The Leftovers: I Live Here Now
December 8, 2015 7:57 AM - Season 2, Episode 10 - Subscribe
In the Season 2 finale, Kevin comes clean to John about his connection to Evie's disappearance; Miracle faces an unexpected threat on the fourth anniversary of the Departure.
The ending was left open enough for another series. I really, really hope so.
I loved so much about this episode.
"Fix that, Jesus!"
"MOTHERFUCKER!!"
"I killed you!" "Nope"
I thought Kevin's rendition of "Homeward Bound" was amazing, heart-rending, gut-wrenching. I admit, I cried. And when he closed his eyes at the end, I said out loud "Please work, pleeeease ..."
Oh, and the baby. The baby in that stampede!
But Meg's grand plan was a bit of a damp squib in the end. And it still wasn't made clear how the three girls hooked up with Meg in the first place.
And after last season's commando jogging scene, I really thought my dreams would come true in the second visit to the hotel bathroom. Sadly not. And yes, I am that shallow.
posted by essexjan at 9:31 AM on December 8, 2015 [8 favorites]
I loved so much about this episode.
"Fix that, Jesus!"
"MOTHERFUCKER!!"
"I killed you!" "Nope"
I thought Kevin's rendition of "Homeward Bound" was amazing, heart-rending, gut-wrenching. I admit, I cried. And when he closed his eyes at the end, I said out loud "Please work, pleeeease ..."
Oh, and the baby. The baby in that stampede!
But Meg's grand plan was a bit of a damp squib in the end. And it still wasn't made clear how the three girls hooked up with Meg in the first place.
And after last season's commando jogging scene, I really thought my dreams would come true in the second visit to the hotel bathroom. Sadly not. And yes, I am that shallow.
posted by essexjan at 9:31 AM on December 8, 2015 [8 favorites]
I had "Homeward Bound" stuck in my head when I woke up this morning, and it still won't leave. Thanks, Kevin.
I figured the baby would be okay, but I was worried for Kevin's dog. I'm glad he left town.
Overall, I thought this season was vastly better than the first season, I enjoyed the finale, and I would like a season 3, but it would be almost poetic if the show just disappeared on a high note, without reason or explanation.
posted by tempestuoso at 10:15 AM on December 8, 2015
I figured the baby would be okay, but I was worried for Kevin's dog. I'm glad he left town.
Overall, I thought this season was vastly better than the first season, I enjoyed the finale, and I would like a season 3, but it would be almost poetic if the show just disappeared on a high note, without reason or explanation.
posted by tempestuoso at 10:15 AM on December 8, 2015
I loved this episode too, especially for its meditation on all of the different kinds of love, loss and how people respond to disruptions in their kinship fabric and to the anniversaries of events. Question: Back in Season 1 when Laurie was interviewing Meg for admission to the GR, did Meg say it was her mother she lost in the Departure? If so, it just struck me that Meg is sort of a poseur, since really it was the day before, even though the death came with the same suddenness, and the magnitude of 10/14 overwhelmed anyone's ability to give her support. Since Meg's relationship with her mother was such that she needed a bump just to get through lunch, it's interesting that via the GR she became a professional mourner. Or maybe she just has an addictive personality, so she could recognize Tommy's penchant to follow.
posted by carmicha at 1:15 PM on December 8, 2015
posted by carmicha at 1:15 PM on December 8, 2015
Oh, and the baby. The baby in that stampede!
When I first watched it, from the moment that the woman snatches Lily to the moment that Nora lays down next to her felt like an hour. It's a credit to the show that as soon as Lily was taken, I genuinely thought Nora would face having another child suddenly gone.
I thought Kevin's rendition of "Homeward Bound" was amazing, heart-rending, gut-wrenching.
It was perfect, and I am so glad that Madonna said no to "Life a Prayer."
Matt Zoller Seitz's argument for a third season.
posted by gladly at 5:35 PM on December 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
When I first watched it, from the moment that the woman snatches Lily to the moment that Nora lays down next to her felt like an hour. It's a credit to the show that as soon as Lily was taken, I genuinely thought Nora would face having another child suddenly gone.
I thought Kevin's rendition of "Homeward Bound" was amazing, heart-rending, gut-wrenching.
It was perfect, and I am so glad that Madonna said no to "Life a Prayer."
