The Vow

Investigating the chilling world of creepy self-improvement group NXIVM.
Sarah Ward
November 24, 2020
Investigating the chilling world of creepy self-improvement group NXIVM.

Watching The Vow, you can be forgiven for wondering how the details and events that fill its frames all managed to actually happen. It tells a tale that seems like it should be a work of fiction, as many of the best true-crime docuseries do. But as the old adage goes, truth is stranger than fiction — and that definitely proves to be the case when there's a creepy self-improvement group involved.

NXIVM dates back to the 90s, but it wasn't until the past few years that it started attracting newspaper headlines, with its leader Keith Raniere first arrested and indicted, and then convicted of a spate of crimes including sex trafficking. Across its first nine-episode season, The Vow chats with former members of the group about their unsurprisingly disturbing experiences, and also spends time with journalists who've dedicated a hefty chunk of their lives to exposing NXIVM. Yes, it's one helluva story.

Published on November 24, 2020 by Sarah Ward
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