The Path: A Homecoming

April 14, 2016 4:23 AM - Season 1, Episode 3

Cal visits his estranged mother with the intent of putting her in an assisted living facility. Miranda Frank is brought to the New York compound to unburden, and with Cal gone, Sarah chooses to confront Miranda alone.

The EW Weekly recap points out that this episode deals with unresolved feelings for parents. Cal's issues with his mother and with Meyer as a surrogate father figure. We find out that not only did Hank, Sarah's father, cheat, but Sarah’s mom tells her that Hank cheating on her was the best thing that happened to their marriage.

posted by miss-lapin (3 comments total)

I want to know why Eddie couldn't tell the truth, or a version of it - "I saw something in my vision that fucked with my head and led me to meet up with this apostate lady, but I've dealt with it now, maybe it was a test of my faith which I have now passed" or whatever. I mean, it's obviously too late now, but why not way back at the end of ep 1? (I imagine the answer is 'apostasy is much worse than cheating in Meyerism' but they haven't really spelled that out.) I could have also used a little more indication of Miranda's faith or lack thereof, because it wasn't clear if she literally couldn't leave but wanted to, or if she didn't WANT to leave because she loves Meyerism.

On the other hand I really liked Cal's storyline in this episode, and when he finally lost it and yelled at his mom it was genuinely unsettling. (Also, re: my theory that Cal was molested... I swear there is a scene early in this episode where his mom VERY CLEARLY looks at his ass in a creepy manner.)
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:16 AM on April 14, 2016 [1 favorite]

Considering his relationship with Mary, I wouldn't be surprised if he was. It seems he has at least a very...conflicted issue with his own sexual desires and that certainly could be because of his mother.

To understand why Eddie doesn't say anything you have to think from his perspective.This religion "saved" him. It gave him his wife and children. What if it's not true? What if this religion that values honesty is actually lying to him? Like most religions, he isn't allowed to question. The answer is that cheating would be easier for him to overcome than 1. question the faith and 2 meeting with someone outside the cult. Questioning his marriage is one thing, questioning the Path is not something he can come back from. Basically he's terrified and not thinking straight and clinging to the prefab lie that he was cheating seems like the easiest solution.
posted by miss-lapin at 11:49 AM on April 14, 2016

I want to know why Eddie couldn't tell the truth, or a version of it - "I saw something in my vision that fucked with my head and led me to meet up with this apostate lady, but I've dealt with it now, maybe it was a test of my faith which I have now passed" or whatever. I mean, it's obviously too late now, but why not way back at the end of ep 1?

Or even a less harmful lie: "I went to meet someone who presented herself as a potential, but it turned out to be an ex-Meyerist trolling for information. Didn't get her real name, sorry." It really sucks that he put Minka Kelly in the soup, but Sarah (who is none too stable herself under the Suzy Sunshine veneer) kind of primed that pump.

Man, poor Cal, taking off his sobriety chip. And now we know why he's seething with barely suppressed rage and creepy neediness. I like how his inability to just walk the fuck away from his vicious trainwreck of a mother for good ties in with the "once it gets its hooks into you, you'll never get away" (not-a-)cult theme.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:52 PM on April 14, 2016