Matt Zoller Seitz's argument for a third season.
posted by gladly at 5:35 PM on December 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
I liked the finale overall, and I thought that this season was miles ahead of the first one in getting me to care about the characters on the show.
That said, I agree that I'm not really sure what the whole thing with Meg's big plan was about. If the GR's end goal was really just to insinuate themselves into Jardin, TX this seems like a bad way to do it - given their seemingly limitless membership roster it wouldn't be too far-fetched to just have a bunch of them take the normal bus into the park and then put on some white robes and bust out the smokes, and then do the same thing next week after the first set had been kicked out. But I think ultimately I just never did buy into the idea of evangelical nihilists in the first place, and actually the focus of this season away from the Guilty Remnant subplot and toward people who had more complex motivations than "I gave up and so should you" seemed like a point in its favor.
posted by whir at 11:22 PM on December 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
That said, I agree that I'm not really sure what the whole thing with Meg's big plan was about. If the GR's end goal was really just to insinuate themselves into Jardin, TX this seems like a bad way to do it - given their seemingly limitless membership roster it wouldn't be too far-fetched to just have a bunch of them take the normal bus into the park and then put on some white robes and bust out the smokes, and then do the same thing next week after the first set had been kicked out. But I think ultimately I just never did buy into the idea of evangelical nihilists in the first place, and actually the focus of this season away from the Guilty Remnant subplot and toward people who had more complex motivations than "I gave up and so should you" seemed like a point in its favor.
posted by whir at 11:22 PM on December 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
This was one of the best seasons of television of the year. My spouse and I were talking though about how amazing the current state of television is. Five years ago, I would have said this was maybe some of the best tv ever made. These days, I would call it among the three best seasons of any show this year. And that's not damning with faint praise. It just reflects how elevated the standards for tv have really become.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:56 AM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:56 AM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
I hope that, if next season resets again to some extent, the Meg/Evie team stays together. Their sort of more activist take on the GR is fascinating.
I'd also be very interested in the overstuffed family dynamic that would come from having all of the Jamison/Garvey clan under one roof.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:47 AM on December 10, 2015
I'd also be very interested in the overstuffed family dynamic that would come from having all of the Jamison/Garvey clan under one roof.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:47 AM on December 10, 2015
I'm not really sure what the whole thing with Meg's big plan was about. If the GR's end goal was really just to insinuate themselves into Jardin, TX this seems like a bad way to do it
I kind of took the point as being less about getting the GR into Jarden and more about sending the message that the attempts to draw some kind of message/hope/deliverance from the "9,261 spared" was insulting and pointless.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:03 AM on December 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
I kind of took the point as being less about getting the GR into Jarden and more about sending the message that the attempts to draw some kind of message/hope/deliverance from the "9,261 spared" was insulting and pointless.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:03 AM on December 10, 2015 [3 favorites]
"The Leftovers will not be departing."
posted by gladly at 12:40 PM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by gladly at 12:40 PM on December 10, 2015 [2 favorites]
Were there any LGBT people in either season of The Leftovers?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:47 AM on December 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:47 AM on December 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
So apparently they're renewing it for a third and final season. Man, I wish more TV shows had this kind of cap put on them. There's a lot of decent shows that could have been great had they had spent the first 2-3 seasons writing characters and plots with foreseeable ends rather than having the possibility of season 6-7 in mind.
posted by skewed at 10:06 PM on December 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by skewed at 10:06 PM on December 11, 2015 [4 favorites]
There were some depictions of LGBT people in the opening sequence of series one, but I don't think there were any LGBT characters in the show, no (correct me if I'm wrong anyone).
posted by el io at 11:59 PM on December 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by el io at 11:59 PM on December 11, 2015 [1 favorite]
I kind of hope they go back to Mapleton next season. I miss the snarky mayor.
I wonder if Meg will be pregnant with Tommy's baby next season. She said she wanted to make him pregnant, which is the kind of deranged way Meg would drop a hint like that, and she also told him "family is everything" just before the whole bus-bridge-town-takeover happened.
They're not definitive hints by any means, it was just something I was thinking since everything was otherwise wrapping up a bit neatly.
Also presumably lots more Janel Maloney next season. Hope they're locking her in!
posted by sweetkid at 10:52 AM on December 15, 2015
I wonder if Meg will be pregnant with Tommy's baby next season. She said she wanted to make him pregnant, which is the kind of deranged way Meg would drop a hint like that, and she also told him "family is everything" just before the whole bus-bridge-town-takeover happened.
