Vice Essentials Season 2 Episode 1 Frozen Faith

Vice Essentials returns with an all-new season, and in the premiere episode, Frozen Faith, the show focuses on a religious sect in Russia that claims to have found the key to immortality.

The episode begins with Vice correspondent Gianna Toboni traveling to the remote town of Petropavlovka, where she meets members of the Church of the Last Testament, also known as the Vissarionites. The Vissarionites believe that their leader, Sergei Torop, is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, and they follow his teachings and prophecies with devotion.

Toboni delves into the history of the church and its enigmatic leader, who was a traffic cop before he received a message from God and founded the Vissarion movement in the 90s. Since then, the church has grown to tens of thousands of followers, with their own school, hospital, and collective farming efforts. The Vissarionites believe in living a simple, communal lifestyle, free from modern technology and materialism.

As Toboni spends more time with the Vissarionites, she learns about their belief that they will never die, but instead will enter a state of hibernation until the world is ready for their rebirth. The church has even built a series of underground tombs, where members of the faith are buried in the hopes that they will one day be resurrected.

But not everyone in Petropavlovka is a follower of Sergei Torop. Toboni speaks to locals who view the Vissarionites with suspicion and accuse them of brainwashing their members. She also visits nearby cities to speak with former members of the church, who describe their experiences as cult-like and claim that they were coerced into giving up their possessions and following Torop.

However, Toboni also meets Vissarionites who believe deeply in their leader's teachings and reject the label of "cult." One member describes the sense of community and purpose she has found within the church, while another speaks of her conviction that the Vissarionites truly will achieve eternal life.

The episode is a fascinating exploration of faith and devotion, as well as the intersections between religion, power, and politics. Toboni brings sensitivity and curiosity to her reporting, never judging or sensationalizing the beliefs of the Vissarionites, but rather seeking to understand how and why they have come to follow Sergei Torop.

Frozen Faith is a thought-provoking and engaging start to the second season of Vice Essentials, with Toboni once again demonstrating her skill as a journalist and storyteller.