User reviews

I wouldn't describe this show as terrible. I don't really like fake drama passed off as real, but I could tolerate this show most of the time.

My blood would boil every time a character would deliberate about if The Garden is a cult. They would say asinine things like, "well, they have a leader, so they're definitely a cult." Or "they kicked someone out, which as everyone knows means they're a cult." Never mind that there is no religious component, people are free to leave whenever they want, there is no overt pressure of conformity, etc etc. The tagline question of "Commune of Cult" is clearly answered in the first 10 minutes.

Now, there are other dysfunctional practices that are still allowed to be questioned, but we've got the big one out of the way. Kinda click-baity to base the entire premise of your show around something so obvious from the get-go.

By the way, voluntary communities are allowed to have leaders, agreed-upon systems of governance (ie. Unanimity, consent through silence, etc.), and they can kick people out for whatever reason they want.

Bleeping out the curse words made it unwatchable. These are people who swear ALOT. They could have put a warning at the beginning and let it go.

I love a good documentary. I love living off the grid as much as possible. I hoped maybe I could get some good project ideas for my land. From the previews I could tell these were the kind of people I have known all my life, good and bad. I got 1/2 way through the first episode and gave up. Maybe it's a cult? Maybe it's just a groovy bunch of people. I'll never know because y'all think we can't handle a few curse words.

If you're too fragile to hear the naughty words this is the documentary for you.

I just have to provide a retort to Tyler, from my neck of the woods here in (rural) Colorado, not too far from Colorado Springs: You are an ex-military person, a self-proclaimed end-of-days "prepper" who claims that when "the time comes," we'll all be begging for you to help us. And you'll just tell all of us, "F-- you!" So my response to that egotistical load of your b.s. Is this: I, for one, will never, ever ask for any sort of assistance from you. Sure, I might perish in this so-called "end-of-days," as many, many other people might, as well. So, no Tyler, F-- you man! Those sharing your fear, have said and will continue to say our prayers.

I took the bait... I thought this was a documentary about a cult. But as soon as those credits rolled with a fake fight happening in the background like all those discovery channel garbage reality show I was quickly reminded that discovery is part of hbo max now. It is terrible of HBO to clearly come after the people who like cult documentaries and use false advertising like this. This merger is going to be the death of hbo, they are catering to the extremes on both sides and are forgetting about us normies. Well that was a long rant about hbo, tk get back to the show...well it sucks, it is so obviously fake, they bring in actors who have no skill set to be outdoors. It's just bunch of paid actors who have fake fights like every cheaply produced discovery channel trash.

This show is a ride from the very first episode. While many "cult" docs as of late have been focused on the manipulation of the members by some evil leader, this one really gives you insight to their everyday lives and the natural struggles that come living in an ungoverned society.

If it is a cult... sign me up!!! There are clearly a lot of pros and cons to living off the land and even more barriers when it comes to living with each other peacefully but the community and bond that is formed as a result looks so fulfilling.

There's some level of leadership, sure. But this isn't how I think of cults. There's no one major leader at the top trying to profit or be a master manipulator. Patrick owns the land and has some level of authority but these people crying that it's some horrible cult need to go study/watch the NXIVM cult and some of the other crazy ones where a ton of crimes and financial/emotional manipulation is taking place.

Coming off actual documentaries on harmful cults like Love Has Won, , this one was framed from the start as something shocking, teasing at violence and coercive control.

Instead we get a semi-scripted reality show where it appears that actors responding to the casting call were structured around whatever roles as "the Viking", "the outcast who hates hippie nonsense", "the out of water influencer", "the citizen detective investigator" etc etc, offered talking head moments and given childhood camp-like "survival training".

The production company doesn't appear make documentaries but reality shows about sexy Amish people or whatever Discovery exploitation du jour, replacing actual HBO documentary content with this will be the future of your subscription budget.

Back to the series!

There's a plot of land, a general misunderstanding of collective decisions, a disdain for people who live as they want to, and a wacky cast with roles that primarily involve disgust for the way some people choose to live.

