I remember watching Louis Theroux's first two visits to Westboro Baptist Church and feeling nothing but pure hatred for everything the members of the church stood for. Though small, they made their presence felt whenever possible, picketing the funerals of soldiers who died fighting for their country, with signs emblazoned with such slogans as 'GOD HATES FAGS' and 'SOLDIERS DIE 4 FAG MARRIAGE'.
At the time, the church was led by minister and founder Fred Phelps, who would record video messages packed full of extreme propaganda. When Fred died in 2014 however, rumours circulated suggesting he had been excommunicated just before his death, replaced by a council of elders who would be in charge of the church, rather than any one individual. Many expected his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper to pick up the buck, but that didn't happen.
In the years since Louis' last visit, a number of members of the church have decided to leave and carve their own paths. One of the most prominent is Shirley's daughter, Megan Phelps-Roper. Whilst she's now forbidden from communicating with her mother and siblings who remain in the church, Megan uses her voice for good, to spread positivity and suggest ways in which lines of communication can be opened between places such as Westboro, and those who oppose what they stand for.
You can check out Megan's brilliant TED Talk in full below:
Intrigued by recent goings-on, Louis decided to go back to Topeka, Kansas for a third time, in a new documentary for the BBC. Whilst there, he revisited Westboro Baptist Church, and also caught up with some of the ex-members who are now enjoying a free life, away from the constraints the church placed upon them.
Aside from Megan, it is Shirley who has notably changed the most since we last saw her. Sure, she is physically older, but it's clear that recent years have really been taxing on one of the church's once proud leading figures. Gone are the days of her constant blabbering and rantings of "dumbie!" towards Louis whenever he asked her a question she deemed inappropriate. Now, she's a figure of weakness who has clearly been emotionally drained following the death of her father, and losing her children to the real world.
Refusing to talk about her father following his death, and only touching upon those children that have parted ways with the church, she looks frail and almost at the point where she's afraid that all for which she has fought for could be a lie. Never at any point in previous documentaries has Shirley looked so unsure in the garbage that has spouted from her mouth. Now though, she's at a point where you can almost - almost - pity her.
Less understandable is former filmmaker Steve Drain, who decided to join the ranks of the church when he went there to make his own documentary. He looks as passionate as ever, though Louis and viewers note that some of the signs following Fred's death are a little more reserved than those we've seen in the past. They're still utterly disgusting, but lack shock value.
Perhaps that's a product of the world we now live in. The President of the United States sends out racist tweets against democratically elected members of Congress; Britain looks like it's about to be led by Boris Johnson; white nationalists are taking to the streets with a renewed sense of importance - maybe we're now at a point where nothing shocks us at all.
Still, whilst that desensitisation usually allows people like those at Westboro to seize power, they seem to be going in the opposite direction. As such a small group, their impact on the world is miniscule at best. They're a freakshow attraction, that are fascinating to watch from afar, and that's all they will ever be. Thank God.
Louis Theroux - Surviving America's Most Hated Family is available to stream and download on BBC iPlayer.
MORE: Nice Guy of the Week - Louis Theroux
Tagged in Louis Theroux