The Leftovers - Season 2 — Page 2

My assessment was probably excessively harsh, as the episode will likely have stand-alone elements. And it's just my subjective taste, a little of that sort of limbo/dreamscape stuff -- once so beloved of Rod Serling -- goes a long way for me. I think it will be valuable to look at this piece of the puzzle after the season ends. Too much of this second edition has been really nuanced, compelling writing (and playing) to necessarily see this as a wrong turn. But I'm concerned that the whole re-use of Patti may suggest layers below where the show has been working. It's always been rock solid when dealing with a kind of gritty, reality-based view of the aftermath of an apocalypse. It's the grounding in daily domestic crises that has made the woo-woo elements so embraceable. When we get into karmic debt, multiple dream state assassinations, heavy (handed) biblical allusions, I'm just much less interested. The domestic drama's intersection with cosmic crises made it fresh. Once the cosmic stuff supercedes, we're in anything-goes (i.e. "Lost" ville.

Updated On: 11/25/15 at 10:06 AM

Gaveston, you've inspired me to watch the damned thing again. I'll try to wrap my brain around it.

The novel is a fairly quick read, and worth picking up, although like I said, I found it pretty different in tone (and of course in many small details compared with season one.) Perhaps tellingly, Lindelof has said he was unaware of it until he read a rave from Stephen King who compared it to the Twilight Zone (Perrotta fans were pretty divided by the fact that he had written a "genre novel" in the first place, though I would rank it just below Little Children and maybe Election out of his works I've read--certainly above The Abstinance Teacher.)

I have mostly succeeded in allowing myself not to really worry about where the show is heading (at least I like to think I have ) especially since from the start, like with the novel, they said there would be no answer to the main Rapture conceit--that said things like the last episode which does seem to want to explain some of the world do worry me. Gaveston--did you watch Lost? Like I said, I gave up on it eventually, and it was different since the writers always claimed all would be answered and revealed and they knew where they were going (only afterwards did they admit that wasn't true--no kidding?!) I only ask because I wonder if the reason some of us reacted more negatively to the episode is because of our Lost fears...

Matt, I am so with you on Regina King! Amazing, especially in episode 6 I believe it was. I had NO idea she was on 227, though I only watched that as a kid and mostly remember Jacquee. Otherwise I've only really been aware of her before in a peripheral way. (I wonder if she was brought to Leftover's attention by his Lost co-writer, Carlton Cuse--she was in some of season one of the show he's showrunner on, The Strain. A truly awful show, IMHO :P )

Regina King is a gift to the show; I wish she had more focus. Too much Patti, too little everyone else.

Glad to see another fan! It is criminally ignored, and the fact that it has less than half the ratings of last season, this year, have me worried (AVClub has said that the brilliant acting, particularly from the women, should lead to award nominations--but I am not so sure. The Emmys, certainly, are happy to ignore low rated shows, especially when they dip into elements that some might call "genre"--the dreaded G word). Speaking of, if you are looking for discussion of the show, AVClub is pretty decent although this last episode led to so many "THIS HAS BECOME LOST!" rants that I didn't even get through one page of the comments.

I rewatched most of the episode last night (a friend had it on when I arrived.) And I liked it better the second time around. I do think, within the context of the episode, a lot of things were great--the fact that Kevin specifically tried to not choose the Priest, Remnants or his own cop uniform, but a plain suit and then became an Assassin, the Greek myth stuff about drinking the water (though I don't buy that Virgil would have drank the water,) etc. I realize my main frustration is that the show has really become an ensemble show--it's no longer focused just on Kevin and his demons, if it arguably ever was--and having an episode in a relatively short season be all based on him and on Patti (I am with Auggie on her,) felt, at best, like marking time. I am gonna trust that, even though there was the reference to the Priest's wife being in the hotel too, this is not some sort of alternate reality, but a genuine drug trip... I suspect we just won't get a firm explanation, except that this will be shown as a reason for Kevin to drastically change, as several characters within the episode mentioned.

