TV review: The Cult is cult viewing

BY CHRIS SCHULZ
Last updated 05:00 25/09/2009
Danielle McCormack stars as mysterious doctor Cynthia Ross in TV2's creepy new show The Cult.
TVNZ
CULT VIEWING: Danielle McCormack stars as mysterious doctor Cynthia Ross in TV2's creepy new show The Cult.

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Secret compounds, darkened forests, sinister eyeball surgery - and Danielle Cormack playing one of the creepiest doctors to ever grace a small screen.

Welcome to The Cult (Thursday, 8.30pm), TV2's ambitious and hyped new show that debuted with an episode as dense and brooding as anything dreamt up by similar conspiracy theory shows Lost and The X-Files.

Dark it was, from the opening shots of gruesome eyeball surgery through to the introduction of sleazy cult leader Edward North (Latham Gaines) - the controlling figure in a fenced compound on New Zealand's East Coast called Two Gardens.

There, North's subjects wore white clothes, grew organic vegetables, and gathered for group sessions to utter self-help slogans like, "Bountiful love" and, "The outside world keeps us static, in here we begin to grow."

So far, so Oprah. But then it got sinister. Ryan Lewis (Gareth Reeves) - a troubled 20-something who has been missing for three years - emerged from a spell in an isolation tank to discover his brother Nathan had gone a bit loopy after undergoing experimental surgery.

Despite only being on screen in a few scenes, Nathan's menacing doctor Cynthia Ross - a role that could become the best of Cormack's career - is shaping up as one of the show's best characters.

Then there was the cult's opposing group. Called "the liberators," they were bought together after being sent a series of polaroids of their missing family and friends supposedly living inside Two Gardens. Needless to say, they're not really getting on.

Led by Ryan's dad Michael Lewis (the excellent Renato Bartolomei), the group had rented a log cabin down the road from Two Gardens as they argued, shouted, debated and argued some more over the best way to infiltrate Two Gardens and rescue their loved ones.

What The Cult lacked in black humour - something that shows like True Blood excel at - it made up for with spooky camera angles, darkened hallways, blurry photos, swooping shots of New Zealand scenery and a gritty, film-like appearance. If you're looking for the definition of "cinema of unease," you'll find it here.

Plenty of tension was wrung out of several key moments, including a dramatic car crash, a surprise supermarket shooting and Ryan and Nathan's compound escape. Go on, admit it - you jumped at the show's closing shots involving the old man with the gun.

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Thankfully, The Cult has taken notes from The X-Files and Lost, hinting at bigger conspiracy theories at play with Two Gardens appearing to be just a smaller cog in a worldwide cult called "Momentum". That's an essential fanboy element if it is to become a long-running show.

And - with the liberators trying to break into the compound, and various cult members trying to escape - The Cult could make things really interesting by turning things around to ask, just who are the bad guys here?

There's certainly enough early promise for it to become - ahem - cult viewing.

* What do you think of The Cult? Will you keep watching? Watch the trailer and post your comments below.

- © Fairfax NZ News

59 comments
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Mike Butler   #59   03:40 pm Oct 09 2009

After watching the episode of "The Cult" on October 8, I quickly came to the conclusion that the writers know very little about cults, relying instead on sensational "I wuz brainwashed" type stories that used to abound. Aside from the alliance of family and friends seeking to save their adult son by force, the schizophrenic son, the semi-crim dad, the extortionist, and Narcotics Anonymous characters, together promise another trip through the seedy underworld that New Zealand writers and actors seem most familiar with. Will I continue to watch it? Nah, I would have to be able to suspend disbelief to get into it. I think I've dropped out of it already.

Michelle   #58   05:23 pm Oct 06 2009

I totally love this show although I have only been able to see the first episode. I started watching NZ tv shows in order to follow my favorite actors on The Tribe. I am so glad I did because I absolutely love them. I know so many of the kiwis on here are dissing NZ television, but as an American, I actually prefer the NZ tv shows. I actually keep telling my boyfriend that we have to move to NZ because they have better tv and it is nearly impossible for me to find episodes of the shows I watch online. For instance, I am 3 years behind in Shorty because the person who uploads them is in Ireland and they are quite a few years behind the NZ schedule. The Cult is really really good so far though, and I really hope that an US network will pick it up because nobody seems to be posting it online, and NZ blocks people from other countries from watching the videos.

Teresa   #57   11:09 pm Oct 02 2009

My first reaction to Episode 1 was "just another dark, turgid NZ drama" but with Episode 2, the story and the pace is beginning to pick up; the characters' back-stories, how they met, and the sub-plot with the bush hermit and the strange girl are all coming together. I'm still reserving judgment a bit, but will keep watching. I'm guessing that each character's story will be flashbacked in coming weeks, while the main plot develops. And yes, Kate Elliott (Gina) is the girl from the chocolate ad. One character who I think has a wonderful sense of suppressed menace is Scott Wills (Saul). Watch this guy!!

SusieQ   #56   10:40 pm Sep 28 2009

The Cult is brilliant. I am hooked. It was like watching a film. I can't wait to watch the next episode.

Tomsc   #55   01:01 pm Sep 28 2009

All this publicity about how new and ground-breaking The Cult is; does no-one remember The Chosen? Cliff Curtis, Radha Mitchell and some Australian bloke as the benign/sinister cult leader. Foreign cult shows up in small-town, bush-clad New Zealand and bad stuff happens. Yes, The Chosen was only a mini-series, but after that it all sounds pretty darn familiar to me.

Will   #54   09:45 pm Sep 27 2009

Lost is the most awesome series of all.Like Fringe, Heroes, Alias etc it requires you to 'think' rather than veg out and passively watch the mindless 'usual'(of which Lost is not) American crap that we're subjected to night after night.Finally NZTV is heading in the right direction.It's about time NZ got rid of the tall poppy syndrome and stopped knocking our own creative efforts.We seem to believe that the only good things come from the bigger countries.Maybe some TV viewers are a cult of their own-brainwashed into watching only predictable plots that Hollywood churns out like Big Macs.:)

hamish   #53   02:42 pm Sep 27 2009

all these people drooling over the show. its been One episode! It certainly didnt have me on the edge of my seat, nothing original yet... looked more like a tourism NZ ad in HD.

wal   #52   08:34 pm Sep 26 2009

total waste with even more unbelievable story line & acting from a bad script ..d for dud :)

Dave   #51   01:28 am Sep 26 2009

http://www.floatfinder.com - take a trip in a isolation tank and THEN you'll understand more :)

LeeK   #50   09:57 pm Sep 25 2009

Just watched the first episode on the TVNZ website - that's the way to watch it, folks, it's in 5 sections with only 1 advert between each one. And yes, I will be watching this again. I like the way this started, making you work out who was who and what they were doing. More please!


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