THE LEFTOVERS: A Look Back On An Original & Enduring Show

There are a lot of shows that are my favorites, that I truly love every moment of. Then, there are television shows like The Leftovers, which burrow in a way that makes it nearly impossible to shake. I admire its veracity, but there are many discomforting elements that strip some of my most fragile parts bare.

I don’t say this negatively, but rather as a way of professing its effect. This is a very deep (and I feel vague in saying this like it somehow still doesn’t encapsulate the well of emotion and existential exploration) series, one that is introspective and personal. It’s subversive, unrelenting, and consistently keeps you on your toes.

Apocalyptic Meets Hopeful?

Based on Tom Perrotta’s novel (though it should be mentioned that only the first season really ties to that – from there it is original work) this is a story where one person’s interpreted events could completely vary from someone else’s. That’s the beauty of storytelling, and it’s just one of many reasons why The Leftovers deserves to be watched, re-watched and appreciated for both its subtleties and glaring themes.

Created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, premiering on HBO and only having three seasons, the series starts three years after “The Sudden Departure,” focusing on the town of Mapleton, New York. Here we follow police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), his family and some of the other inhabitants of this town. After 2% of people in the world disappeared, unexpectedly and inexplicably, those left behind are still struggling to understand why. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s enough to ensure that everybody is impacted in some way. The unanswered element of the disappearances is the most difficult aspect, and every one handles this differently.

Some believe it was the rapture, some don’t try to figure it out and just relish their life, and some are destroyed by the loss. Most, even those who are “moving on”, are scathed. For others, a group called “The Guilty Remnants,” who don’t speak, chain smoke, and dress only in white, don’t want people to forget what’s happened. They consider themselves living reminders, and often bring in new members, stage “protests” of sorts and do things like remove pictures from homes or place mannequin versions of lost loved ones, persecuting those who are trying to keep going.

With each watch there’s a new detail illuminated, or a new potential reason gleaned, but when it comes down to it: these are people reacting to an unfathomable circumstance. So, even at its most odd, it’s strangely human and comforting. Somehow, it’s both surreal and real at the same time.

“You Think You’re Destined For Some Greatness And This Isn’t Enough. You Aren’t, And This Is Enough.”

It also doesn’t hurt that we have some amazing characters. The most evident one being Kevin, and Theroux is amazing. He’s often trying to pretend he has it together, but he’s barely hanging on. His flits with mental illness, worrying he’s becoming his father, insistent on saving those he loves (often to his own detriment) and all of this comes through in Theroux’s performance. Kevin is also someone who has a hard time being fulfilled, and this can lead him to self-sabotage. He’s almost always dancing the fine line between destruction and renewal.

There is also Carrie Coon as Nora Durst, who lost her entire family to the departure. She works for a service that regulates and investigates fraud cases of people claiming someone was departed. She does everything she can not to feel because she knows it will consume her. As the three seasons go on, she’s somewhat cyclic (much like Kevin) in her self-destruction, attempt at healing, and ultimate escape from acceptance. Coon plays her with a razor’s edge, and despite her outer exterior meant to keep most at a safe distance, she’s ultimately very easy to love. Therein lies her fear, because when you’re accepting of love and happiness, you’re taking a very big risk. Especially when you know what it feels like to lose it.

Her brother, Matt (Christopher Eccleston) is a reverend whose wife was in an accident the day of the departure, and who deeply believes in everything he does. What that is (it’s always religious, but generally more directed at some specific cause) shifts, but his steadfast ways never do. His dedication to help others often leads him to be taken advantage of, and yet he still has hope. Eccleston plays him in such an endearing (at time’s frustratingly stubborn) way that it’s hard to not be invested in all of his endeavors, as preposterous as some might seem.

Kevin’s ex-wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) who originally joins the Guilty Remnant, is another example of the widespread character arcs in this series. She’s unlike anyone else, and yet, she’s just doing her best to adapt and navigate. She changes a lot of the course of the three seasons, and Brenneman is a truly incredible casting choice.

