5 Reasons to Binge-Watch ‘The Path’ Now, Ahead of Season 2’s Premiere
In case you held off on getting hooked on The Path when it debuted on Hulu last March, here’s your second chance to join the cult. Ahead of its Season 2 premiere on Jan. 25, the entire 10-episode first season is now available to binge-watch on Yahoo View. Allow us to offer five reasons why you should follow The Path straight to Yahoo’s streaming service.
1. It’s eerily timely
At a moment in history when debates over fake news and the accuracy of intelligence are causing some to speculate whether America is creating two realities, The Path takes us inside a community that has its own distinct interpretation of our modern world. Welcome to Meyerism, the brainchild of Dr. Stephen Meyer, who lifted himself to enlightenment via a path he called “the ladder.” Other humans can ascend to similar heights rung by rung provided they follow his teachings, which start from the base level that mankind is damaged by its very nature. This movement started with one man, but it’s sense spread to more than 6,000 souls, with Meyerism-based communities in such far-flung locations as San Diego, Peru, and Parksdale, N.Y., where the show’s main characters, husband and wife Eddie and Sarah Lane (Aaron Paul and Michelle Monaghan) are based.
2. Meet Papa Paul
Thanks to Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul is forever preserved in our mind as twentysomething screwup Jesse Pinkman. But in real life, Paul is 37, which places him squarely in an actor’s prime “dad years.” Thus, The Path awards Eddie and Sarah two onscreen children to care for: teenage Hawk (Kyle Allen) and younger sister Summer (Aimee Laurence). As a performer, Paul is well-suited to fatherhood; Eddie is clearly a caring presence in his kids’ lives, even as his faith in their guiding philosophy is shaken by secret meetings with a convincing Meyerist defector: Alison Kemp (Sarah Jones).
3. Michelle Monaghan finally gets a juicy part
Hollywood has never quite known what to do with Monaghan, who was briefly poised to become the Next Big Thing after roles in big-budget blockbusters like Mission: Impossible III and Eagle Eye. Her heart, however, always seemed to lie with smaller fare, be it the 2008 drama Trucker, which she executive-produced, and 2014’s Fort Bliss. The Path marries those two worlds, using the expanse of TV to tell a bigger story, while also remaining dialed in on the characters’ emotional states. And Sarah in particular goes on a major journey over the course of the first season’s 10 episodes, moving toward a future as a Meyerist leader alongside Cal (Hugh Dancy), the man she previously rejected for Eddie. It’s a complex role that demands, and receives, the best from Monaghan.
4. Never turn down a chance to see Kathleen Turner work
Due to health issues, Turner is an increasingly rare onscreen presence, which makes each appearance she does instantly worthy of your attention. In The Path, the Body Heat star puts in a one-episode appearance as Cal’s mother, Brenda, whose alcoholism undoubtedly contributed to his pursuing a different path in his own life. Here’s hoping for an encore appearance in Season 2.
5. Listen for the echoes of Jonestown and Waco
While The Path starts quietly, tensions soon escalate when the government — in the form of FBI investigator Abe Gaines (Rockmond Dunbar) — takes an active interest in the Meyerists’ activities. That sets the stage for a late-episode standoff that’s deliberately reminiscent of the stare-down between the Branch Davidians and the FBI in 1993, not to mention the infamous Peoples Temple mass suicide in 1978. For now, at least, the Meyerists haven’t met an end that tragic. We’ll see what happens at the end of Season 2.
Binge all 10 episodes of The Path Season 1 on Yahoo View. Season 2 premieres Jan. 25 on Hulu.
