It took six episodes until I finally begin to like it. I really don't know what to say. This was experience what I have been waiting for - I didn't knew it though. Here I am thinking how would I handle it if something like this happened to me? Must wait couple days when moving forward to season 2.
Thank you people who convince me trhough reviews. Keep writing and voting. I never vote series until I have watched at least one season. That is a policy what I would change on imdb because too many people give up after watching one episode and give one star.
Great music, editing, directing, philosophy, plot, dialogue and insanely good acting.
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matiasbockerman24 August 2019
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tabraham448 September 2014Just wow.. what a finale. This season was a bit slow at times yes, but closes out basically perfect. I promise you a tear jerking finale throughout the whole episode and not just at the end, thats when you know it is a great finale. There's not any specific moments since I must keep this spoiler free, but everything wraps up together too nicely and leaves a perfect start for season 2. The season definitely had its yawning moments but boy was this finale worth it. How this show separates itself is that it brings you to the core of each character so by this time when it all kicks in you really feel each moment of pain and grief. There will multiple times when I had to almost pause the episode because the emotion and what just happened was too much. Fair warning if you're extremely stressed do not watch this episode, it will just want to make you explode and the last finale to do that to me was Dexter season 2, actually no matter what you must watch this, so buckle up its one hell of a ride.
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matthewjmiles30 October 2018I have been somewhat in awe of the Leftovers so far, as it is my first time watching, seeing the depths to which the characters sink to, and realizing how much the characters mean to me in their more emotional moments, there's no doubt in my mind that it is a drama that stands out from the crowd. The soft sci-fi premise aids this of course, but I like that the 'vanishing' incident is just a backdrop to the character-driven, well-written drama.
'The Prodigal Son Returns' is a very fitting conclusion to the first season. It includes all of the prominent characters of the show thus far, naturally tying up the vast majority of their loose ends and linking seemingly disparate storylines together. Kevin and Matt's unlikely collaboration is a strong point of the episode, allowing one to challenge the other, and developing them both for the better. However, this subplot pales in comparison to the chilling revelation of the Guilty Remnant's latest stunt: literally recreating the 'Departed' with uncanny resemblance back in their own homes. As soon as the silhouettes of Nora's family appear in the background of the shot, it sent my heart plummeting, as did her ensuing actions. With that in mind, its easy to antagonise the Remnant and justify what is done to them in response, plus a great deal of the fact that we are made to care about them by the end is because Jill is in danger and Laurie is attacked - if they were removed from the situation, would us watchers still remain steadfastly on the side of the attackers? It's interesting nonetheless that the writing can make you sympathize with both sides of the conflict and make your own interpretation.
By the final shot, I was hungry to start the second season, and that is exactly how you should conclude the pilot season. Score another one for HBO. -
TheDonaldofDoom24 January 2018This show is amazing. There's no doubt about that. This episode delivers some of the most powerful, moving moments in the season, culminating in the Guilty Remnant committing their worst act yet. Unsurprisingly this leads to riots but it's how what they do affects the characters we know that's the most heartbreaking (and fascinating to think about). Laurie, it looks like, is hinting at redemption, reuniting with Tom. Nora reacts in the opposite way to most people. It's a shame that after she finally moved on the mannequins forced her to remember. But at the point when it looks like we've lost all hope and she's going to be leaving, bringing an end to her relationship with Kevin, one of the only hopeful things in the show, she sees the baby. And with Kevin returning with Jill, there's finally a glimmer of hope after all this darkness: maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to move on, rebuilding a family with two new members.
But the question I had at the end of this was, what was the Guilty Remnant really all about? Sure, the basic answer was to make people remember the Departed. But why? And how does that tie in with the other philosophy of the GR, removing all emotion until there's nothing left? It's a question to which I don't feel I fully have the answer, which is frustrating. But on the other hand, maybe that's the point the show is trying to make. That none of this happens for a reason. After all, the Departure happened for no discernable reason. Matt tries to find purpose in it, but there isn't one as far as we know. He also suffered for no reason, losing his church. The GR does all this evil for no real reason other than the natural human predisposition to find meaning. And because the world isn't black and white, sometimes attempts to find meaning will help, like with Matt, and sometimes they'll lead to disaster, like with the Guilty Remnant.
Find meaning that's what I've been trying to do throughout this season- some sort of purpose, from all of its events. When perhaps there isn't one.
