HBO's Going Clear should be the final nail in Scientology's coffin

Alex Gibney's damning new documentary collects Scientology's worst transgressions and takes them to the mainstream

Going Clear.
(Image credit: (Courtesy of HBO))

There's a moment early in the HBO documentary Going Clear — a rigorous, damning takedown of the Church of Scientology — when Lawrence Wright, on whose book the documentary is based, explains why he spent so much time and energy on his investigation. "My goal wasn't to write an expose," he says. "It was simply to try to understand Scientology."

Anyone who watches Going Clear will indeed walk away with a greater understanding of Scientology — but that doesn't mean they won't be enraged and horrified by it. This documentary, whose convincing allegations have been vetted by 160 HBO lawyers, might well turn out to be the last nail in Scientology's coffin.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.