HBO's documentary series The Vow began its nine-episode run on August 23, 2020, and unsurprisingly leaves out big reveals about NXIVM that will likely be addressed in future episodes. Even so, there is important contextual information about the cult-like organization NXIVM that's glossed over by filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, which could leave some viewers curious about the full details.
The premiere episode, "The Science of Joy," focuses on the personality of NXIVM founder Keith Raniere and his ability to connect with colleagues. In 1998, the American entrepreneur created a New York-based company that was designed to optimize client experiences and behavior. Much of the first episode of the HBO documentary features commentaries from former NXIVM Mark Vicente and Sarah Edmondson, both of whom explain how Raniere convinced them to NXIVM through genuine conversations about philosophical concepts and the future of the organization. The hierarchal structure was clearly defined, and the co-founder Nancy Salzman appealed to them via her communication skills and ability to show results. As the main guru, Raniere was known as "Vanguard," and Salzman — the first NXIVM student — went by "Prefect." The Vow's first episode culminates with NXIVM attracting the attention of Hollywood celebrities, and Vicente's wife — musician/actress Bonnie Piesse — having second thoughts about ing Raniere's rapidly-expanding company.
As an introductory episode, "The Science of Joy" provides viewers with the essentials. The opening acknowledges Raniere's 2019 conviction for sex trafficking charges, and the ending links NXIVM to actress Allison Mack, who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in 2019. Rather than sensationalizing the story with tales of sex and secret society branding, The Vow introduces audiences to the main players, and makes sure to spotlight the best personality traits of all parties involved.
Raniere's Pyramid Scheme Company
The Vow's first episode frames Raniere as a confident individual who has long been praised for his intelligence. He appears relatively normal and doesn't present himself as a genius entrepreneur who's just too busy to be bothered, or someone who speaks down to others. One of the primary interviewees, Vicente, recalls being unimpressed with Raniere after seeing him for the first time, but then acknowledges that he wound up in tears after a moving five-hour conversation. The Vow on HBO presents its focal subject as a motivated and self-aware entrepreneur, however clips from the '90s show that NXIVM's founder was once a "painfully awkward" businessman who tried to get away with a pyramid scheme.
In 2017, one of The Vow's main interviewees — Edmondson — spoke with Green Acres. From a 2020 perspective, Raniere's promo has the dry humor feel of a Saturday Night Live digital short, and the boy genius doesn't quite exude the natural charm that he would later use as NXIVM's "Vanguard."
Transparency About Mark Vicente's Filmmaking Career
The Vow filmmakers don't position Vicente as a major Hollywood figure, but Vicente does toot his own horn while discussing his filmmaking career. As revealed in the HBO doc, he directed the 2004 docudrama What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?, which — due to its thematic material — inspired one of NXIVM co-founders, Salzman, to reach out. Vicente states that "A lot of doors were opening to me. I could pretty much call, you know, any production company, any studio, and they would f**kin' take my call and meet with me." Early on in The Vow, Edmondson states that she was initially drawn to Vicente after meeting him on a cruise and realizing that he directed "one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all-time."
Co-directed by Vicente, What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? did actually make $16 million at the box office — which is significant — but the film received poor critical reviews and has been accused of "misrepresenting science and containing pseudoscience." At IMDb, What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? currently has a 5.3 rating, which implies that it's an average production, at least according to general viewers. Vicente co-directed a follow-up in 2006 entitled What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole, but then didn't release another film until 2016's Encender el Corazón.
Nancy Salzman's Background
Salzman appears front and center throughout The Vow's first episode, but little is revealed about her background. Edmondson expresses her skepticism about the NXIVM co-founder, but also acknowledges that she learned to appreciate what Salzman was offering, and how she communicated with . Because the filmmakers hold back on contextual information about Salzman's upbringing or life before NXIVM, it seems that some major revelations are on the way.
In 1998, Salzman reportedly met Raniere for the first time. That same year, they founded NXIVM. Salzman was a former psychiatric nurse and a trained hypnotist, which seems to be the reason why she was featured in promotional videos. Salzman also created the group ESP, the same one that intrigued Vicente. In the aforementioned ABC News clip, Edmonson reveals that she grew close to Salzman's daughter Lauren over the course of 12 years, and also states that Lauren was the person who demanded nude photos as collateral for a "new and exciting opportunity." Edmondson ultimately took part in a secret branding ceremony, which will likely be explored in full during the later episodes of The Vow.
The Scope of The Hollywood Connection
The Vow makes vague Hollywood references in episode 1 but doesn't have any big reveals about the sex-cult's Hollywood ties. Vicente hypes up his filmmaking career, and explains how he met actress and future wife Bonnie Piesse (young Beru Lars in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith). Around the 43-minute mark, Vicente states that Raniere wanted to recruit people who "run the motor of the world," which is a reference to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, a 1957 novel about a dystopian society in the United States. Edmondson then discusses how she and Vicente introduced ESP to Hollywood, which is followed by a montage that links NXIVM to celebrities such as Richard Branson, Catherine Oxenberg, Kristin Kreuk, Grace Park, and Nicki Clyne.
HBO's The Vow doesn't spend much time focusing on any specific Hollywood celebrities in the first episode, nor does the docies detail how Vicente and Edmondson recruited influential people in Los Angeles. More shocking revelations are certainly on the way, of course, evidenced by a brief reference to actress Allison Mack, who became one of the key figures in the scandal. In typical Hollywood fashion, though, The Vow includes a lot of name-dropping but without providing much substance about the actual relationships between NXIVM and Hollywood. Vicente clearly had some s back then, along with Edmondson, but what were the specifics of their mission? All will apparently be revealed throughout the nine episodes of The Vow on HBO.