‘The Path’ doubles down on its own dysfunction, family-style

If it wasn’t clear that the Meyerist Movement was rife with dysfunction, Wednesday’s (Feb. 1) episode, titled “The Father and the Son,” officially cemented this notion as a flat out fact. Meyerism may be a religion based on love and light — with the goal of inclusion and community — but as we’ve seen with Eddie (Aaron Paul) and Sarah’s (Michelle Monaghan) declining relationship, and the others that have followed, the concepts of love and light seem as foreign as ever.

At this point, the only thing really tethering Eddie to any semblance of normalcy is his children. While Sarah remains firmly connected to Meyerism and Cal (Hugh Dancy), co-signing the man’s dastardly secrets, she has found the heart to let Eddie to see his kids. But as Eddie moves further and further away from a life based on fairy tales, his son Hawk (Kyle Allen) has taken a different path (pun intended).

Not only has he grown closer to Cal, which notably makes Eddie’s blood boil, he’s apparently moved up another rung on The Ladder. To put it bluntly: He levitated — two feet off the ground, to be exact. And while Eddie refuses to believe such things, this emotional enlightenment further bonds his son to the false prophet.

RELATED: A crisis of faith runs deep in ‘The Path’ Season 2 premiere

Then there’s Abe (Rockmond Dunbar), the detective who entered the compound on an undercover mission to expose Cal and the movement as a fraud. But, while he continues to claim this separation from his family is part of the job, this rift — between the bonds of blood and his own spiritual awakening — feel like the flipside of Eddie’s proverbial coin. Having his feet planted on both sides — maintaining his own secrets and yearning for infidelity — has obviously thrown a few complicated wrenches into his investigation.

Of all the relationships marred by Cal’s influence, Mary (Emma Greenwell) and Sean’s (Paul James) may be the most messed up. If you’ll remember, Mary went to bed with Cal when she first arrived at the camp. Her pregnancy is five months in, and there’s a very real concern that the baby she is carrying is Cal’s — not Sean’s.

While it wasn’t spoken outright, it seems that Sean’s a smart enough man and realized the clarity of this predicament. There’s not much he can do to react to Cal, if the baby is indeed his, without damaging his own status in the community. Then again, emotions can drive people to make erratic decisions on “The Path.” Isn’t that right, Cal?

It looks like Kodiak (James Remar) and Richard (Clark Middleton) may be onto Cal’s murderous ways. And with his own rage issues coming through — both at the fundraiser and when confronted by Eddie — it feels like time may not be on his side. With Meyerism hitting a massive roadblock in its IRS filing, Cal’s emotional stability has hit some very rough waters.

It may be just a matter of time before his dark truths are revealed. How that will effect Sarah, Eddie, Hawk and the rest, is still anyone’s guess. But something tells us these things won’t be getting easier for anyone anytime soon.

“The Path” streams a new episode every Wednesday on Hulu.

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