I've loved this season. Meaning or no meaning, it's been wonderful. -
greens13131 August 2017you cannot end an episode or a season any better than that. I did not know of her before, but now I am a huge Carrie Coon's fan - that face just expresses so much. And I am a huge fan of the writing team, and director. everything was perfect. the soundtrack is exceptional too. don't miss this.
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purelightning58 September 2014WOW, that was an eventful episode. The way they ended the first series of the leftovers was interesting because we were given a glimpse of hope for the first time on this show. I was very skeptical about this series because i thought all the episodes would be similar but i was wrong and as of now i feel that this show is safe for at least another season or two. Hopefully its not dragged on like lost. As far as finale's go this was pretty memorable to be honest, it was directed wonderfully. We were made to think a couple of times that all was lost for our protagonist but no! The whole mapleton on fire scene was intense and it raised the bars for what the GR are capable of. The scene with Wayne and Kevin is worth noting because it was very interesting to watch, especially when Kevin was asked to make a wish which was "granted" by Wayne. Even though we don't know what the wish was, we can have an idea that it was about him having his family back. Without saying to much i recommend watching this because it was a perfectly done finale for a well-done series.
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When evaluating Season One of The Leftovers, one always has to first remember its context. Coming just a few years after the LOST finale that was so divisive to the network TV-watching public, that show's head writer--Damon Lindelof--took his talents to streaming/HBO for a much deeper-dive into the emotionally human themes he can cultivate so well in a series. The result is a season here that takes a little bit to find its footing, but once it does it transforms into a gut-wrenchingly emotional treatise on guilt, loss, and regrouping from tragedy.
For a very basic overview, "The Leftovers" focuses on the town of Mapleton three years after a momentous event rocked the world: 2% of the population vanished with no explanation. At first, viewers see the world through the eyes of Sheriff Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), who is trying his best to protect Mapleton's citizens and give them some sense of hope--all while wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) leaves him for a silent cult and teenage daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) struggles through her own adolescence in turbulent times. As the scope widens, however, viewers are shown glimpses of how "The Departure" have effected the entire town, such as Laurie's Guilty Remnant movement--led by stone-faced Patti (Ann Dowd)--that generally makes life miserable for town inhabitants, a reverend (Christopher Eccleston) who is adamant the Departure was NOT the rapture, and a mysterious man named Wayne (Paterson Joseph) seemingly able to cure people of their inherent sadness with a simple embrace. There is also poor Nora Durst (Carrie Coon) who lost her entire family in the Departure and newcomer Meg (Liv Tyler) trying to find her way in life.
Did you follow all of that? "The Leftovers" is a very ambitious project right from the jump. All of these plotlines/characters are thrown at viewers in the first 4-5 episodes, and as such those early installments can come off as a bit slow or confusing. Even after five hour-long episodes there is a pretty good chance you'll be thinking "what in the world is going on here?!".
I would implore viewers to push through those early episodes (they aren't bad by any means--just slow), as from episode six onward The Leftovers becomes one of the best dramas you'll ever watch. Its observations on guilt, loss, and coping with an unfair world will stand the test of time for decades upon decades as they are expertly crafted in the deft hands of Lindelof.
In a similarly genius creative decision, Lindelof toys with genre conventions (especially sci-fi and fantasy--what he had been best known for previously) all the way through here. He often goes right up to the edge of mystical explanations--then backs off for a conventional, human-based climax. Seeing as how all the emotional drama is indeed based on the unexplained Departure event, it creates a perfect balance between "reality" and "fantasy" storytelling.
Overall, I give S1 of The Leftovers 9/10 stars. I can't give it the full ten because a few too many of those early episodes don't quite have the Leftovers formula down pat yet. But once it hits its stride with "Guest", it cranks out some of the most thoughtful, enjoyable hours of TV ever created. -
ajd418 October 2015Tremendous, tremendous, tremendous .... This is one hell of a show... So much better than the Walking Dead. Why do I compare the two? They are both the sort of end-times dramas that we are all craving because subconsciously we see how insane and over crowded the world has become and we are terrified something terrible is about to happen... Anyway, in this show people act as you would expect them to act in an extraordinary, crisis unlike the idiots on the two Walking Dead shows. They don't make idiotic choices for no apparent reason - those counterintuitive decisions that invariably lead to their demise ...The characters in The Leftovers are deeply human and show humanity for all its strengths and weaknesses. I'm ready to drop the Walking Dead altogether (you couldn't pay me to watch Fear the Walking Dead again). I suppose it demonstrates the superiority of HBO over commercial TV cable. This first season of The Leftovers got me, hook, line and sinker....Hope it doesn't let me down... Hope it doesn't turn into some god thing ... ...
