Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult

This was better than The Vow and retroactively makes me downgrade The Vow. Seduced does a much better job of showing how Keith victimized these people, and frames this in the psychology of cults. I still wish I knew more about the Bronfmans and the Salzmans, as we get some sense of their roles but little sense of their motivations.

Much better than The Vow, this being centered around India Oxenberg is a much more compelling, complex story, looking at the dissolving boundaries between abuser and victim. She was tier two in a hierarchical master/ slave pyramid. How much was she gaslit and how much should she take responsibility for her actions? There are no clean cut answers here and that is actually super true to how this goes in real life.

I found even more interesting than its sister-series "The Vow" as it follows India step-by-step led down the brainwashing path. Only 4 episodes so it never overstays its welcome. Only negative really is some scenes where India is talking directly to camera in badly acted scripted/rehearsed dialogue. Cringy.