The Path Mid-Season Review
French aspiring writer and interviewer. TV shows and films connoisseur. Overpowered by curiosity.
The Path is a hit series for Hulu and our own Elodie Cure is here with an outstanding Mid-Season review.
“Unburden, and you shall be free of that weight” promises the leader Cal to one of the recruits in the new Hulu original series, The Path. He then adds “live in the light”, because yes, this is all that Meyerism is about : to reach a kind of nirvana by confessing everything and being true to yourself.
Premiered on the 30th of March, the series has reached the mid-season with its fifth episode aired last Wednesday. Created by Jessica Goldberg (Refuge, Parenthood), The Path depicts the workings of a sect and the life of its followers. An original subject with a prodigious casting that knows how to entice the series-lover.
Specifically imagined for the needs of the show, The Meyerism Movement is an obvious reference of Scientology. The cult is build around the metaphorical idea of the ladder that one can climb to attain personal fulfilment. While for some, The Meyerism is the promise of light and blossoming in lives made of pains and illusion, for others, it is the pledge of an existence behind barbed wires in which you don’t have the right to express doubt and where you have to justify all your comings and goings.
In this new drama, the impact of this cult is seen through the eyes of different characters of various ages and pasts. In the first episode, we discover it through young Mary’s vision, a lost lamb, that has been prostitute by her father for years. She is rescued by Meyerist members and enters the compound where we are soon introduced to the three main protagonists : Cal, Eddie and Sarah.
Cal is an influential spokesperson, a pillar to the religion, who takes advantage of his power and inspires his faith to new and fragile members. Referred to as the “chosen son”, Cal is a complex and ambiguous character, a combination of charm and shocking brutality, perfectly deployed by Hugh Dancy (Hannibal, Confessions of a Shopaholic). This character is unpredictable and has surely a lot in store for us.
Facing this charismatic character, is Eddie, who joined the movement after losing his brother. Now prone to a strong faith crisis, he begins to doubt the integrity of the religion and is torn between his feelings and his love for his wife. As the promotional poster suggested, Eddie is the only one not to be foolishly blinded by the Movement (out of the three protagonists on the poster, he is the only one with his eyes open). The series is a new way of the cross for the young Aaron Paul, well known for his role of the unforgettable Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad. Aaron has evolved, has grown up and has put away his chemistry manual to become an exclusive member of the Movement, a good family father and husband. The only problem is that after portraying a role for five years, the actor has trouble getting away from Pinkman’s facial expressions which is annoying in some scenes.
In the middle of this purely masculine tandem stands Sarah, Eddie’s wife portrayed by Michelle Monaghan (The best of Me, Mission Impossible III). Born into a Meyerist family, Sarah’s compassion and devotion have soon made her an important figure and guide in The Movement. However, a more important time on screen for Michelle would have been appreciated as her character is pushed aside by the two other leading roles and her talent is not exploited enough. Hopefully, this will change in the second half of the season.
Between enthusiastic meditations and confessional campfires scenes, The Path is hypnotic and intoxicated despite its slowness. Yet, the rhythm of the season takes hold in episode 5 with an intense confrontation between Cal and Eddie.
Presenting a movement from every angle was a task rather a risky challenge that can be wrongly interpreted. In the Path, this subject has the advantage of being handled with rigour and intelligence. The result is a series highly appreciable with a powerful casting that opens a reflection on the principles of faith and reality in a cabalist group of believers.
This new drama is a promising and original series that has to be careful not to fall into banality and boredom.
Elodie Cure is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow her on Twitter @Elodie_Cure.
Promising
Despite some tiny flaws, the Path offers an absorbing view on religion and human condition.