Today I read the AVClub review, and I think there is one valid point about the "Magical Negro" element. Yes, they called it out this year, so are aware of it. But really--did Virgil have to *kill* himself to atone for something he had done to his son years ago and, had said, he had gone through the same atonement process as Kevin was going through for? More to the point--he doesn't know Kevin from Adam, wouldn't it be more meaningful if he sacrificed himself out of a need to atone in a way that would directly help his family or people he knew? The need to atone yourself blindly for everyone's sins, no matter what connection or knowledge of them you have is too close to me to Tolstoy's own crazy (IMHO) latter day philosophy, and disappointing to me if there isn't some explanation as to why he had to do it for Kevin, besides the fact that Theroux is hot and, I guess, the protagonist of the show.

Add to that, my worry that it won't be renewed for a third year, makes me a bit bitter when we get an episode that, essentially, feels like it is padding or could be dealt with in 1/4 of the time it took. That said, I do think the episode on its own is stronger than I thought when I first watched it, and certainly better than a lot of what I remember of Lost (which I don't think ever devoted an entire episode to such dream logic.)

GavestonPS said: "

Does the original novel put everything in a religious context, like the LEFT BEHIND series? Because although the characters see the connection (as they would), the TV show seems to distance itself from the actual book of REVELATIONS.

"
No, very pointedly they do not--I think the religious elements have been, from Season one on, Lindelof's writing and the fact that this year they have a religious consultant: (I haven't actually read this link, but he's written a few pieces for the Vulture) http://www.vulture.com/2015/10/leftovers-questions-reza-aslan.html

Not a shock there, as Lindelof has always gone on about what a Murakami fan he is.

The dried up well, a hotel that serves as a purgatorial dream world between life and death, a faulty television signal resolving into communication between planes of existence, classical music as recurring motif and the need to assassinate a powerful political figure in the other realm to affect change in the real world...

All that was missing is the Sheep Man. This episode was Haruki Murakami's greatest hits.

I haven't watched episode 9 (tonight's) yet, but did come across a somewhat interesting interview about episode 8 from Tom Perrotta http://www.indiewire.com/article/the-leftovers-tom-perrotta-on-taking-kevin-to-the-other-side-and-if-there-will-be-a-season-3-20151128?utm_medium=sailthru_newsletter&utm_source=iwDaily_newsletter

I haven't seen last night's episode yet, but WOW, what a turn around. I am totally loving this season.

Regina King is a gem. I hope she is well utilized. I have only loved her more as Stella's ambulance-driving sister in How Stella Got her Groove Back.

Really interesting read. Part 1 of 3.

‘The Leftovers’ Boss Damon Lindelof Explains That Shocking Twist

Updated On: 11/30/15 at 11:40 PM

He makes a very persuasive case for the twist. I just feel they might've gone overboard worrying about the surprise element. In truth, part of the fun of any serial is anticipation. I felt the missing girls were dropped too often and in a cavalier manner. Not paying sufficient attention to our emotional investment; after all, we didn't know this family until this season. The girls were day player characters, not series regulars. We knew zip about them. Who cares if they exit? But that's my taste, I like clues, I like incremental movement. I like to get inside the emotional aftermath. Regina King and company haven't had enough to do to keep the missing kids front and center, in my opinion. I found it interesting how much he addressed the criticism in the interview. For me, the GR was the backbone of the show. It didn't really exist without it last season. So fretting over how little or much seems very much about pleasing an audience, contradicting his other comments on not wanting to adhere to strongly to the rules. His comments on the stand-alone episode I loathed didn't help me like anymore. But I'm the first to own subjective nature of any responses to any story. At least the twist puts what he calls the spine of the season back in the spotlight. I wish it hadn't been so neglected. For a show about grief, there was very little grieving over the missing teens. That didn't help the investment.

I enjoy this season better than last season. I was so happy to be done with those mutes. This episode with them back was horrible, I almost turned it off. Good thing I did not. The last 10 minutes were awesome.