The legacy of this show for me is how lazy it is in reinforcing xenophobia and small-mindedness through the usual reality TV lens. Was it a mistake for the commune to make any deal with Discovery? I hope it paid for some infrastructure so they can live freer.

But jeezy, I don't know how it'll be seen by people (it'll just be seen since it cost very little for Discovery) but I did look up the general response on Reddit and I had a hard time finding anyone who thought it didn't do the commune a disservice with this sloppy, boring fiction, people mugging for the camera and causing distress to their hosts who for any flaws of prepper skill didn't ask to be harassed and intimidated.

I don't usually leave reviews! I think this is really what the old HBO sub budget will become, slickly filmed (I'll give field sound / video workers props, BEGRUDGINGLY) but Discovery will sell us these trash true crime "series" with pretense of content and end up with cheap "freak show" exploitation and ironically perpetuating small minded paranoia a lot more than the actual outcasts that.

Wtf did I just watch? Why can't I stop watching? Oh bc it's junk food and junk food is addicting. I don't, for a second, believe a single solitary event or person in this FICTIONALIZED series is legit. This goes double for the girl with the lashes. Hon, we ALL know you took the first callback that came your way to get on TV and try to quit your day job to be a full time influencer.

This series makes me disgusted to be a millennial and have to be grouped in with these complete and utter morons. If you hate people who coin themselves "Tree," or - wait for it - "VIBE," this will be utter rage fuel. Idk what made me laugh harder - the girl who uses moon water to try and cure someone's severe back injury, or the Tree guy throwing a child-level temper tantrum over BeING aBLE tO PaRtY. This isn't a cult. This a group of privileged morons who think they are CHANGInG thE WoRLd by not taking a shower.

And don't even get me started on Narayah.

I thought that I was watching a docuseries, what I got was a bunch of petty drama typical of a reality show. It's like The Real World, only off the grid. These people are insufferably disagreeable and sanctimonious. They're basically the kids that hated taking baths as children, only a few decades later. Now they live in the woods and mock the rest of us as "conformists. " I get the impression that the whole cult question is nothing more than marketing to hook people into check out this series. That Carrot Top looking mofo with "Tree Forrester" (so much cringe) as a sobriquet is also the last person that I would nominate as a spokesperson for any organization.

The editors of the show should be ashamed. This is in no way a documentation of what happened. It turns out half the drama contained in the show was completely fabricated by the editing team The cast (and I used the term cast because the people in the show were in no way represented accurately so this is more like acting than anything else) have come out and pointed out how horribly this was done in other to make them look like nut jobs. If you want to watch a silly drama filled show, this might be for you. But if you actually want to learn about intentional communities, there are far better resources on the internet than this show.

This is an amazing example of group and individual dynamics in a commune. There isn't a clear leader of the group, just some individuals that are perhaps more knowledgeable and assertive. Then there are people that need to follow someone, but also people that can't work well with anyone. It's basically what you would get in any kind of group, no matter what the number of individuals is. It seems chaotic at first, but over time, a hierarchy is established. It's natural. It's clear that they are paranoid because of their bad experience with previous outsiders, yet newcomers attribute that to secrets that have yet to be revealed. Anyone who ever tried to make a group of very different individuals work together, in this kind of setting, will understand that this is very difficult and most often doesn't work out. Other people might even see the patterns that aren't there and compare it with what they think they learned from documentaries about cults.

The reality show "Survivor" is a great example. What does every person say after a few days? That they watched every season but they never understood how hard it is going to be, until they spent the first night out there. Without the experience, you will never truly understand and connect with people on screen.

Is there more to come? This documentary ended without an ending. I feel frustrated about the whole thing. I wasted hours watching this just to have it end, abruptly. In my opinion, I felt that nobody in this documentary was appealing in any way, or was a sympathetic character. Everyone came across as self-indulgent, narcissistic, and egomaniacal, to some degree. I wish HBO would add a warning that this is an incomplete documentary, so people don't waste their time if they are expecting a wrap-up at the end. I really thought there would be more episodes. Why didn't the question asked in the title ever get answered? 👎

How do the makers of this show sleep at night? This series could have been something interesting, insightful and useful. It could have portrayed an alternative way of living, alternative ideas. The producers had the trust and the complete access to this community and they betrayed their trust. The intrigue and planted protagonists (clearly recruited and manipulated) claiming it was a cult, sewing mistrust, generating drama, were the sole generators of any cultlike behaviour. Disgusting film making which gives the industry a bad name.