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leprincevi23 April 2015The season finale of The Leftovers are the toughest episode ever that is so dark and deep motion. still didn't answer the questions the kept us following from the beginning that it would not answer yet and let us captivate to the second season. From The Leftovers' first episode, dogs have been a stand-in for humankind; running feral in packs after they lost their owners in The Sudden Departure, they raised a disturbing question and set the terms of debate for the survivors. The episode, which follows the flashback from two weeks ago, has trouble gaining momentum after this break in airtime, focusing mainly on Kevin's self-pity until three-quarters of the way through, when we're confronted with the awful chaos that the Guilty Remnant has chosen to inflict upon Mapleton in honor of the anniversary of October 14th. Kevin easily remains the show's least interesting character, so it's a relief when the episode veers away from his problems to wrap up some of the story lines the show's spent most of the season ignoring.And yes, it's the end of the episode and the end of the season. It ends on a hokey note, but at least Nora, by far the most interesting character in the series, didn't die. The GR's destructive plan, though twisted, was one of the best moments of the series, and a plot point that felt as though it truly wanted to engage with the hypocrisies of mourning, arguably one of the show's overarching themes. Next season, it might do the show well to focus more on the GR and other townspeople instead of Kevin. We've had enough of his self-inflicted wallowing; more Laurie, Nora, and Matt, please!
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ibn_masr976 November 2021Mom died 5 years ago, vanished, departed. Lost everything but still alive still fighting still going.
This episode hit me hard, really hard, after all i found hope. I understood why i am still here. -
lksakib25 April 2021This is what you call a season finale. Tv doesn't get any better than this. The direction, storytelling, acting was on point. It is so beautifully haunting. I'm glad I've made it this far. First few episodes were too depressing for me. 10/10.
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Astaroth229 March 2021Just finished the first season....
It's interestingly smart but mentally exhausting. I kept thinking to myself that there's got to be a better way to get these messages across. And yet, had that method been used, I probably wouldn't have kept watching. Regardless, I absolutely need a couple of days to decompress & "reset" before I start the next season. -
jrgibson-5193117 June 2022After watching the complete first series in June 2022. I feel somewhat disappointed, given the wonderful reviews that it has received.
Starting with the climax and viewing the aftermath is unusual but sadly, despite great acting, it developed into little more than a soap opera. By introducing elements reminiscent of Twin Peaks, like the rampaging deer, marauding dogs and bizarre dream sequences, attempts were made to add significance and gravitas while generally distracting from the story line. The story was probably more effective in book form where philosophical and religious themes could be explored in detail whereas in a visual medium, more action was needed to hold viewers attention. Unexplained departures were devastating for the characters and the unexplained events were equally frustrating for viewers - rather like films with ambiguous endings where viewers are expected to finish the writers job.
One wonders if such a series could be produced in 2022, given recent real life events. Family members disappearing in an instant is clearly a traumatic experience, made all the more disturbing since it also happened to others and there is no obvious explanation. Had it been heart attacks and deaths spread over a period of months, 2% of the world's population departing would hardly have have been newsworthy, especially as Bill Gates has expressed a desire to reduce the world's population by 10% to 15% and nobody bats an eye. Life is stranger than fiction. -
ateeg-6289830 November 2019Man it's real touching it's really you can understand .sund it's a great all great. It's how ending season.
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ianjustfloors10 August 2021Utterly baffling, the season finale tied nothing up, nobody was saved,nobody was redeemed & everybody lost.
Maybe I'm thick and have missed the point of this show, but if this show was a musical piece, then it would be metal machine music by Lou Reed, utter garbage but let's pretend it's art and praise it.
Questions I have.
Why does the sheriff blackout or does he?
How does he keep his job when he's so angry all the time that he commits acts of violence for no reason.
What was the point of subplot involving the sheriffs step son What was the point of the holy guy who was part messiah & part gang leader The dogs ? Wtf was that about
I could go on but I'm sorry this was bang average with absolutely no message or meaning to it. -
laaxxn12 June 2021Would be great if episodes wasn't so dragged out. Make the 1 hot episodes to 30 muns.