The Path

I binge-watched this from beginning to end (s02 e13). I was fascinated at the beginning, learning the story of this particular "movement". The entire first season developed well, was entertaining, suspenseful, and I looked forward to each new episode. Things were revealed and the actors portrayed the characters well. It was a pleasure to see Aaron Paul again; this even seemed like an adult version of Jesse Pinkman. His Eddie has a mysterious past and some of his emotional reactions reminded me of his former character. It was believable and things were moving along well.

Then came season 2. As it progressed, problems with the story and actors emerged. Cal was the worst, and I thought his portrayal unraveled when I noticed that he reacted the same way to every situation. A scene opens, Cal sees or learns something, and we see panic and a brain moving almost out of control. Even when he states a fact he seems to lie. I don't understand how these people could trust & follow him. All his head and eye movements screamed DECEPTION, in every scene and situation. It would have been more authentic if the actor had added some variety to his character; even just a wee bit of development would have been applauded. But man, he could have seamlessly stepped from the pilot episode to the season 2 finale in the same workday. You could wind him up like a toy robot and there he would go, head jerking about, eyes avoiding & searching, stammering, etc. It got real old.

Ditto for Eddie. At first, I understood his character and how he played him. Season 2, though, it seemed that he had the same facial reactions in just about every situation. Good news, bad news, nice conversation, threatening conversion, and we got the same thing. Opens his mouth a little, rolls his tongue into his lower cheek, turns his head, looks down, looks up, then utters some disappointing line. Episode after episode of this. You could turn it into a drinking game. Will he look up or down after sticking his tongue in his cheek and turning his head?

After interesting developments in season one, season two started telling us circular stories. All the main characters went through some stressing event or situation; they changed, the story turned, then somehow they're right back in their original "configuration". Sarah was the worst. Her motivations & feelings would change almost from scene to scene. She trusts Eddie, she hates him. She trusts Cal, she can't believe what he did, trusts him again, turns to Eddie, back to Cal, etc. Some scenes I couldn't understand why she was frowning instead of smiling. I'm not spoiling anything here. It gets difficult to follow because it appears that the characters, their motivations, their subsequent actions, are almost random. Did the script writers draw all these things blindly out of a bowl? I had to consult a TV script service to make sense of certain scenes. Why, why, why? Hawks feelings toward Eddie lack logic and are on a merry-go-round. You never know what you'll get.

Lastly, if this is a movement based on truth, transparency, and The Light, why are people cussing so profusely? Are they members of a faith movement or drunks in a pool hall? There are so many lies among these people you'd think they were double-agents involved in counter- espionage. Why would any "believer" fall for their numb explanations of odd events? And it didn't get better. When the loopy lunacy mercifully ended with episode 13, I was relieved. Not because anything plot-wise was resolved or satisfied, but because I need at least a year's break before considering watching a subsequent episode.

As a couple who got out of a cult like scenario ourselves, my husband and I like certain aspects of this show and dislike others. Having been in a similar situation with a "religion", we relate to the two main characters a lot. However, there's various details about the show that irritate us on a logical level. Certain decisions characters make simply don't make sense at times if we are to believe they really are/were super into "the movement". Certain scenes don't make sense with the flow of the show too (especially a few of the random sex scenes in random places - and that's coming from people who are not offended by sex scenes, these ones just happened to be very weird in terms of placement in the show). Overall, the various plot lines and characters are gripping enough to carry the show and hold your attention, flaws and all. I see this as a mid to high 6 when compared to other shows we enjoy and rounded it up. We did get sucked in enough to finish season one and will watch season two when it comes out.

Yes, Cal looks and acts like a nervous chihuahua. Yes, Eddie whispers 90% of his lines. Yes, Sara's wardrobe was borrowed from Karen Carpenter's closet. But I can't stop watching this damn show! Maybe it's the anticipation of the ridiculous plot twists. Maybe it's my desire to watch the whole cult implode. Idk. Season 3 is an improvement over 2, which just got too random and weird. Kinda like this review.

With Actors Lke Aaron Paul & Hugh Dancy The Path builds one hell of a foundation for seasons to come. It demonstrates the potential to grow deeper and more rewarding as it matures, like any drama Katims has been associated with. The Path begins with Eddie already suspicious of his faith, following an encounter with a defector and his own personal revelations about the group's leadership following a trip to a healing center in Peru. In the episodes that follow, a great deal of the dialogue centers on his uncertainty in relation to whether or not to defect himself. It's a big decision, to be sure, but the writing offers little in the way of nuance or original ideas each time Eddie is volleyed back and forth between the spiritual and philosophical certainty of Meyerism and the depressing yet liberating instability of "the real world." The Path is unfortunately content to focus on a variety of rote melodramatic byways that give little insight into the fight between faith and personal desire, or the psychological relief and societal bliss that believers expect from their chosen religions.

This show is fantastic for anyone who like a tense slow burn character piece. There are definitely huge moments here, but they a few and far. This is a series best enjoyed as a whole. All of the main characters have huge, impactful arcs, that have them completely evolve by the time the credits roll on the finale. Beyond that it is a wonderful musing on religion, spirituality, and family. Definitely a must watch if you are a fan of slow but rewarding drama. I've seen a lot of reviews where the critic has given up after the first episode. All reiterate, this is a slow burn that needs to be experienced in full. Each episode carefully expands and twists on the last. The first episode serves to put all of the pieces into place, instead of lighting an explosion to draw you in. After 3 episodes I couldn't stop watching and now, I'm counting the days until it returns for season 2.