If you are roughly my age, it's hard not to have some awareness of the religious cult Heaven's Gate, in which 39 members committed group suicide as part of a prophecy fulfillment to board a spacecraft that was trailing the Comet Hale-Bopp. Images of their shrouded bodies with crisp Nike shoes peeking out are seered into my mind. Their website still exists and the videos of leader Marshall Applewhite are available on YouTube. It's always been fascinating and a bit scary but I didn't really know any of the details behind it.

Enter the Pineapple Street Media show simply entitled Heaven's Gate that explores all aspects of the group through a ten-part series. From the history behind the two founders, to the impact of the families left behind, it's all there. It's respectful of the content and does a great job of not painting those involved as loons or idiots. I binged on several episodes the other day and can't imagine it will take long to get through the rest.