‘The Path’ Recap, Episode 5: Dig Me Out

Well, Pathheads, we’re halfway through this wacky little traipse down Krazy Kult Kul-de-Sac. It’s been…interesting, mostly. Thus far the show’s strongest parts are its performances, with uniformly good work done by all our very good-looking cast members. And speaking of good-looking, let’s take a gander at this beautiful opening shot!

In this episode of The Path (Episode 5, “The Hole”), more than in any previous one, the rhythm of the season takes hold and reinforces that just as everything does not remain static in the natural world, nor does everything remain static in Meyerism. Oh, also, Eddie (Aaron Paul) is digging a very big hole.

Eddie’s in his 7R training and he’s being supervised by Handsome Cal (Hugh Dancy). Basically this level of training seems to rely on sleep deprivation to induce hallucinations. Eddie has one, and because this show cannot go too long into any episode without weird sex shit, it’s a HOT CUCKOLDING MAKEOUT SESH between Eddie’s wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) and Handsome Cal!

Eddie denies having a vision, even though everybody who goes through 7R training has a vision because that’s the whole point of 7R. Then Sarah (real Sarah, not fantasy makeout Sarah) calls him up and is all, “Get your ass home! Our son, he of the avian nomenclature, is missing!”

Back in Magic Meadow, sweet virgin baby boy Hawk (Kyle Allen) wakes up alongside his girlfriend. They’re fully clothed and probably just made out, but he’s gonna get caught! Oh no! He rushes home, where’s he’s confronted by the whole boring cult family. They’ve discovered that Baby Hawk has a lady friend, and she’s not in the cult, which makes her BAD and terrible.

Baby Hawk gets sent to his room even though Sarah wants to set him on fire or something. And then we hear tell of the fact that her sister, Tessa, got wise to all this cult bullshit at around Hawk’s age and quit the fold. As per usual, Eddie urges caution.

Quite frankly, I’m confused as to why Eddie sticks around with this pack of batshit lunatics. I know he’s locked in because of his kids, and he has hot sex with his wife every other episode, but like, dude. You’re smarter than this. Or maybe you’re not. But you’re at least better than this, bro.

Rather than summarize the entire episode as per usual (spoiler: Hawk lies and says he’s breaking up with the girl but he’s totally not; Handsome Cal gets the shit beat out of him by a muscle man hired by an angry dad whose kid has been spirited off for ayahuasca training to cure his heroin addiction or whatever; Eddie and Sarah have hot sex; there’s something wrong with FBI Abe’s daughter and also the cult is probably involved in drug trafficking), I’d like to offer you some food for thought, in the form of two deeply meditative GIFs and fascinating questions.

1. Why doesn’t Handsome Cal know how handsome he is?

If you looked this good shirtless, would you stick around in some dumb cult, even if you’d been brainwashed since you were five years old? No. No, you would not. You would get off the “campus” (silly to call it such a thing but honestly it’s exactly how I envision Hampshire College) and get it in with some fine Upstate NY skeeeeez. You’re right in the heart of the place where the dream of the ’60s turned into The Hills Have Eyes, and you could be hitting up so much Metro-North puss, bitch!

2. How does this chick maintain such on-point balayage whilst on the lam from a murderous cult?

I find it hard to believe that Allison Kemp has found time while mourning her dead husband (who she claims was pushed off a mountain in Peru by Meyerists) to get her hair painted. Isn’t she holed up in that weird motel near the Meyerist campus all the time? Does somebody come to her motel room to do her highlights? And how much do they charge? Because that shit is cute.

Alright, Pathheads, it’s time to go until next week, when we dive into the wild world of Episode 106, which is called “How The Butt Stuff Happens” (jk it’s called “Breaking and Entering.”) I’m ready for something BIG to happen on this show, but it’s not exactly that kind of show. It’s more about the little things we do all the time to get along, and the moral compromises we make to ensure the continuance of the status quo.

Or about eventually seeing Cal fuck Sarah. It’s also definitely about that, too.

‘Til next week!

[Watch The Path on Hulu]

Sara Benincasa (@SaraJBenincasa) is a comedian and writer. Her books are available at Amazon and your favorite indie bookshop and other book-type places.