The Path

[Lillybee]

Hulu has started streaming its own production. It is called The Path and it seems to be about a cult. Is anyone watching it?

[clueliss]

It's on my queue but it will be this weekend before I watch it.  

[SilverBeach]

I watched the first two available episodes. The similarities to Scientology are obvious. New episodes are streamed each Wednesday, I'll keep watching.

[clueliss]

I've now watched.  And yes, definitely a Scientology feel to it.  With both first and second/third generations.  I really enjoyed it and will keep watching.

[sophie10130]

Just watched up until the 4th episode.

Man, the son, Hawk, looks JUST like Heath Ledger.

[SilverBeach]

Spoiler

Just saw episode 5 today. I'm hooked now. Poor Hawk, can't even pick his own girlfriend in that high control cult. Everyone who is not a meyerist is "ignorant". That's smug, isn't it? I don't like the mother that much. And the ratting on each other! Jill Duggar Dillard would have done well in this cult. Cal got his ass beat but I felt little sympathy for him since he is so slithery and slimy. Ugh. 

 

[SilverBeach]

Just watched Episode 7. It was excellent. 

[EyeQueue]

So, is the consensus that this is pretty good and worth watching, then? I have it on my list as a potential, but am tired of getting burned by series that either go nowhere and/or are canceled without any wrap-up.

[SilverBeach]

I watched Episode 8 yesterday. It is really good, especially if you have an interest in cults like I do.

 

[sophie10130]

I guess the season finale is Wednesday and they're up for a second season?

These ten episode seasons are SHORT.

This is the only show I make sure to watch every week. I love it so much! The mom just really is not a sympathetic character to me, but that might change. 

[SilverBeach]

On 5/23/2016 at 2:18 AM, sophie10130 said:

I guess the season finale is Wednesday and they're up for a second season?

These ten episode seasons are SHORT.

This is the only show I make sure to watch every week. I love it so much! The mom just really is not a sympathetic character to me, but that might change. 

Cal is a psycho, a murderous, alcoholic, manipulative, despicable psycho. The mom irks me, kissing on Cal while losing her shit at the thought of Eddie having an affair. Hawk the son, I feel badly for him. His mom will disown him for developing critical thinking skills, that why I hate cults with that all or none thinking. And that dumb girl he fell in love with, keeping him twisting in the wind, I don't like her either.

I really like the FBI guy and I hope he busts that shit up.

Manipulation, power tripping, us vs. them mentality, love bombing, charismatic leader, communal living, all the necessary cult elements are present. Cal is going to lead the Meyerists into Jonestown.

Looking forward to the next season!

 

[sophie10130]

1 minute ago, SilverBeach said:

Cal is a psycho, a murderous, alcoholic, manipulative, despicable psycho. The mom irks me, kissing on Cal while losing her shit at the thought of Eddie having an affair. Hawk the son, I feel badly for him. His mom will disown him for developing critical thinking skills, that why I hate cults with that all or none thinking. And that dumb girl he fell in love with, keeping him twisting in the wind, I don't like her either.

I really like the FBI guy and I hope he busts that shit up.

Manipulation, power tripping, us vs. them mentality, love bombing, charismatic leader, communal living, all the necessary cult elements are present. Cal is going to lead the Meyerists into Jonestown.

Looking forward to the next season!

 

I actually don't mind the girlfriend. I think the writers hit the nail on the head pretty well with how a teenage girl would handle a situation like that. I could see myself doing something similar if I were in her shoes and a leader of a cult my mom told me to stay away from told me to stay away from my boyfriend. Whether she has made good decisions or not, she still has my sympathy. 

I'm concerned about the family, especially the younger sister, if Hawk and Eddie leave. 

[SilverBeach]

5 minutes ago, sophie10130 said:

I actually don't mind the girlfriend. I think the writers hit the nail on the head pretty well with how a teenage girl would handle a situation like that. I could see myself doing something similar if I were in her shoes and a leader of a cult my mom told me to stay away from told me to stay away from my boyfriend. Whether she has made good decisions or not, she still has my sympathy. 

I'm concerned about the family, especially the younger sister, if Hawk and Eddie leave. 

I dont like the way the girl has hurt Hawk twice now. She knew he was in a cult and that she was forbidden fruit, so to speak, and Hawk is vulnerable and sheltered. I have a soft spot for him, maybe because he looks like Heath Ledger's love child. But, she is just a teen girl, I forgot about that. I'm rebellious and probably would have run off with Hawk, he is so cute. So, not much sympathy for her, I would have done differently, although she is likely hurting too. Plus her mom is kinda off too. Tough situation for her.  I barely notice Hawk's younger sister, but being the sole focal point of her mother's cult devotion cannot possibly be good.

