Honestly, it’s hard to watch. When you sit down to stream A Friend of the Family, the Peacock miniseries based on the Jan Broberg kidnappings, there is this immediate sense of dread that settles in your stomach. It’s not just because of the 1970s wallpaper or the way the lighting feels a little too suburban-perfect. It’s the people. Or rather, it’s the way A Friend of the Family characters are portrayed—not as caricatures, but as real, deeply flawed individuals who were systematically dismantled by a predator.
We've seen the documentaries. Abducted in Plain Sight already shocked the world. But the scripted series tries to do something different by focusing on the psychological mechanics of the Broberg family and their neighbor, Robert "B" Berchtold.
The Puppet Master: Robert Berchtold’s Manipulation
Jake Lacy plays Robert "B" Berchtold, and he does it with a terrifying lack of "villain" energy. That’s the point. If he looked like a monster, the Brobergs never would have let him sleep over. In real life, Berchtold was a master of the "long game." He didn't just target Jan; he targeted the entire family unit.
The character of "B" represents one of the most documented cases of multifaceted grooming in criminal history. He convinced the father, Bob Broberg, and the mother, Mary Ann, that he was their best friend—and eventually, their lover. By creating secret sexual or emotional bonds with the parents, he effectively neutralized them. They couldn't protect Jan because they were terrified of their own secrets coming to light. It’s a messy, uncomfortable reality that the show refuses to gloss over.
Berchtold used "missions" from space—fictional narratives he recorded on tapes—to brainwash Jan. He told her she was half-alien and had to conceive a child with him to save her planet. It sounds insane. It is insane. But when you look at the A Friend of the Family characters, you see how isolation and religious devotion made them vulnerable to such a bizarre lie.
Jan Broberg: The Girl Caught in the Middle
There are two versions of Jan we see. Hendrix Yancey plays the younger Jan, while Mckenna Grace takes over for the older version. This distinction is vital.
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The younger Jan is a child who genuinely loves her neighbor. He's the "fun" adult. He takes her on trips. He gives her attention. The transition into the older Jan shows the psychological toll of being kidnapped twice—once in 1974 and again in 1976. The character isn't just a victim; she's a survivor who is actively being re-programmed in real-time.
One thing people often miss is how Jan felt she was the one in control. She believed she was a hero. Berchtold made her feel like the savior of the world. That’s the most heartbreaking part of these characters; their "heroism" was actually their undoing.
Bob and Mary Ann: Why Didn't They Just Leave?
This is the question that floods every Reddit thread about the show. Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin play the parents, and they have the hardest job in the cast. They have to make the audience empathize with people who made catastrophic mistakes.
- Bob Broberg: Bob was a man of deep faith and, as the series explores, deep repression. Berchtold exploited Bob's struggle with his own sexuality to create a "pact" of silence.
- Mary Ann Broberg: She was lonely. She felt unseen in her marriage. Berchtold provided the validation she craved.
Their characters aren't "stupid." They were groomed. It’s a hard pill to swallow because we like to think we’d be smarter. We’d see the red flags. But the Brobergs were living in a community where trust was the default setting. They were Mormons in the 70s. Their world was built on the idea that your neighbor is your brother.
The Supporting Players and the FBI
Then you have the characters on the periphery. The FBI agents and the local police who were constantly hampered by the parents' refusal to press charges. This happened. In the real timeline, the Brobergs actually signed an affidavit to help Berchtold get out of jail after the first kidnapping.
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It’s mind-blowing.
But looking at the A Friend of the Family characters through a modern lens, we see the power of "gaslighting" before that word was even in the common vocabulary. Berchtold didn't just kidnap a girl; he kidnapped a family's perception of reality.
The Reality of the "Missions"
The show spends a lot of time on the tapes. These weren't a creative invention for TV. Robert Berchtold actually recorded hours of audio mimicking "alien" voices. He used high-pitched tones and weird static to convince a young girl she was being watched by extraterrestrials.
When you see the character of Jan listening to these tapes in the back of a motorhome, you're seeing a factual representation of how she was isolated from her own identity. This wasn't just physical abuse; it was a total war on her mind.
What This Story Teaches Us About Modern Grooming
It's easy to dismiss this as a "70s thing." It wasn't.
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The character dynamics in this story are a blueprint for how predators operate today, just with different tools. Instead of motorhomes and cassette tapes, it’s Discord servers and encrypted apps. The core tactic remains the same: isolate the victim from their support system and make the parents feel like they are "partners" with the predator.
Berchtold’s character is a reminder that predators often look like the most helpful person in the room. He mowed the lawn. He went to church. He was the "friend of the family."
Actionable Insights for Child Safety
While A Friend of the Family is a piece of entertainment, the real Jan Broberg (who was a producer on the show) intended it to be a warning. Here is how to apply the lessons learned from these characters to real-world situations:
- Define Personal Boundaries Early: Teach children that no adult—friend, relative, or coach—should ever ask them to keep a secret from their parents. "Surprises" are okay; "secrets" are not.
- Monitor "Special" Relationships: If an adult is showing an unusual amount of interest in one specific child, giving them expensive gifts, or taking them on solo outings, it requires immediate scrutiny.
- Trust Your Gut Over Social Politeness: The Brobergs often ignored their instincts because they didn't want to be "rude" or "confrontational" to a friend. If something feels off, the risk of being rude is far lower than the risk of silence.
- Watch for "Parent Grooming": Predators often spend as much time befriending the parents as they do the child. If an adult is working hard to become "indispensable" to your household, ask why.
- Utilize Resources: Organizations like Jan Broberg’s Foundation provide specific toolkits for parents to identify grooming behaviors before they escalate.
Understanding the complexity of the A Friend of the Family characters isn't just about true crime voyeurism. It’s about recognizing that the most dangerous people don't lurk in the shadows; they often sit at your dinner table.
Watch the series not for the shocks, but for the subtle shifts in behavior. Note how Berchtold changes his tone depending on who he is talking to. Notice how the parents' guilt keeps them frozen. These are the real-world mechanics of a tragedy that we must learn to recognize in our own communities.