Much like Liv Tyler as Meg, whose trajectory is similar but also very different, she isn’t sure she wants. With Tyler, we see things from an opposite track, as she joins the GR and truly becomes…well, herself (which, is to say, isn’t positive, but entertaining to behold). I’d hate to omit Patty (Ann Dowd), the leader of the GR in Mapleton in season one, from the discussion too, for several reasons. One, Ann Dowd is always amazing. And two, in this show, even when her screen time isn’t frequent, it’s unremitting in its significance. She’s attached to Kevin, without spoiling the how and why of it, their screen time is some of the funniest and the saddest.

There’s no shortage of either on The Leftovers. You’re just as likely to have tears in the corners of your eyes from some random laughter as you are from utter heartache. Though, the latter is more common.

Kevin and Laurie’s children, Tom (Chris Zylka) and Jill (Margaret Qualley), each have their own transitions as well. Tom spends a time with a cult-like group where the leader, Wayne, hugs the pain out of people. In the first season he’s tasked with watching over the expecting mother of Wayne’s child, which pushes him to his limits of trust and faith. Jill is very much a typical high school student, and in the midst of what’s going on- how can you navigate an already stressful developmental period too? Both of the Garvey children struggle, but the family seems to always stick it out together, in the end. When it comes to Kevin, his love for them is really the reason he beats on.

In season two we are introduced to a new and interesting family, the Murphys: John (Kevin Carroll), Erika (Regina King) and children Michael (Jovan Adepo) and Evangeline (Jasmin Savoy Brown). Each become an integral part of the show. As a family directly untouched by the Departed, their town Jarden, is the only one with zero recorded missing, there’s a new perspective on such an event. When Evangeline and her friends go missing tensions mount, and we’re left wondering: is it happening again?

Kevin Garvey, Sr. (Scott Glenn) is also incredible in the series, finding his way in and out of his son’s life, but always with some lesson to glean or potential path to ponder. Glenn gives his all to the performance, just like everyone else. They leave everything on the screen.

“That’s All Subject To Interpretation.”

There are many episodes throughout the series where one character is the primary focus. It allows us to see this specific journey and their perspective. However, despite all the amazing characters (some I didn’t mention) it’s Kevin and Nora’s story that truly captures. They are the North and South on the compass, consistently changing direction and course, but ultimately always our measurement. Coon and Theroux are so impeccably well-cast, and their performances deserve to be appreciated.

This is also a show that flits between optimism and bleak on a whim. Yes, these are fantastical circumstances and it’s not as if we ever get an explanation (don’t go into it expecting one if you haven’t watched), but it’s much like life itself. We have these instances of hope and misery and, while it’s down to the individual, many of us don’t have a real clue what this is all about. The Leftovers uses that insecurity, that curiosity, and crafts something truly remarkable.

Grief can be ugly, humiliating, and the kind of loss that this show explores, that lack of confirmation or knowing, is especially overwhelming. Each season changed and shifted with a new sense of self. It became self-aware of what it had done before and worked to make it bigger and weirder. By moving locations, more than once, show kept us tethered to its main characters, but also allowed us to see more of how this had impacted the world.

Along with the wonderful writing and directing, and there is a large assortment of creative minds behind this, it’s also worth pointing out how great the musical choices are throughout the series. Whether it be scores, or iconic songs used in specific ways, the series utilizes it well.

Love, Loss: The Story of Life & Of Nora and Kevin

The finale isn’t happy, as much as it is encouraging. Hopeful that we can hold onto love, life, and the potential for growth. The Leftovers, over the three seasons, gets significantly better and even more symbolic.

There are a lot of religious contexts to be found, messiah-like characters and plenty, plenty of martyrdom. For me, all those variables just make a good series great, but it is the amazingly written and performed central characters that are the icing. What better way to end a series such as this? Absolution is for the characters to be found, not in the scope of a universal query. These are all questions that we have, every day, but the show forces them to the surface.

It all depends on perspective. If you want to believe what Nora says, if you have faith in the potential of her testament. Does it matter? What matters is Kevin’s belief in Nora, and in one another. If you’re looking for answers, you’ve come to the wrong show. The uncertainty is where it digs in, finding home, but it flourishes in each of the character’s choices to make their own realities possible.

Sounds pretty similar to life, yeah?

If you haven’t seen The Leftovers, and you’re looking for a truly original experience, go ahead – try it out. Give it some time to flourish though, many of the best things require patience to show their worth. This is no exception.

The Leftovers can be streamed on all HBO services. 

What did you think? What was your opinion of the show and its impact? Let us know in the comments below!