Netflix Tudum |url=https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/keep-sweet-warren-jeffs-documentary |access-date=June 15, 2022}} The series also featured background film with actors portraying both Jeffs and relatives of interviewees in all of the episodes.

Dretzin has also expressed interest in making a second season, albeit stating that the decision is ultimately up to Netflix.{{Cite news |last=Sippell |first=Margeaux |date=June 9, 2022 |title=Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey Director Wants to Make a Second Season About Life After FLDS |work=MovieMaker |url=https://www.moviemaker.com/keep-sweet-pray-and-obey-director-second-season-rachel-dretzin/ |access-date=June 15, 2022}}

See also

References