The Path (TV series)

Premise

Eddie Lane lives in Upstate New York with his wife Sarah and their two children, Hawk and Summer. They are all members of the Meyerist Movement, which combines aspects of New Age philosophy, shamanism, Scientology, Christian mysticism and Utopianism with a few elements of Sufism, Tibetan Buddhism and Freemasonry ritual. Eddie returns from Peru, where he had undergone a spiritual retreat designed to advance him further up Meyerism's spiritual ladder. Unbeknownst to his family, while in Peru, Eddie experienced a revelation which causes him to question his faith in Meyerism. Meanwhile, Cal Roberts, a friend of Sarah's and one of Meyerism's top leaders, is looking to expand their influence and deal with the imminent death of their founder, Doctor Stephen Meyer.

Meyerism

Meyerism is a fictional movement in the series founded by the character Dr. Stephen Meyer who on October 28, 1974 was said to have literally climbed a ladder of burning light to receive the message of universal truth. Meyer gave to his followers the instructions for their spiritual development, written in the first book of Meyerism, The Ladder. Meyerists believe that all people are damaged which is the cause of the world's suffering. Through personal enlightenment, they seek to become aware of suffering in themselves and others, and to heal the world, caring deeply about family, humanity and the environment. In this way and others, they create the heavenly Garden of Meyer's vision here on earth. However, The Ladder foretells that their efforts will be thwarted by non-believers or Ignorant Systemites (I.S.) whose selfish actions will result in an apocalypse; but those who ascend The Ladder of Enlightenment will live forever in The Garden.

The Movement claims 6000 members with facilities located in San Diego, California and Parksdale, New York, with a retreat center located in Cusco, Peru. Most practice Meyerism in everyday lives, while others have taken vows of service and dedicate themselves to counseling, recruitment and outreach programs. However, founder Stephen Meyer warned against media attention, that the movement should remain small and publicity should be kept to a minimum. Spiritual progress is evaluated on an ascending series of rungs from 1R to 10R, with many decisions made by the senior membership or Upper Rungs (U.R.). Meyerists practice meditation and use biofeedback devices and drugs—including ayahuasca and cannabis—to aid in reaching deeper levels of consciousness, and put considerable stock in visions and intuition which are believed to be The Light trying to communicate with them.

A Vanity Fair analysis of the show's first episode described Meyerism as "inspired by a grab bag of religious practices and cult beliefs". The show's creator, Jessica Goldberg, specifically refutes comparisons to Scientology.

Main cast

Aaron Paul as Eddie Lane:

A convert to Meyerism with a wayward past. Eddie suffers a crisis of faith when all that he has come to accept as truth is fundamentally challenged.

Hugh Dancy as Calvin "Cal" Roberts:

The charismatic, unofficial leader of The Meyerist Movement. His ambition puts him at odds with the organization's existing leadership and roils Sarah and Eddie's already turbulent marriage.

Michelle Monaghan as Sarah Lane (née Armstrong):

Born into a Meyerist family, Sarah's compassion and authority have made her an important figure in The Movement. Her devotion, however, is tested when she uncovers her husband's falsehoods.

Emma Greenwell as Mary Cox:

An addict who's been saved by Cal and a team of Meyerists after a tornado leveled her hometown. Now freed from a life of abuse, she becomes infatuated with Cal and devotes herself entirely to The Movement.

Rockmond Dunbar as Detective Abe Gaines:

An FBI investigator who seems to be the only agent suspicious of the mysterious religious sect that recently responded to a natural disaster. As he delves deeper into the investigation, he faces personal troubles at home and is forced to reflect on his own faith.

Kyle Allen as Hawk Lane:

Eddie and Sarah's devoted teenage son who wants nothing more than to drop out of high school and join The Movement full time. His loyalty wavers when a popular classmate pursues a relationship with him.

Amy Forsyth as Ashley Fields:

A popular girl at Hawk's school who would normally have nothing to do with "a weird cult kid." After a financial crisis hits home, she turns to Hawk and his family for help.

Sarah Jones as Alison Kemp:

A defector of Meyerism who holds The Movement responsible for the mysterious death of her husband. She employs Eddie's help in a search for answers and redemptions.

Paul James as Sean Egan (recurring season 1, starring season 2):

A novice member of the Meyerist Movement who begins to date Mary when she joins the Movement. Sean's sister was shot and killed in a school shooting, which led him to join the Movement.

Production

The Meyerist compound was shot on location at Nyack, New York, redressed with influences from kibbutz living, collective farming, and production designer Russell Barnes's experiences being raised on an island with limited resources. The two-story Lane home was built on a sound-stage. Almost all of the Peru scenes were shot in the area, including a New York state park used for a mountaintop scene with subtropical plants concealing uncleared snow.

The Eye symbol, central to Meyerist branding and given dominance in many interiors, was based on tribal, Egyptian and modern art, with a rising sun overlaid to show hopefulness for a new day. Series creator Jessica Goldberg describes the Eye's symbolism as a duality of enlightenment and paranoia, that "your eyes have been opened, and now you've seen the truth" but also that "you're always being watched." While preparing to shoot a scene in a Westchester storefront dressed as a Meyerist recruitment office, passers-by would come in—curious about the Eye on posters, books, brochures, etc.—wondering what the movement was and how they could join.

Reception

The first season of The Path has received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator, Metacritic, the first season scored 70 out of 100 based on 33 reviews. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter reacted positively to the series, writing: "There's a lot to like about The Path, from the strong visual sense of place that director Mike Cahill established in the first two episodes to its theoretical take on faith, and of course the exquisite acting and deft writing." Hank Stuever of the Washington Post, wrote that "The Path works best as an intense psychological study of an extended family whose members equate faith and loyalty with happiness."

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix had a more critical reaction to the series. He called the show a "a dry, claustrophobic show, with not enough of a narrative hook to pull the viewer through hour after hour of it."

Controversy

Residents of Marysville, Washington called the show "insensitive" for "exploiting" the October 24, 2014 shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School. Episode 2 referred to the shooting in order to develop the backstory of one of the characters. The insult, they say, was that the show's writers changed the real events in order to make them better fit the story, giving the shooting a racial motive (the character stated that the shooting was due to "the color of their skin"). As of 8 July 2016, Hulu and the writers of the show had made no response to this.