[sophie10130]

1 hour ago, SilverBeach said:

I dont like the way the girl has hurt Hawk twice now. She knew he was in a cult and that she was forbidden fruit, so to speak, and Hawk is vulnerable and sheltered. I have a soft spot for him, maybe because he looks like Heath Ledger's love child. But, she is just a teen girl, I forgot about that. I'm rebellious and probably would have run off with Hawk, he is so cute. So, not much sympathy for her, I would have done differently, although she is likely hurting too. Plus her mom is kinda off too. Tough situation for her.  I barely notice Hawk's younger sister, but being the sole focal point of her mother's cult devotion cannot possibly be good.

I agree. I don't think her decisions were good or mature. Her mom nonsense is interesting. I wonder if they will touch on that anymore or what. I was surprised at how little she interacted with the cult. I thought her staying there would open her up to them since she is the perfect type of person they prey on, so I was surprised when she left.

[duplessis3]

She was living in a car, and then they were given shelter if she would break up with him - remember, her father has killed himself. She is in a world of pain, and it is amazing that her family has resisted Meyerism, since it seems like the Movement is the only group that actually helped them. 

I think in high involvement cults, where if someone leaves they are ostracized is really a special case. The mother has already lost her sister to "ignorance" i.e. not being in the Movement.

I think it is well worth watching - there are similarities to a lot of cults (New Age mostly) which I find fascinating. Oddly I even find some sympathy for Cal - he was an extremely broken person, this group saved his life and then he has a chance for ower?! interesting.

[SilverBeach]

So, cult founder Steve is not dead after all. Or is Eddie hallucinating again? What is the significance of the snakes he keeps seeing? Did Steve fake his death to see what would happen to the cult after he was gone? And why is denier Eddie caught up in this? The mid season finale left me with more questions than answers. 

You could see the pain on Hawk's girlfriends face when she realized he was staying with the cult. Both her and Hawk have been royally mind fucked by their moms. I think Hawk is staying because of his little sister and his mom's pain at separating from Eddie. At least mom's reaction was real when her mom came spouting that party line bullshit about Eddie leaving being for the best. She was like fuck that, this shit hurts. Then she doubles down and agrees to co-lead with evil Cal. She really is a true believer.So very brainwashed. She knows Cal is shady but still supports him. 

Cal? No sympathy whatsoever. He uses and manipulates cult members for his own gain, he doesn't give a damn about them or Meyerism. A true sociopath, he has not shown an iota of conscience. Having sex in secret with unbalanced Mary, after marrying her off to an unsuspecting nice guy, cold-blooded murder, lying about Steve, Cal is a total tool. He and Mary both should check in to the local mental ward, there is some serious pathology with the two of them.

I liked how the FBI guy's child was healed after Eddie prayer for her. Hmmm...

Shunning defectors is standard practice in cults. Its us vs. the rest of the world! We are the light and everybody else is darkness! You are for us or against us, there is no middle ground! The social annihilation that takes place when leaving keeps people in the cult, even when they no longer believe, if they ever did.

I'm looking forward to part two of this season.

 

[sophie10130]

I only just yesterday watched the last episode. I am very much looking forward to more of this.

I am so confused about the hallucinations Eddie is having. I am interested to see what those are all about!

[infooverload]

The show has been mentioned a few time on the podcast Everyone's Agnostic a few times. I can see why the host said he and his wife find it difficult to watch at times since he was a pastor in the Evangelical church and left. While yes there are the obvious similarities to Scientology, there are a lot of similarities to conservative Christianity. The mind fuckery of what the heck is happening with Steve at the end of season 1 was a trip. Hawk ad others have pointed out dead ringer for winning a Heath Ledger look a like contest. As far as his girlfriend I can see where she's in a tough spot. Her dad dies while driving drunk. Her mom buries her head in the sand and they are evicted. Then there's her younger brother to worry about. The whole thing is a mess and she's trying to be loyal to her family, but has feelings for Hawk. She knows the importance of family and becomes upset at one point she states "Even if I join your cult I'll never see my Dad again he died an "ignorant." Cal and the mom's manipulation of her was just plain shitty. With Eddie the hallucinations are something else. I really want to know what the snake is about. Is it a sly reference to the Adam and Eve story, because the Myerist believe they go to the garden upon death? What is up with Medusa figurine? Side thing the blonde chick who was the denier, why did she believe the things written in the journal given to her. I was all WTH seriously she's going to believe things written about her husband in a journal provided by the cult. I have to wonder if she is somehow working with the FBI guy to have more people in. So many questions and characters which make you yell at your television going what the hell is wrong with you.