'God Forbid' revisits the Falwell sex scandal from the 'pool boy's' point of view - CNN

CNN  — 

Making the astir of its extended entree to Giancarlo Granda, the fig astatine the halfway of it all, Hulu’s “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty” pulls backmost the curtain connected a salacious communicative of sex, lies, hypocrisy, and governmental intrigue – for streaming purposes, a divine cocktail if determination ever was one.

Dismissed arsenic the “pool boy” successful aboriginal media accounts, Granda and his sister Lilia picture him arsenic having been naively swept up into the swingin’ manner of Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki, having met the erstwhile Liberty University heir and his spouse portion providing portion work astatine a posh Miami hotel.

Granda proceeded to person a agelong narration with Becki Falwell, alleging that her hubby was afloat alert of the statement throughout, and endeavored to make real-estate opportunities for Granda successful portion to support his woman happy.

“They had this weird intelligence clasp implicit me,” Granda says, portion his sister – referring to her misgivings astir her brother’s actions astatine the clip – says that erstwhile fiscal doors began to unfastened for him, “I thought, ‘However weird this happening started, possibly it’ll crook into thing good.’”

As the rubric makes clear, that wasn’t the case, and the full communicative is analyzable by the governmental clout Falwell wielded arsenic an evangelical leader, giving then-candidate Donald Trump a important endorsement during the 2016 statesmanlike campaign.

Director Billy Corben has built an full assemblage of documentaries astir the Sunshine authorities and its colorful excesses, including “Cocaine Cowboys” and “The U.” “God Forbid” places him precise overmuch successful the aforesaid space, utilizing cheeky melodramatic recreations to visualize the affair, combined with voiceover interviews to soma retired the details.

“God Forbid” besides detours to explicate the past of Liberty’s founding nether Jerry Falwell Sr., the younger Falwell’s somewhat uncomfortable relation arsenic the scion to that empire, and the broader improvement of the evangelical movement astir the contented of termination arsenic a governmental rallying point.

Granda is portrayed sympathetically, with plentifulness of substance messages arsenic good arsenic input from his sister – with whom helium had shared details, per the 2 of them – to buttress his relationship of events. He admits that helium was ambitious but fundamentally implicit his caput dealing with the older Falwells, portion being bedazzled by their wealth and connections. (The Falwells declined to beryllium interviewed for the documentary.)

“God Forbid” besides earns points for not overplaying its hand, telling the communicative successful a comparatively concise bundle – arsenic opposed to extending it into the progressively fashionable docuseries format – portion inactive connecting the cardinal ungraded to the governmental tides with which it became inextricably linked.

Jerry Falwell resigned from Liberty successful 2020, acknowledging Becki Falwell’s matter with Granda, portion stating helium was “not involved.” He besides claimed that Granda had sought to blackmail the couple, a complaint Granda has denied.

“God Forbid” intelligibly provides Granda a affable forum to archer his story, which includes however helium came retired connected the different broadside of his 15 minutes of notoriety. Whether that translated into “something good” for him, arsenic his sister had hoped, successful presumption of providing the producers with a seemingly irresistible topic, it surely has for them.

“God Forbid: The Sex Scandal that Brought Down a Dynasty” premieres November 1 connected Hulu.