Bound by Blackmail (2022 Lifetime)
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Cast: Jade Harlow, Coby Ryan McLaughlin
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
A woman finds that a self-improvement program called Initiative is littered with terrifying secrets.
Recap/Wine Thoughts
Ari and her mother drive to a beach town college town and playful banter in the car on the way. Ari plans to study psychology, which is good because her mom is going through separation anxiety.
A sad/lonely montage happens, where the mother, Nicole, eats dinner alone and wonders aimlessly around the house. She eventually lays in her daughter’s bed and cries.
Nicole meets up with an old high school friend, Diana, who encourages her to come to a support group weekend retreat called the Initiative. Nicole goes and recognizes her friend Phillis is also there. The group leader is the charismatic Ken Parmer, and he promises self-discovery to get to the next level with his guaranteed “Self Success Program.” Nicole is excited to make some new friends, but Phillis seems a bit on edge. She jumps out of a bush and asks Nicole not to join the group.
That evening, Phillis stops by Nicole’s house and rings the doorbell but is killed before she can talk.
If Nicole hasn’t realized she is in a cult, yes, she should have just by looking at Ken’s drawstring pants and beaded necklace. When Nicole becomes nervous that she hasn’t heard from Phillis, she asks Ken if he has heard from her, but he brushes it off. Nicole visits Phillis’ home and runs into her sister, who refuses to talk to Nicole because she is associated with The Initiative.
Nicole starts asking around at the Initiative and meets a young girl named Meghan, who is about her daughter’s age, crying on a curb. When Nicole tries to talk to the girl, she runs off crying.
Then Nicole snoops for Ken’s office and starts asking questions. She realizes that the whole thing is a pyramid scheme. She gets too close to the truth and is locked in a sauna by Megan. After Nicole escapes, she sees “BACK OFF” written in the mirror.
Nicole warns her friend Diana, but Diana is too far gone. Then she is attacked in broad daylight. She saves herself with a tire iron.
Robyn, Phillis’ sister, finds her dead body due to an apparent overdose. She call Nicole, and they make a plan to work together to find out the truth! They go to an unhelpful detective named Bill. COME ON, BILL! Robyn is a journalist and decides to write a story about it. Nicole decides to go back in, unfortunately not undercover.
Back in The Initiative, Nicole attends sessions and has to give up her cellphone. She is forced to read books, and if she tries to go to the bathroom or leave the room/falls asleep a red light flashes, and everyone screams “ACCOUNTABILITY” at her.
Meghan admits to Nicole that she is trapped in The Initiative because they recorded her therapy sessions where she shared a deep dark secret. Nicole finds a camera in the group session room and shows Diana.
Meanwhile, Robyn finds former members who are willing to give interviews before she can get anything on the record. Robyn is locked in her garage with the car running in a staged suicide.
Diana comes to her senses and works with Nicole to break into Ken’s office. Diana deletes her video and helps Nicole steal the tapes. Nicole runs into Detective Hale, and he wants to get the evidence to the police station right away. She realizes that she is working with The Initiative and fakes an illness to get him to pull over so she can mase him and run away.
Nicole gets a threatening phone call, and they send her a picture of her daughter on campus. Nicole puts the flash drives in a safe and heads to Ari’s college campus. She is chased by the police and blockaded. Nicole is arrested for assaulting an officer. She is bailed out by Ken’s brother and Diana, but she doesn’t trust them.
Ari comes home from college and finds her mother being strangled in the middle of the night. Ari tells her mom that she needs to stop looking into The Initiative.
Nicole gives an ultimatum to Ken, but he has no idea what she is talking about and denies knowing about the recording. Nicole takes the tapes to the press but is stopped by Detective Hale. He overpowers her but is knocked out by Diana. Diana takes Nicole home and promises to look after Ari while Nicole finishes what she started. Ari is left with Diana and Justin, Ken’s brother.
Ken and Megan talk to Nicole and tells her that Diana has been behind everything. When Nicole calls Diana, she tells her to come home and don’t bring the police with her. Nicole brings Ken so he can hear what is going on.
Justin and Diana admit to recording the sessions and planting them in Ken’s office. Diana killed the sisters because they were going to hurt The Initiative. Justin tells Nicole that he is taking Ari to join him in The Initiative. The brothers fight, and Diana shoot Ken, giving the mother and daughter a chance to lock themselves in the bathroom.
Nicole runs the shower to create some steam to hide; it must be a hot ass shower because that room fills up with CGI mist real quick. Nicole takes Diana out and grabs her gun. She pulls it, Justin, and he runs out of the house with Detective Hale. They are stopped by the police and arrested.
Back at college, Ari and Nicole grab lunch and bond. Someone watches them from a distance.
Side Note
Minority Report: Cop
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*** I’ve updated the rating system moving forward. Knives represent # of kills. Wine is over enjoyment (NOT a value judgment) on a 1-5 scale.
I will use the following tags for those who want to know whether to watch or skip: Pour it Up (Would Recommend) or Put A Cork In It (Would Not Recommend).
Overall rating
Number of Kills:
🔪🔪 (2 Knives)
Enjoyment Level: 🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine.)
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