The Vow: Part 1

TV-MA
2020
Trailer
Poster for The Vow: Part 1

HBO's investigative docuseries delves into the case of NXIVM, a self-help group founded in 1998 that drew in vulnerable people... More

Where to watch The Vow: Part 1

The Vow: Part 1 is available to stream in Australia... More now on Google TV and Apple TV Store and Foxtel and Binge.

The Vow: Part 1 episodes

Episode 1.1

The Science of Joy

Mark Vicente and Sarah Edmondson, high-ranking former NXIVM leaders, describe... More the dream and mission of NXIVM to build a better world. Bonnie Piesse, Mark's wife, tells him she's worried about the organization and Keith Raniere, NXIVM's leader and Mark's mentor. Mark wonders how could tools to make a better, more ethical world be misused?

Episode 1.2

Viscera

After seven years, Bonnie leaves NXIVM for Los Angeles and... More tries desperately to get through to Mark, who reassures her all is well. Mark remains loyal to Keith and NXIVM, but a series of phone calls begin to sow doubt within him.

Episode 1.3

At Cause

Sarah confides to Mark about DOS, a secret group involving... More "masters" and "slaves," and struggles in her relationships with NXIVM, her husband and her best friend. Sarah and Mark lament how many members they've recruited and question what to do next.

Episode 1.4

Building Character

Mark, Bonnie, Sarah and Nippy strategize with Catherine Oxenberg about... More how to get her daughter, India, out of DOS, even though she wants to stay. "Jane," India's close friend, describes the appeal of the organization and why she left it all behind.

EPISODE 1.5

Class 1 Data

Catherine believes her daughter is in danger and wants her... More to come home. When she and the former members are unable to get the attention of the authorities, they approach the New York Times. Meanwhile, Mark reflects on his time at NXIVM.

EPISODE 1.6

Honesty & Disclosure

Sarah, Mark and Nippy contact additional news outlets to provoke... More outrage and pressure law enforcement to pay attention. Barbara Bouchey, a former board member and early defector, reflects on her time in Keith's inner circle.

EPISODE 1.7

Blame & Responsibility

After learning that the New York Attorney General's chief investigator... More is interested in building a criminal case against Keith, Catherine travels to Buffalo to meet with Frank Parlato, creator of the anti-NXIVM blog "The Frank Report," to build a dossier of evidence. Meanwhile, we're introduced to Toni Natalie, one of Keith's former girlfriends, who takes us back to the '90s to share her experiences and the challenges she faced with Keith during the days of his first company, Consumers' Buyline.

EPISODE 1.8

The Wound

As the group gathers evidence for their FBI testimonies, they... More express their beliefs about how the curriculums of SOP and JNESS, men's and women's groups within NXIVM, reshaped their ideas on gender roles in society and may have laid the foundation for DOS.

EPISODE 1.9

The Fall

Keith hasn't been seen in Clifton Park, N.Y., for weeks;... More Catherine meets with India; Mark and Bonnie return to Clifton Park for the first time since leaving NXIVM; Sarah, Bonnie, Mark, Nippy and Catherine face a development in the case.

The Vow: Part 1 | Ratings & Reviews

"The amazing access to personal stories as they unfolded likely led directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer to err on the side of inclusion, but the repetitive, unedited nature of the series actually diminishes its intended impact."

RogerEbert.comRogerEbert.com

"Once things ramp up “The Vow” becomes as fascinating as expected, but it’s unclear if an audience will stick around to see that assumption bear fruit"

IndieWireIndieWire

"One thing The Vow does well is break down the techniques of emotional abuse Raniere and his inner circle used to manipulate lower-ranking members, so we understand why they stuck around—if not why they were devoted to this man in particular."

A.V. ClubA.V. Club

"“The Vow” pushes back against its slack pace to become television that compels — both for the access it has and for what it does with that access. ... This series, in its methodical nature, attempts to restage Edmondson’s own coming into consciousness, and that it largely succeeds is an impressive feat of bearing witness."

VarietyVariety

"The generous peppering of insider NXIVM videos throughout The Vow renders the dorky, soft-spoken Raniere, who appears not to have participated in the documentary, a thoroughly unimpressive figure, while providing visual relief from the many talking-head interviews."

Hollywood ReporterHollywood Reporter

"The measured pacing and focus on NXIVM exposition makes The Vow drag occasionally in its initial episodes. But as this multilayered saga unfolds, that approach becomes an asset."

VultureVulture

"As a portrait of manipulation and, in particular, the masking of female abuse through self-effacement, the series is darkly compelling, unnerving in a way that’s hard to shake."

The GuardianThe Guardian

"A stunning expose of the self-improvement group NXIVM and its downfall."

CNNCNN

"What’s so chilling about The Vow — HBO’s immersive new docuseries about NXIVM, the New York-based “self-help group” brought down by charges of sexual slavery — is how vividly it illustrates the seductive and insidious ways these groups lure intelligent, well-meaning people into servitude."

Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly

The Vow: Part 1 | Details

Rating
TV-MA,
Genre
Documentary
Country of origin
USA

The Vow: Part 1 | Trailers

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