'The Vow' Episode 2 shows Bonnie Piesse's struggle to leave NXIVM and expose the truth to husband Mark Vicente
With HBO's 'The Vow', viewers are getting a closer look into the inner workings of NXIVM (pronounced Nex-e-um) -- better known as the "sex cult" that 'Smallville' actress Allison Mack was a part of. The first episode gave a look into how three people -- South African filmmaker, Mark Vicente, Australian actress, Bonnie Piesse, and Canadian actress, Sarah Edmondson -- became members of NXIVM that was founded by Keith Raniere. We also learned that Bonnie was the first to leave and felt a disconnect from her husband, Mark Vicente when she did so.
The second episode of 'The Vow' details Piesse's struggle to leave the cult after she began to notice cracks in the facade. During her time in NXIVM, she had joined its singing group, called "Simply Human," where she got closer to Mack who was also a part of it. Piesse describes how her life got busier when she was promoted to the position of a proctor -- her day would start at 5 am and she would carry on non-stop until 2 am in the night, often not getting proper breaks for eating or going to the bathroom.
This draining schedule took a toll on her and even NXIVM's "Emotion Stretching Exercise" -- where they believed they could get the body to bend to the mind's will -- was not enough. Piesse knew she had to be careful in approaching Vicente about her difficulties, given the latter's close relationship with Raniere. However, she did tell him that she noticed Raniere and NXIVM used coercion and guilt to manipulate people -- taking especially the case of Mack, whom Piesse felt did not know herself and was "desperate for Keith's affection." At this point, unfortunately, Vicente did not see Piesse's point of view.
When Piesse finally considered leaving -- Raniere had told her she was "blowing it from a spiritual perspective" when they spoke about Piesse's blood sugar crash affecting her performance with Simply Human, she met resistance from all fronts. Mack, who at this point was "looking her skinniest and her backbones were sticking out, invited her for a walk. As Piesse told Mack that she needed to eat, the other shockingly responded that Raniere was measuring her calories. Mack had also made a "lifetime vow of devotion" to Raniere and wore a belly chain to symbolize it.
It was only after Piesse was able to reach out to a former member that she started to feel more confident about leaving. When she spoke to Raniere about how his companies were built on abuse, obligation, guilt and coercion, Raniere told her, "you seem to have a commitment to being a victim." A following clip shows that Raniere believes that misery is "self-oriented and destructive." When Piesse left NXIVM in 2017, other members saw it as her being dishonorable and weak and ceased communication with her. NXIVM wanted an exit interview, but Piesse kept declining.
The documentary then brings in Vicente's perspective and dives deeply into why he was so close to Raniere. The South African-born filmmaker had spent an overall 12 years with NXIVM and over the years, became very close to Raniere as the latter "[took him] on as a friend." Vicente would try to talk to Raniere every day for many years and discuss ideas, going so far as to move to Albany to live in Raniere's vicinity. This was why when Piesse started having doubts and tried to get Vicente to read about cults, the latter pushed it and Piesse knew that as long as he was talking to Raniere, she would not be able to get him to see how things were.
Soon after Piesse left, another member followed and was willing to talk to Vicente about her concerns. She told him about her coach proposing something to her -- a women-only group that was top secret. The coach told this member that if she wanted to know more, she would have to "find something important in [her life], that if it were to come out, it would be hard for [her]." During their conversation, the member had noticed that her coach was texting someone. Among the messages, one sent message read, "I love you, master." The former member also mentioned how her coach had changed and lost a lot of weight.
This is when Vicente finally begins to realize that something is wrong. When he approached Raniere about some members taking on a zombie-like appearance, Raniere brushed away his concerns saying that it is Vicente's "internal prejudice." Vicente also tried to talk to Sarah Edmondson, who he believed was under their control.
After Vicente decided to leave the group -- a decision that made his mother happy -- he spoke to Edmondson and told her about his reckoning with everything he learned, admitting that he felt suicidal during the period. He tells Edmondson about a group he has learned of, one that requires women to exchange collateral. When Edmondson replied that "if people were invited to such a group, it wasn't presented that way." When Vicente asked her if she was invited, she responded, "If they were invited, they can't speak of it." After Vicente stopped recording the conversation, Edmondson told him about DOS -- the secret society within NXIVM that has been at the center of the sex trafficking allegations and that she had been branded.
Viewing clips of Raniere, it is easy to see why many people were pulled in by him -- he seems charming, humble, approachable and certainly, he seems very smart. In some of these clips, we even see others looking on at him as if they were worshipping him. Certainly, 'The Vow' will delve deeper into the kind of person Raniere was before the series gets over.
'The Vow' airs on HBO on Sunday nights at 10/9c.