This was a totally missed opportunity, it was corrupt and unethical. When someone asks not to be filmed turn the camera off. Do better next time.

This show is full of drama. From the 1st episode to the last showcased tension between the people that was there. I guess when you put a bunch of people together in front of television cameras there is no telling what to expect. The idea of trying to figure out if it is a commune or cult is hard to say because the show didn't film much of great experiences people share in a community. Instead they brought actors in to determine who can or cannot stay. Every actor that was brought in had a different background and it was interesting to see how they were able to fit in with the group. Overall i think that the show is very entertaining and I've enjoyed watching it.

100% fake. They don't even try to hide it. Its just taking actors that have been given strong personalities and pre-planned conflicts out to hang out at a commune. Shame on the producers for calling this a "doc". It's BS propaganda for the commune/cult/whatever and just gives them a payday. Its stupid to pretend its real. This would have been fine as a reality show, but boy oh boy did they pick some annoying characters. You've got the overly spiritual annoying hippie, the fat mid life crisis dumb dad, and the final straw for me was this dumb as rocks female character who just talks about clothes and wants to bring a corded electric heater. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME (unless of course you really like complete trash TV).

Omg! Are these people real? Perhaps....

They're def delulu.

But aren't we all?

Anyhoo....

That's where we are today.

Apocalypticism is self-perpetuating. But that's neither here nor there.

The point is: capitalism will eat itself.

So whatever. This doc shouldawon an Emmy...

If you "liked" this, read Birnham Wood by eleanor catton. Keep the dream slive.

Bye.

Ps

Quotes from,

" I haven't seen how we go to the bathroom or how we get our food."

"Coachella is really cool. Literally."

Also," I expected to learn how to survive from Navy seals," (from a guy you expect to hear spoken to, "But it's wafer thin..." )

(Seriously where did you get this casting from?)

PSS ARE Producers are the trUe villains of the piece.... ?

Ppps.

This, from a guy who actually works in a garden...For a paycheck....

When "The Garden" popped up on my HBO featured list, I was shocked to see my community and my heart's home, previously called "Shut Up and Grow it!", and immediately had to watch it. In the beginning, I was like, "Who the hell is this ginger guy? Where is Patrick? Where are most of the inhabitants who live there in TN?" Moving on, I was happy to see Patrick featured and quickly that changed to disgust for the filmmakers as he was portrayed so negatively. These young people that were filmed as if they were key members and organizers of this colony seemed to be picked out by producers or something to make the series more dramatic and interesting. No focus on the actual transformational experiences or the feeling of belonging and happiness of recurring and permanent residents of the place.

The word "cult" next to the name is an obvious ploy for views as well- we never had any religious or spiritual practice there except for what people do individually. We are just a bunch of hippies raising families together and living a life off of the grid, where we feel safe.

The way my people are represented in this makes me sick, shame on everyone who had a part in the making and releasing of this garbage.

Problem with anarcho communal living is well, sooner or later there's lord of the flies drama unless everyone involved is very clear about what collective goals are and ethics are respected. 20 minutes in and this looks like big brother in the woods. And 'Man I know the CIA is looking at us' just demonstrates the level of thoughtfulness. Problem with every person you're gonna see here is the level of self importance and narcissism. Some of that will fade with age but not particularly helpful in a collective.

As for the commune v cult question, click bait irrelevance. Go do your thing. You should be far too busy growing animal tending and maintaining to be social media influence pedaling.

As for the show, i gave it 20 minutes before all the reality show structures fully came together. Not a documentary; nothing of note to learn here. You can't even see inside their "greenhouse" which has very little thermal or lighting functionality. So maybe it's their humboldt skunkweed bunker and arsenal. Ho hum.