The Netflix documentary series, Wild Wild Country, goes deeper than any other production into the formation and evolution of Rajneeshpuram, in Oregon, USA, where the guru known as Bhagwan – and later Osho – managed to establish an actual town for his cult. Originally from India, they moved to the US and expanded, taking advantage of permissive laws to establish control in a large area.

The six part series focuses on the present recounts of a few members in Bhagwan’s inner circle, as well as a few residents of Antelope, the small town once taken over by the Rajneesh community. Intermittently, footage taken at the time is shown, in great detail.

The basics of the story are known to most people and therefore don’t need going over. Whilst it’s known that cult members generally do just anything to protect their group from outsiders, the actions of this particular group continue to be shocking – from mass poisoning to multiple counts of attempted murder (in one case, assassination).

Among the most devoted members was the cult’s former lawyer, Philip Toelkes, for whom it’s impossible not to develop a degree of sympathy; besides not having participated in criminal activity, he continues to believe in Bhagwan’s extraordinary nature to this day. Another key character was Jane Stork, who also seems like a completely decent person, having left the past behind. Although she carried out the murder attempts, she was obviously brainwashed and an instrument of the real mastermind.

The mastermind, known as Sheela, served less than half of Jane’s sentence, after plotting and carrying out unspeakable crimes, among them the poisoning of 750 innocent people with Salmonella, by culturing the bacteria and spreading it on food in eating venues. Fortunately, no one died, but many became violently ill, including children and at least one pregnant woman. Mass panic ensued and briefly, food handlers were blamed for the contamination, although it was sudden and highly unusual, and therefore highly suspicious. The water reservoir supplying an entire town was also targeted for poisoning (unsuccessfully).

Someone who is capable of that has no conscience and is potentially impossible to rehabilitate.

What struck me about the woman was her righteous attitude decades ago and the indignation she publicly spoke with, denying all accusations brought against the cult in real time. She often used words such as “disgusting”, “outrageous”, “offensive”. Loud and vulgar, she showed little tact in contradicting her detractors. She was almost believable; her emotion seemed genuine.

Mind you, many dubious groups use these exact words today when confronted with allegations of fraud, brainwashing or human rights abuses. It’s amazing to most people that someone can lie so callously, showing no remorse.

When she was finally apprehended, her glazed look and cavalier smile, sustained all throughout, were incredibly creepy. Noting moved her – guilt over her actions, fear for the future – or shame over being found out and considered a monster, at least. Nothing. Any other human being who was not severely disordered would’ve been affected in those circumstances, by any of the above.

In further interviews, her superficial glibness made her likeable at first sight; these people develop an ability to look naturally serene and friendly, when in fact they are capable of sticking a knife into the person they are smiling at.

Today, one would think she is a harmless, soft-spoken old lady.

But still, there is no remorse; what is more, she has maintained her narrative of victimisation throughout the decades, claiming she was only acting to protect her leader and community. She now works with disabled elderly people, which is a frightening thought.

It’s actually worse than that – she sees herself as a martyr, after attempting to kill and sickening countless people, most likely doing it all for herself,  not her guru – as she had no problem denouncing him as a fraud after she left the group, suspecting she’d be arrested shortly.

Although she didn’t attempt to shoot anyone herself, she was the organiser and fuelled members’ paranoia. Before Jane Stark injected Bhagwan’s doctor with a substance meant to kill him, it was Sheela who got it in everyone’s heads the doctor was drugging and poisoning their guru; that he was going to kill him the next day.

The extent to which Bhagwan himself was involved in the most egregious actions remains unknown (and will most likely stay that way, as he is now dead). The same applies to his approach to the cult in general – whether or not he considered himself a fraud or genuinely believed he was doing a good thing. I tend to think he knew it was all hogwash. The guy was covered from head to toes in bling; he loved his expensive cars and diamonds. To this day he continues to have a following, as people buy his books and form communities around his teachings. What can be said with certainty is that he was not ignorant of all other aspects – attempted electoral fraud, bullying the residents of Antelope, using homeless people for votes and then discarding them – it all happened under his watch. In a last attempt to save the cult, after Sheela’s flight, he got rid of the religious paraphernalia she had designed in order to turn his following into a religion. He was, in appearance, reforming the group, though still from the position of a sage worthy of being worshipped. He was certainly not naive and frail, the way some like to portray him – his business was spread across the world, with cash flowing its coffers. His belated denunciation of Sheela was most likely meant to save his own rear, and nothing more; after all; she had been very efficient to date. The last episode of Sheela’s delusional paranoia did not take place in a vacuum – he’d been announcing his death, as well as the apocalypse (which is never a good sign when it comes to cults).

Many of the members, though, seemed a bunch of harmless hippies, provided their happiness was not as genuine as Sheela’s.

It’s worth pointing out how many of these groups proclaiming to live by absolute, unconditional love turn out to be ran by – and sometimes full of – ruthless and paranoid individuals.

The way they treated the needy was particularly cruel, proving they didn’t reserve that treatment for those they considered their enemies, but just anybody. It was supposed to be “the first project of this kind in the world”, as Sheela boasted. They rounded up 3000 homeless people from neighbouring towns and claimed to give them a permanent home, only to inflate the voter number and win the local elections. They welcomed them with open arms, made them feel they’d found an ideal place, claiming they alone saw those people’s humanity and value, as the rest of society rejected them. When said goal failed, as authorities there weren’t particularly stupid, it wasn’t long until all these new “brothers” were forcibly removed, driven away and dumped back on the streets. It later turned out the cult had been drugging them by putting sedatives in their beer, to control their behaviour more easily. You couldn’t make this stuff up, honestly.

What was also surprising was the way both women talked about the day they fled in a private jet – as their independence day, their distancing etc, as if the abrupt decision had been based on that, and not the fact that they’d just tried to kill someone the day before.

All in all, the mind behind these actions can only be that of a psychopath – a term easily thrown around these days, with impunity.

A psychopath needn’t be conspicuous, but can take the form of a soft-spoken old lady with a martyr complex and a completely delusional take on reality.