‘The Vow’ Is Getting a Season 2 on HBO; What Will ‘The Vow: Part 2’ Be About?
The Vow, HBO’s 9-part documentary series investigating the company/supposed-self-help program NXIUM, finished out its season 1 this past week. Many viewers have taken to social media to complain that the true-crime show is poorly-paced, and a bit dragged out over the 9 episodes. Bad news for those folks: it’s going to keep going. The Vow is officially getting a Part 2, set to be released in 2021. Given all the information the docuseries has already covered, what will the 2nd season focus on?
‘The Vow’ Season 2: what’s next for the ex-NXIUM members?
According to Variety, “HBO formally ordered” The Vow for a season 2 “last week.” The “directors/executive producers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer” will take up the story in a Part 2, which will be released on the network next year.
Given that so many viewers have not been happy about the already-fairly-lengthy docuseries, what else could they possibly show in The Vow Part II?
The final moments of The Vow Season 1, Episode 9, do give us some clues. After all, we didn’t get to hear everyone’s perspective in the 1st season.
Nancy Salzman, one of the head honchos at he company, shows up multiple times throughout the series’ season 1 — but only in the context of the ESP training videos, or in other clips from events like Vanguard Week.
In the very last moments of “The Fall,” the final episode of season 1, it seems like the documentary producers did film an interview with her. However, the shots of her are something of a tease — we get a weird side-angle of her face — and we don’t see her speak directly to camera.
“Loyalty is good in certain contexts and very bad in others,” Salzman says in a voice over.
Then, viewers see a shot of Salzman taking off one of those infamous NXIUM sashes. As she folds it, the camera pans up from what looks like a house arrest bracelet around her ankle.
‘The Vow’ Episode 9 teases an in-prison phone interview with the Vanguard himself, Keith Raniere
But Salzman isn’t the only federally-charged ex-NXIUM leader we might get to hear from in season 2.
Next, we hear the voice of Keith Raniere, over an exterior shot of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
In a very Serial-esque (the popular true-crime podcast from a few years ago) moment, we hear: “This call is from” — and then, that recognizable voice of Raniere says his own name — “an inmate at a Federal prison.”
Convicted “in June 2019 of 7 charges,” Raniere will face sentencing on Oct. 27, 2020, Variety reported.
“Left with no other defense, Raniere appears to think he can talk his way out of trouble once again, at least in the court of public opinion if not the court of federal prosecutors,” the publication continued.
Why is season 1 ending on Keith Raniere’s voice?
In the last few moments of the finale episode, Raniere continues on in a Vanguard-like tone, so representative of the arguably condescending and know-it-all way he spoke to so many NXIUM members in the multitude of clips of Raniere in the series.
“There are many ways of presenting a documentary,” Raniere says from the prison phone. “Your side is only the very top layer. And depending on what you’re willing to present as the truth, it can go very deep.”
So, it would appear Raniere has his own side of the story to tell — and the documentarians will give him a chance to tell it in The Vow Season 2.
“So, talk to me,” Raniere presses on. Then: cut to credits.
It’s a bit of a shock; The Vow spent most of its 1st season painting Raniere as a creepy, controlling cult leader. Why are we letting him get the final word in? But, we imagine the 2nd season will get to the root of that question and find some kind of objective truth (even if it takes them too many episodes to get there).
The HBO docuseries’ season 1 finale also includes a post-credits promo for Part 2
Indeed, sticking around after the credits, a short promo shows up, advertising The Vow Part II.
The first sound clip calls Raniere’s case “one of the most sensational trials” — hinting that the upcoming season will center around Vanguard’s day(s) in court since his arrest.
The graphics on screen read: “the battle for truth exposes the layers of the deepest betrayal.”
We hear several different women talking, mainly about Raniere. One of them shares: “the scary thing is where would he have gone if he wasn’t stopped.”
However, others sound-bit in the HBO ad seem to be lamenting NXIUM’s demise.
“Everything we built, everything we created, was destroyed,” another voice says.
Cut between the more typical lambastes of Raniere, The Vow producers have clearly found some people (or at least, sound bites of people) willing to defend the alleged cult founder.
“I know he’s innocent,” a voice in the promo claims. The short promo ends on the title: The Vow: Part II.
