Common Sense Media Review
By Polly Conway
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
OK docuseries about restauranteur is both lurid and boring.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Bad Vegan
What's the Story?
Young, confident New York restauranteur Sarma Melngailis runs the popular raw vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine. Thriving with her beloved pit bull Leon, Sarma appears to be on top of the world. However, there are money problems, and her new relationship with the mysterious Shane Fox doesn't improve matters. In fact, she's quickly sucked into Shane (who's actually a man maned Anthony Strangis)'s world, which involves frequently giving him money. Eventually, Anthony begins to discuss strange paranormal things, which Sarma, being extremely open-minded, believes and goes along with. On the advice of Nazim, a friend and fellow investor in Anthony's plans, Sarma begins to record phone calls. Over time, she's asked to perform what Anthony calls "cosmic endurance tests." If she completes them, she's promised the ability to enter a world of unlimited riches and immortality. Broke and spiraling out of control, Sarma finds herself in a very complicated situation.
Is It Any Good?
It takes quite a while to get to the "meaty" part of this overly drawn-out true crime docuseries. Viewers don't find out until the middle of the second episode that the increasingly sinister Anthony promises Sarma and her dog immortality, and even after that bizarre revelation, the heat never really goes beyond a simmer.
There's too much time given to recorded phone calls of Anthony yelling and swearing at Sarma; they're unpleasant to listen to and don't create the tension hoped for. It's clear that Anthony is a master manipulator, but it's difficult to hear some of his lies that Sarma and others believed. It is interesting to see some of Anthony's techniques, which included lovebombing and gaslighting, work so well on Sarma, as they often do on vulnerable people. That said, she's certainly not fully innocent in this convoluted and ultimately unsatisfying tale.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about honesty. How does someone like Sarna end up believing the wild lies she was told? How can critical thinking help in situations like this?
Can a cult be composed of only two people? How can someone extract themselves from a cult? Does it always work?
Do you think Sarma deserves any blame? Why or why not?
What is the "sunk-cost fallacy?" Do you think this affected Sarna's situation?
TV Details
- Premiere date : March 18, 2022
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Cooking
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate