Ever since I started writing episode-by-episode reviews in 2017, I always wanted to take the effort to create a massive post covering my thoughts on an entire TV show. After completing my reviews on “The Leftovers” back in September 2017, I decided that this show would be the first that I covered with an extremely lengthy blog post. Now, over a year later, I’m finally getting around to it. I plan to do more massive reviews like this one in the future for shows that I have finished watching, and I hope there won’t be such a large gap like this one between my final episode review and the series review of a particular show. I expect that you will get 3 series reviews from me in the next year covering “Game of Thrones”, “Person of Interest” and “13 Reasons Why”. My review will be divided into two parts. The first part will be a spoiler-free section covering my thoughts on the series as a whole without delving into specifics. Afterwards, I will focus on each season of the show individually, giving spoiler-filled thoughts about what I liked and what I didn’t like. If you haven’t seen the show before, don’t read past the large SPOILERS text included below. Note: I will not have an overall score for the series or each season like I do for the individual episodes. Furthermore, the average scores that I’ve given each season are just that: averages. They may not accurately reflect my overall feelings about a season of television. Now, on to the review! Series OverviewSummary: Created by Damon Lindelof (Lost), “The Leftovers” came to our TV screens in 2014 on HBO with one 10 episode season. Shortly after, it was renewed for a second 10 episode season which was followed by a final 8 episode season. The show originated from a 336-page novel written by Tom Perrota that was published in 2011. The novel was adapted into the first season of the show, whereas season 2 and 3 featured original and new content. The show stars Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Ann Dowd, Liv Tyler, Scott Glenn, John Carroll and Regina King. The story of “The Leftovers” surrounded an event called The Departure where 2% of the world’s population suddenly vanished without any given reason. The show examines the 98% who were left behind and the different ways that the grief of these characters manifested over time. The show specifically takes place in small-town Mapleton and focuses on the Garvey family. The show’s ratings were strong in its first season, averaging over 1.5 million viewers per episode, without a single episode having ratings of under 1 million. After that, the ratings took a relatively sharp decline in season 2, with over the season 2 premiere being watched by 50% fewer people than the season 1 finale. The average ratings for season 2 plummeted down to 0.70 million viewers. The show wouldn’t cross over 1 million viewers in an episode again until the series finale. Despite its falling ratings, the show received more and more praise from critics as it went on. The show featured a very average score of 65% on metacritic in its first season, which grew to 80% in season 2 and an impressive 98% in season 3, which was named the #1 best TV season in 2017. Rotten Tomatoes sees a similar increase from season 1 (82%, 7.67/10) to season 2 (93%, 8.81/10) and finally season 3 (99%, 9.36/10). Despite its critical acclaim, “The Leftovers” never performed well for awards, having only won a handful of major awards. The show was only nominated for one Emmy in its third season which it did not win. Much like “The Wire”, “The Leftovers” has already began its legacy as one of the most well known snubs from award shows. I was late to watch “The Leftovers”. I didn’t start watching the show until the third season had already concluded, by which point the wide praise from the show had began circulating online. Following this, I started watching the show and was quickly impressed. A few weeks later I had gotten to the end, by which point the show had impressively made a lasting impact on me after just 28 episodes. As I mentioned above, this show is what motivated me to become a regular writer, and my reviews for this show are the oldest reviews on this site. The Good: This show always stood out for its ambitious style of storytelling which differed greatly from most other shows. This series focused entirely on its characters and relied very, very little on actual plot. When you look at the show from a plot perspective, nothing much happens through its entire run. A synopsis of the show would be boring to most people. That is because the real meat of this story comes from its characters and the journeys they take to fill in the holes that have been left inside of them after The Departure. All great shows understand that the key to crafting a compelling drama lies in its characters, but I have never seen a show which commits so intensely to its characters and succeeds. It’s a very impressive feat. When talking about great character dramas, it’s hard to leave “Lost” out of the conversation. That show was a staple for all character dramas, and its concept of focusing an episode around a central storyline which covers the story of a single character was revolutionary for TV dramas. “The Leftovers” adapted this method of storytelling frequently and it led to some truly spectacular hours of television which were mesmerizing to get through. Furthermore, “The Leftovers” doubled down on these episodes, crafting a sense of “tunnel-vision” as entire episodes would sometimes focus on just one single character’s journey, ignoring all other aspects of the show. These episodes provided some of the most memorable television you will ever see and served like 1-hour short stories more than they did a part of a larger story. It is vital for a TV episode to stand alone and be enjoyable as a single hour of television rather than a piece of a larger story. This show toyed with this idea in season 1 as there were 2 or 3 episodes with this tunnel vision. But it wasn't until season 2 that the show started to understand how good this method of storytelling was. After that, nearly every episode would have this refined focus on a single character which allowed for an epic experience in every single episode from the season 2 premiere all the way until the series finale. For those who have not watched this show, seeing this tunnel-vision for the first time will be a visceral experience leaving you emotionally exhausted by the end. One of the most fascinating aspects of this show is its ability to leave questions unanswered without leaving the audience unsatisfied. Leaving unanswered questions can be a real slap in the face to fans and often leaves people cheated. Just look at the backlash that “Lost” received after its season finale. And while this show does mimic “Lost” by not answering its questions, it’s done correctly this time. In this case, the show never promised any answers for its mysteries and I think it is all the better for not providing a concrete answer. One of the show’s biggest themes comes from whether you choose to believe in the supernatural or the rational. The show often provides seemingly indisputable evidence that the supernatural is firmly involved in these characters lives. But there is always the more rational answer: it’s all in somebody’s head. The most fascinating thing this show does is that it never gives you a concrete answer on what you should believe. Was there truly something supernatural happening? Does it all somehow make logical sense? You are left to fill in the answers yourself, which is very unique and powerful storytelling. Furthermore, the show impressively adapts a literary convention to make this exploration possible: an unreliable narrator. I have seen TV shows which are written in such a way that they remind me of a novel (Breaking Bad, The Wire), but I have never seen a TV show pull off the impossible and actually adapt a complex literary concept with the exact same feeling as a novel. It’s the same feeling that people must have felt when “The Lord of the Rings” was impossibly adapted into three terrific films. I’ve talked about the show’s reliance on character as one of its strong points, but it can only really work if the characters are compelling and complex enough to warrant such an in-depth exploration. Thankfully, the characters in this show are wonderful with many layers which get uncovered as the show goes on. And better yet, the characters actually change as the show goes on, undergoing proper transformations, learning lessons and making cathartic discoveries about themselves and the lives they have been living. The main character Kevin is one of the show’s most fascinating characters due to these reasons, and it’s a joy to watch him grow as the series progresses. His story is focused on the idea if he is losing his mind or not, and it’s wonderful to watch because we can never be sure that Kevin actually is sane. The most impressive part of this story is that we learn about Kevin while he learns about himself, which allows for an insane level of emotional investment. The other central characters like Nora, Matt and Laurie all go through similarly effective storylines and each one is gripping. As good as the storytelling is, it isn’t my favourite element of the show. The best thing about this show is the fact that it sticks the landing with an outstanding conclusion. It’s very easy for a series conclusion to be disappointing (Dexter), predictable (Breaking Bad) or messy (Lost) which all detract a certain amount of excitement from everything. While it doesn’t always equate to being bad (Breaking Bad had a killer final season), it leaves me with the feeling that the ending could have been so much more. Nearly every TV show has fallen into this trap while ending its run, and for good reason. It’s hard to provide a conclusion which is satisfying in every way. But despite this difficulty, “The Leftovers” set out to do the impossible once more by providing an ending that satisfies in every single way. And somehow the show pulled it off to near perfection. So many storylines were wrapped up beautifully with a hell of an emotional impact but there were a number of delightful surprised which ensured that I never had any idea how the show would wrap up. It was powerful and unpredictable, and then it ended with a series finale which perfectly captured everything I loved about the show, ending on a rousingly high note. It will be hard to discover a series with a finale as perfect as this one and I am yet to find a series finale that provided a better final note than the season 3 finale of “The Leftovers”. The show also gets the little things right which enhances an already rich experience. The soundtrack is touching, powerful and memorable. The musical pieces that are played in this show complement the emotions in a scene so well that when you hear the violins swelling up for iconic tracks in later seasons, you automatically prepare yourself emotionally for a powerful scene. And every single time, “The Leftovers” will deliver something powerful, with the music aiding the overall effect of the scene. I also have to mention how good this show became at finding memorable songs to play over scenes. I often find myself remembering “The Leftovers” while listening to songs like “Where’s My Mind” and “Nothing Else Matters” which were among the great songs used in the show. Another thing that adds immeasurable value to this show is the acting. The acting in this series had me in awe at times because every single character was played to perfection. It is beyond me why Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon never won any Emmys for their performances in this show, because they are stunningly good and blow me away frequently. The emotions in this show are enriched so much by the compelling performances which make all of the characters feel that much more real and relatable. The last aspect of the show I want to look at is the cinematography and direction. In terms of visuals, this show can come off as uninspiring and bland as it doesn’t look as visually spectacular as shows like “Better Call Saul”, “Game of Thrones” or “Westworld”. However, that isn’t to say that the show lacks a complex sense of direction. There are many moments of subtle symbolism included throughout the series, especially in season 1 which adds on to the novel-like feeling the show can create at times. Furthermore, I think the bland nature of the cinematography isn’t a show of incompetence but is actually a stroke of genius. During conversation scenes, the camera is often focused completely on its characters and that allows every line of dialogue to have the maximal effect on viewers and also allows the actors to put in their best possible performance. The Bad: The biggest issue with this show will be getting into it at first. Where some popular shows like “Breaking Bad”, “Game of Thrones”, “Lost” and “The Walking Dead” make a terrific impression in their first few episodes, “The Leftovers” doesn’t really attempt this. The show is slow at first and really tests your patience. Even though I really, really loved episode 3, none of the other first 5 episodes were particularly good and they failed to truly hook me. It wasn’t until the end of season 1 that I finally realized how good this show was, and after that it just got better. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that the first season can be a real slog at time and tested my commitment a number of times. The other major issue stems from its final season. While I think the last season is easily the best season of the show, there is a big flaw in it. That flaw is that several important characters get next to nothing to do in this entire season. With the season’s shortened length, sacrifices had to be made and unfortunately that means that some of the show’s most exciting characters are shafted to the background with minimal screentime which is hugely disappointing and a waste of some terrific characters. Conclusion: So, should you watch this show? I think the comparison in the sizes of The Good and The Bad pretty much speaks for itself in this case. “The Leftovers” may be tough to get into but it is certainly worth it in the long run. Seasons 2 and 3 are some of the bets seasons of television I have ever seen and are essential viewing. This show is up there with “The Wire” as an underappreciated great, so absolutely go check it out. Now, onto the spoilers section. SPOILERS!!!Now, to get into the nitty-gritty... Season 1The Good: What is most striking about season 1 is how unusual the whole season felt. There was a ridiculous amount of symbolism present in most episodes and entire scenes could be devoted to this, with the presence of things like the deer and the blinking red light. These scenes, mixed with the questionable state of Kevin’s sanity provided an almost dream-like feeling to the show, which made watching it so strangely special. Some sequences, including the crashed truck of human dolls and the sudden blackouts Kevin would have only exacerbated these confused dream-like feelings that made the show so difficult to watch. Looking back on the season, I’m certain that it’s these odd moments that are responsible for the much weaker review scores that season 1 received from all critics, including myself. Yet, the show’s biggest weakness was also one of its strengths. I believe that these scenes are actually what made the show succeed in the first place. A lot of praise directed to this show focuses on its sense of “magic” that it creates by its vicarious methods of storytelling. Most people would claim that this started in season 2, but I disagree. This has always been present in the show since the very first episode, but it was inconsistent and became more notable in later seasons when it was used better. This bold style of storytelling was started as early as season 1, and I think this season deserves a lot of credit for that. The thing that got me hooked on this show wasn’t its confusingly vague storytelling. Rather, it was the inclusion of character-centric episodes that explored the effects that the Great Departure had on its characters. The two episodes that guaranteed that I would stick around for the duration of the show were “Three Boats and a Helicopter” and “Guest”. Both episodes honed in on a specific character who we didn’t know very well and took them on an adventure that allowed us to get to know them, sympathize with them, and get engaged in what these characters would be doing for the rest of the show. These two characters were Matt and Nora, who I immediately knew I loved after their respective episodes. Both Matt and Nora would end the series as my favourite characters and I’m beyond glad that the show had the courage to present them to us in such a bold manner. What’s more impressive is how these two episodes would be the framework for “The Leftovers”’s success in its later seasons. Almost all episodes in seasons 2 and 3 succeeded because of what was established in these two episodes, but more on that in the section for season 2. Outside of those two excellent episodes, the season wouldn’t hit its stride until the penultimate episode, “The Garveys at their Best”, which helped rectify a big issue that I had with the season up until that point. The issue was that I wasn’t particularly invested in the struggles of the Garvey family since I felt I didn’t know them as well as I should have. After a powerful episode that made me care more for these 4 characters than anything presented before, the season killed it with an emotional finale which capitalized on everything that was built up prior to it. There are moments in this episode that still stick with me, like Kevin’s emotional scenes with Matt, his terrifying dream and Nora’s final message. It’s incredible how I went from not really caring that much about Kevin’s dilemma to being completely invested after just a single episode, and that allowed the season to end on an extremely high note and for me, that cemented the season as a great one. The Bad: Even though I love this season in retrospect due to how impressive 4 of the episodes were, I can’t ignore the fact that there were still 6 other episodes in this season. Now, most of these episodes weren’t bad, but they had a distinct lack of focus that the other 4 episodes didn’t have. The issue was the fact that these episodes had to divide time with 4 different stories: Kevin’s dilemma, the Guilty Remnant, Jill’s teenager life and Tommy’s involvement with Holy Wayne. The big problem was that I wasn’t invested in these stories for a very long time and that resulted in there being a number of moments when I was simply bored, confused, or unresponsive to the emotions that were on display. After its first few episodes, I knew that “The Leftovers” could deliver hard-hitting emotions and I ended up being confused as to why the show refused to give the same treatment to the Garvey family that it gave to Matt and Nora. I feel like if “The Garveys at their Best” could have been shown earlier in the season, the season could have been even better to watch with less clunkiness before the season finale. I think that Jill and Tommy’s storylines hold up very poorly on your first watch and in retrospect. The way that Jill and the other teenagers are handled is laughably poor as they feel more like walking teenager tropes than actual characters. Though I must admit, the Frost brothers were pretty funny. Tommy’s story is weaker in a different way from Jill’s. While Jill’s is fundamentally poor, I found Tommy’s weak story to be a result of Chris Zylka’s acting. Tommy was alone for the entirety of his storyline, so we desperately needed a more capable actor to convey the emotions he must have felt. While Zylka did a fine job, there needed to be somebody exceptional playing Tommy to make up for the fact that Tommy’s story is separated from the others in such a big way. Best Episodes: Here is where I list the fantastic episodes that still stick with me now that I’m done with the show. E03 Two Boats and a Helicopter: It’s truly incredible how much this episode puts us in Matt’s shoes throughout the episode. It’s almost like reading a book directly from his POV, which is really impressive. It created a self-contained story with hills and valleys, genuine emotion and a heartbreaking conclusion that hits hard due to how much we understand Matt’s character. An evocative episode that remains one of the show’s finest. E06 Guest: I fell in love with the character of Nora in this episode. Carrie Coon did a wonderful job bringing this character to life with all of her pain and witty dialogue. It was fascinating to learn more about Nora in this episode and we get to see how horribly detached from reality she is as the episode goes on. This made the scene with Wayne a joy to watch as she comes face to face with everything she feels in an outstanding moment that is acted to perfection. E09 The Garveys at their Best: The episode I waited the entire season for. It’s impressive how this episode made the Garvey family drama so much more poignant and meaningful. This one episode got me invested in four different characters and their relationships with each other which is no mean feat. E10 The Prodigal Son Remembers: A cathartic and memorable conclusion to the first season, the season one finale remains a near-perfect note to conclude this first season. The episode bounced from powerful scene to powerful scene in a way that made this episode feel immensely satisfying as a conclusion to this season. Worst Episodes: Here is where I list those select episodes that I still remember with anger and hate. Amazingly, no episodes this season pissed me off, but there were a few clear weak links. E04 BJ and the AC: This one is an odd episode. It committed overly much to being symbolic, so much so that it felt cheesy at times. The episode was also hurt by the fact that it came before I cared about any of the Garvey family drama, meaning I had a very limited emotional connection. E05 Gladys: This one was far from a bad episode, but it was weaker. It suffered for similar reasons to episode 4. It wasn’t very memorable and it came before I actually cared about the Garveys as a whole. Conclusion: This season worked very well as a whole. It was emotional and memorable with four spectacular episodes that each aided me into getting invested in the show. But the season was flawed in its storytelling and characters, flaws that wouldn’t be fixed until the next season. As a whole, I think the average score of 69 is fitting for this season, as it accurately shows how the season hit genuine greatness a lot, but was too flawed to crack the 70 mark. I’m happy with the ratings I’ve given each of the episodes and I stand by them pretty firmly even after the show is done. This was certainly a good season. Season 2The Good: Season 2 of “The Leftovers” was a huge improvement over season 1. The first season was restricted because it had to adapt the story from a novel, but season 2 did not have these same limitations. This allowed the team behind the show to get creative and tell their own story, and that resulted in a season which was immersive, emotional and memorable. The “magic” of this show which I mentioned earlier was mastered in this season. It happened in the first episode of season 2, which demonstrated to us how the complex storytelling of this show could provide something surprisingly engaging. Of course I’m talking about that powerful first scene which had no relevance to the main story whatsoever, yet it worked so well. Shockingly enough, not even the second scene addressed the characters in Mapleton who we had come to love. It’s unexpectedly incredible to see a TV show open up its sophomore season in a completely different place from season 1, because of how risky it is. It would be so easy to jump the shark whilst doing something like this, but “The Leftovers” never did. It was a risk, but the intriguing storytelling and expert writing allowed this first episode to successfully introduce a totally new setting with totally new characters. “Axis Mundi” is not one of the very best episodes of the show, but I can’t give enough praise for what this episode accomplished: it widened the story in a way that didn’t detract from the main story. So many stories get lost when they try to widen the storyline because they lose sight of what initially made the story so good. “Game of Thrones” is a prime example of this, both the books and the TV show. But “The Leftovers” was clever enough to use its tunnel-vision approach to introduce its new setting and then address the main characters afterwards. Because of this, the momentum of the story was never halted while Kevin and Nora got to discover Miracle and the Murphys on their own. By the time we touched in with them, we already knew about Miracle and the Murphys, so the show could easily go ahead and tell its story without worrying about any of the difficult details. And the story that they told delivered in a big way. The show learned from its first season and committed to telling its story in a way that had proven successful. Every episode in this season used that tunnel-vision that made “Two Boats and a Helicopter” and “Guest” so good, and that ended up creating many spectacular episodes in this season. Every character’s individual journey was powerful, memorable and well-written. The best part is how all of the season’s best scenes were spread out throughout the entire season, making nearly every episode feel special. That made this season feel consistent, unlike season 1. Season 2 had committed to the kind of story that the show wanted to tell, it had committed to the tone it wanted to hold and it committed to the characters it wanted to explore. This commitment allowed for the season to reach greater heights for all of the stories that were being told. The individual storylines in this show were really damn good. The highlight was Kevin’s story and his conflict with Patti, who may or may not have been real. Season 1 had done a similar story of Kevin thinking he is going insane, but it never explored the ideas of insanity and how it feels like Kevin’s season 2 storyline did. The season did a terrific job of showing how awful having a personal ghost would be as Kevin not only convinced himself that he was losing it, but ended up alienating others by result this. Kevin’s deteriorating mental state had taken away everything from him and he was willing to risk everything to get a chance to fix himself, even his own life. What made Kevin’s struggle so visceral to watch was that we, like him, had no clue if Patti was actually there or if she was just a fragment of his mind. There was evidence for both sides, and fascinatingly it was never confirmed if she was real or not. I think this was an excellent decision to leave the question unanswered because it allows the rewatch to be just as poignant as the first watch because we still don’t know if Kevin was going crazy or not. Not even after “International Assassin”, the best episode of the show which featured Kevin visiting what may have been the afterlife. What a stellar episode that was. I don’t think I gave it justice in my review, but this episode was a really strong culmination of Kevin’s story with Patti. The most fascinating thing about the whole experience was how Kevin went to the afterlife for an entire episode, yet we still couldn’t be sure that his experience was completely real, as it could still possibly have been some kind of drug trip that Virgil put him into. The whole episode contains this whimsical feeling because of this uncertainty and it makes for one hell of an experience. It’s the perfect centrepiece for Kevin’s storyline, and the final scenes with Patti were a perfect ending to her character arc. Another standout was the story of the Murphy family. We were just introduced to these characters, but we got to know them remarkably well and it led to a heartbreaking story of a family that just wasn’t meant to be. The central part of this storyline was the disappearance of Evie which caused a ripple effect across the remaining three members of the family. The stories of John and Erika were really sad, especially Erika’s as we got to learn how she blamed herself for Evie’s disappearance while also contrasting with Nora’s story, which (unsurprisingly) was also really good. The family’s struggles all came together in the season finale though, with the terrific reveal that Evie was still alive, allowing for incredibly powerful scenes for both John and Erika as they realized that their family was dead. The other stories in the season were pretty good as well. I don’t really have much to say about Matt’s story other than the fact that it ruled. Again. Matt is a terrific character, and I think his overarching story throughout all three seasons is one of the best. Laurie and Tommy didn’t have a huge role to play in this season, but their storyline was enjoyable whenever it was on-screen. One unexpected standout character was Meg. I’m not a big fan of Liv Tyler, but the role of Meg was absolutely perfect for her and her voice and look allowed for a creepy, mysterious and charismatic villain to be introduced at the end of the season. The season finale delivered in a big way, just like last season. It was an extra long episode yet it somehow flew by as it delivered a number outstanding moments one after the other. The conclusions for every story were damn good. I already mentioned the end of the Murphy storyline, but I’ll say it again because it was remarkably powerful for a set of side characters. Kevin’s story conclusion was outstanding as it worked as a sort of redux of season 1’s conclusion where Kevin finally overcame his own problems so he could survive with his family. Matt’s story ended pleasantly as Mary came back and Matt could stop atoning for a crime he never committed. The return of the Guilty Remnant was an exciting plot that carried the season finale, leading to the hope of Miracle being shattered by the villains in a depressing sequence. The Bad: I can’t think of any major issues that hurt this season. It really was an exquisite stretch of ten episodes. The biggest problem for me was that we never touched on Mapleton in this season. So many side characters ended up being ignored for the entirety of this season. Even some major characters were shafted to the background like Laurie and Tommy. Best Episodes: Plenty of episodes were incredible this season. I had to leave some off this list so I wouldn’t just list everything. E05 No Room at the Inn: Matt’s centric episodes are so good because he is a really compelling guy to follow. Matt is the embodiment of a good man, so it’s easy to root for him to come out on top in these episodes which put him through the wringer. These Matt episodes are so good and investing me into the story being told. E06 Lens: Even though I didn’t like the ending scene very much, I can’t deny that this was an extraordinary character exploration for both Nora and Erika. Their personal confrontation at the end of the episode was so good. The decision to focus the cameras purely on their faces from such a closed distance was a stroke of genius as it allowed us to completely invest with what the characters were experiencing. E08 International Assassin: This is a special experience. You can never be certain that what you’re watching is real, and it’s all so fantastical and strange. The episode is a wonder to uncover and is delightful, confusing, emotional, hilarious and intense. It’s a near-perfect experience that embodies what I love about TV. E10 I Live Here Now: a chaotic and emotional finale. This season ended with an episode that culminated everything in a memorable way. This is how to close out a season in a way that leaves a lasting impact. Worst Episodes: I got nothing. Every episode in this season was above average. Conclusion: Season 2 is remarkable. It improves every single aspect of season 1, polishes it, and adds an extra bit of TV magic to make a special season of television. The average score adds up to a 73, which I think is a good interpretation of how consistent this season was. It was a rarity to get an episode that didn’t go above and beyond, and a few episodes ended up going even further than that. This season was always a joy to go through and it will go down as one of the great TV seasons. Season 3The Good: I thought that “The Leftovers” would have a tough time topping what was presented in season 2, but that didn’t happen. Season 3 smashed it out of the park and is one of my all-time favourite TV seasons. While it never hit the highs of season 2 (“International Assassin” is special), season 3 consistently delivered fantastic episodes one after the other providing closure for its characters in meaningful ways. Even the lesser episodes were few in number (only 2 were scored under 70!) and can’t be called bad because they still did a number of things really well.
The character-centric episodes were on display once again this season, and I think they had an even bigger impact this time around. The stories that were told in each episode had even more power and meaning to them because a number of them were used to close out character arcs. That is the advantage that this season has over season 2. The beginning and the conclusion will always be more satisfying than what comes in the middle from a storytelling perspective. Now that the show is well into its rhythm, and is also in its final stretch, the story is more polished, more memorable and a lot more powerful. Every character who receives a centric episode has a brilliant story to tell. But I thought season 3 was stronger than season 2 even though both seasons accomplished the same thing regarding character centric episodes. Why? The answer lies in the way that season 3’s storylines tied better into the season’s overall theme than in season 2. From the opening moments of season 3 we are presented with the main idea which drives every single character in the season. A woman in the 1900s waits year after year for the return of Christ and ensnares her family into this, but it never happens. She ends up looking foolish and loses everything in the process. The scene is really powerful and emphasizes the inevitable loneliness and disappointment caused by having faith. Most TV shows like to paint faith and religion in a positive light, so it’s pretty surprising to see “The Leftovers” be so downright negative in what people believe in. It’s so genius because disappointment is such a real emotion to examine, and it’s something that every viewer can relate to. That nearly every character’s story is affected by this theme in some way is really impressive and it allows the season to still feel connected despite the fact that most of these episodes take place at different places and character stories don’t interact very often. Every main character’s arc was stellar. Matt had a fantastic conclusion to his trilogy of episodes. His episodes have shown that this man is purely devoted to the lord and keeps his faith even through the toughest situations. It’s been a powerful story which is also played as darkly comedic at times. Now we get the conclusion which is thematically perfect and fits in line with what happened in those previous episodes. The dark humour is better than ever and it adds more to the story than ever as the ridiculous Frasier religion contrasts perfectly with Matt’s faith as it subtly shows that there isn’t much different from these people’s beliefs and Matt’s. Matt’s story is a slow realization that everything he has believed in has been for nothing. It starts with the mockery being made of his new book and it ends with a tremendous scene where Matt gets to speak with “God” who tells him he did everything for himself and that he was never listening. When combined with Matt’s cancer reveal, it’s a shockingly bleak ending for his character to realize that everything he has done has been for naught. But somehow this show once again proved its mastery of our emotions by turning this into a somewhat happy ending with Matt finally moving forward from his faith. The whole story is written with such elegance that it ends up being one hell of an emotional rollercoaster that hits with maximum impact on every drop. The other character stories were similarly effective to Matt’s. Kevin Sr. goes through a very similar arc. Evidently he has lost it in Australia and firmly believes he has to save the world. He puts himself on a pedestal above everybody else and thinks of himself as the most important person in the world going into the anniversary. But by the end, nothing happened. He wasn’t important, he didn’t need to do anything, and just like Matt, he had wasted his life believing something ridiculous. It’s fantastic to see how these two wildly different storylines get connected by theme at the end. Laurie has an excellent story as well, one that ties into the theme in a mature and different way. Laurie has always been the pragmatic member of the group, and judging by the theme of the season, it seems that she is going to be in the right. That’s what the show initially suggests, but the direction the story goes is much more impressive. Sure she doesn’t waste her life with any of this religious crap, but it doesn’t lead her to happiness and success. She is still lost in the world, alone and broken, and without the recourse of faith to lean into, she breaks even more than Matt and Kevin Sr. does, which heartbreakingly leads to her contemplating suicide, though she doesn’t go through with it (see: The Bad). What’s most fascinating about this approach is that it also paints pragmatism in a negative light. Both science and faith have been deemed equally terrible by the addition of Laurie’s story and it leaves us confused. Well what are you supposed to do to cope? The fact that we don’t ever get a clear answer and are left to interpret this is exemplary of why “The Leftovers” is such a magical show with so many layers of storytelling. This season conveyed the depth of its story better than either of the two seasons before and that makes this a truly special experience. I’ve saved the best stories for last. Kevin and Nora were undoubtedly the best parts of this season and their story felt refreshing and emotional. It was unexpected to see so much focus on these two characters and their relationship with each other, especially since four(!) entire episodes were apparently devoted to their romance. But I don’t mean that in a bad way. In just 8 episodes, these two captivated me in a way I never expected them to. The first two episodes of the season showed how alone and hurt they still were despite them being together. “G’Day Melbourne” had them finally fight each other and let their emotions out. While the scene didn’t affect me as much as I had hoped, it was still written very well and ended their relationship in a way that was consistent with the story being told. The rest of the season would be about both of them going to their respective escapes, only to back out and seek each other out in the end. Kevin goes back to the afterlife yet it fails to fulfill him like he had hoped. He backs out. Nora tries to go see her children again yet it fails to fulfill her like she had hoped. She backs out. The parallels here are terrific and they convey the characters in brilliant ways, showing us their fears about moving forward that ultimately convince them to go back to each other. It’s really strong storytelling because fear is an emotion that everyone understands and can sympathize with. It makes us root for them to escape the hell they are living in and lets us cheer when they get reunited. The finale was one of the most extraordinary episodes of the show. After three seasons filled with mystery, emotion and potentially supernatural elements, the show opted to close out its run with an episode focused on the romance between Kevin and Nora. And despite how lame that sounds, the episode was fantastic. The reunion between Kevin and Nora was very sweet and fit the themes of the show so well. The ending scene is one that has stuck with me, showing Nora and Kevin quietly smiling at each other after finally coming together again. Of course there was also Nora’s story which was a fascinating unresolved mystery that added more to the mystique of the show while remaining consistent with its characters. The idea of us having to draw our own conclusion instead of being given one has been used frequently throughout the series, and it’s fitting that the show ended the same way. One thing that was most impressive was how the show continued to craft new and original horror stories about how the Departure affected people. After 2 seasons there had already been a ton of exploration of how the Departure has affected the 98% who remain, so I didn’t expect to get so many stories in this third season. But we ended up getting some of the weirdest, strongest and most powerful stories, told by Grace, Mark Linn Baker (I absolutely love that he was in this show) and the man who blew up the submarine. The Bad: As I mentioned in the spoiler-free section, the end of the series suffered from not having enough time to provide compelling stories for the supporting cast. John and Erika had remarkably emotional storylines in the previous season, yet they are only in a couple of important scenes this season with a massively reduced presence. Jill and Tommy are nearly non-existent in this season. It’s a shame that the show didn’t get enough time to tell compelling stories for the whole cast. I’m not a fan of timeskips. They come off as a lazy way to make characters develop without showing the change they went through on screen. Because of this, timeskips can feel very jarring and tough to believe. This season’s timeskip suffered from some of that. Laurie and John’s relationship felt so random and some of the developments (Mary falling out of love with Matt, Nora having to give up Lily) would have been much more impactful if we got to actually see them happen instead of being told that they happened. Best Episodes: Again, there is plenty to choose from here. Yes, I listed more than half the episodes in the season. It was that good. E03: Crazy Whitefella Thinking: Kevin Sr. is a character we hardly knew before this episode. But the show was bold enough to have us spend an entire hour with him and it worked so well. His story was a perfect blend of entertaining, funny, ridiculous and sad and it culminated in one of the show’s very best monologues with Grace telling the story of her kids. This was “The Leftovers” at its weird and heartbreaking best. E05 It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World: And again, this was “The Leftovers” at its weird and heartbreaking best. This episode told a story with a number of fascinating layers to delve into once you are finished. It’s a perfect emotional conclusion for Matt’s series-long character arc and also manages to tell its own story while closing out Matt’s. This one was a definite highlight. E06 Certified: What a tragic episode. This one wasn’t particularly action-packed or exciting. It was simply real. The character work and the writing was incredible in this episode and it made for one of the most subtly heartfelt episodes of television ever created. Show this to anyone with no context and it’s one of the dullest hours of television they will sit through. But for everyone invested in this story, this has to be one of the most emotional episodes that the show ever put out. E07 The Most Powerful Man in the World (And His Identical Twin Brother): The unofficial sequel to “International Assassin”. While it doesn’t top the original (there was next to no chance of that happening), this episode managed to stand out on its own by telling a very compelling story about Kevin’s life through his experience in this afterlife dimension. It was unpredictable, creative, memorable and emotional. What more could you ask for? E08 The Book of Nora: A near-perfect series finale. I’ve talked about it enough earlier, but I can’t sing enough praise for this episode. It was a bold, emotional and satisfying conclusion that perfectly captured the heart of the show. It will be hard to find a series finale better than this one. Worst Episodes: Once again, nothing particularly bad here. But there was one episode that I thought lagged behind the quality of the others. E01 The Book of Kevin: This one suffered from the timeskip issues and the fact that it had to reintroduce everyone. Because of that, it couldn’t tell as good of a story as the other 7 episodes in this season. Conclusion: This season was downright mesmerizing. It’s insane how powerful this season is and the fact that I can confidently say it was better than season 2, another outstanding season, is a major feat. I think this is a genuine contender for best TV season of all time, and it is a season that deserves to be remembered for a long time. The average score for this season was a 75, which is absolutely ridiculous. While I don’t think the overall season is quite that good, it’s still one of the most breathtaking experiences you will ever get from television. And that’s the end of the post! This was one hell of an effort to write and I had to keep pushing back the deadline due to this simply becoming longer and longer. George R.R. Martin, I now understand why “The Winds of Winter” is taking so long. Well, I partially understand. Speaking of “A Song of Ice and Fire”, my next series review will be of “Game of Thrones” coming sometime after the final season airs this April. But for now, I need a bit of a break from these massive series reviews.
1 Comment
Ben
2/8/2019 03:10:27 am
Great read, and I agree with pretty much all your thoughts on The Leftovers (I just think 102 is a weaker episode than 105). Lost is still my favourite show but The Leftovers is close and certainly does surpass it in a lot of ways, including the handling of its mysteries, and The Leftovers has the most satisying finale episode I've ever seen. International Assassin may be the best episode of TV I've seen, if not The Other 48 Days from Lost of If-Then-Else from Person of Interest.
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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