They're not definitive hints by any means, it was just something I was thinking since everything was otherwise wrapping up a bit neatly.
Also presumably lots more Janel Maloney next season. Hope they're locking her in!
posted by sweetkid at 10:52 AM on December 15, 2015
There aren't any significant LGBT people. But, to me, it doesn't feel like it was lacking. I'm all for more representations of minorities of all types in media, but this show is so damn well written that I didn't even notice. You get caught up in their shoes. None of the characters are relatable to me, as a male Asian adult, but I feel everything they're going through.
I'm really glad there's a 3rd and final season. I can't wait.
posted by numaner at 2:52 PM on December 15, 2015
I'm really glad there's a 3rd and final season. I can't wait.
posted by numaner at 2:52 PM on December 15, 2015
What a fantastic finale to the season. I liked the payoff on the plot, the story of this season. The Rashomon-like revisiting of events worked well for me, including the baffling and nonsensical bit of Kevin's cyclical deaths and rebirths. Also the eco back to the school bus, a second fake bombing. And bringing Eve into the GR felt like a solid conclusion. A triumphant one, even, I was sort of rooting for her and Meg in their triumphant moment.
I was struck by the parallels between the GR and extremist Muslim jihadis. The scene of the girls leaving their families reminded me a lot of a similar scene in this season's Homeland, only in Homeland the girls are going to Syria to wage jihad. The nihilism of the GR, the threatened suicide bombings, seem to directly reflect suicide bombings by terrorists. And then the stampede at the end, the terrifying crush of humanity, recalls for me the stampedes at the Hajj at the Jamaraat Bridge. I'm not trying to say The Leftovers is all an allegory of extremist Islam, but it does seem to rhyme a bit. Perhaps the show writers were inspired somewhat by current events. Or at least the show reminded me of them.
The coda with Kevin being resurrected again and finding his family in Jarden felt very much like a show that wasn't certain it was going to be renewed for a third season. They could have ended right there. And so in a way the writers gave us a catharis afterall, a small victory. Matt and Mary's miracle was another catharsis, a moment of unsullied joy. One thing I've admired about this show is how relentlessly nihilistic it is, so that felt like a small concession. Regardless I'm glad they're renewed for a third and (crucially) final season. Perhaps everyone will smoke themselves to death afterall.
The Leftovers: "YOU UNDERSTAND"
posted by Nelson at 10:06 PM on December 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
I was struck by the parallels between the GR and extremist Muslim jihadis. The scene of the girls leaving their families reminded me a lot of a similar scene in this season's Homeland, only in Homeland the girls are going to Syria to wage jihad. The nihilism of the GR, the threatened suicide bombings, seem to directly reflect suicide bombings by terrorists. And then the stampede at the end, the terrifying crush of humanity, recalls for me the stampedes at the Hajj at the Jamaraat Bridge. I'm not trying to say The Leftovers is all an allegory of extremist Islam, but it does seem to rhyme a bit. Perhaps the show writers were inspired somewhat by current events. Or at least the show reminded me of them.
The coda with Kevin being resurrected again and finding his family in Jarden felt very much like a show that wasn't certain it was going to be renewed for a third season. They could have ended right there. And so in a way the writers gave us a catharis afterall, a small victory. Matt and Mary's miracle was another catharsis, a moment of unsullied joy. One thing I've admired about this show is how relentlessly nihilistic it is, so that felt like a small concession. Regardless I'm glad they're renewed for a third and (crucially) final season. Perhaps everyone will smoke themselves to death afterall.
The Leftovers: "YOU UNDERSTAND"
posted by Nelson at 10:06 PM on December 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Re-reading my comment it sounds like I'm comparing the victims of the stampede at the Hajj to violent jihadis. That's wrong, offensively wrong, and was not my intent. Apologies for the sloppy thinking.
posted by Nelson at 7:08 AM on December 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Nelson at 7:08 AM on December 16, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've watched all 20 episodes in the last week and a half and damn I love this show. I think it deals with death and loss like no other show than Six Feet Under. (Oddly, the other show it really reminds me of is Battlestar Galactica.)
I wish there was more discussion of this show here. Maybe we should do a rewatch before S3 airs, whenever that happens. I'm glad they are getting a third and final season, although this finale is pretty much perfect.
A lot of the post-S2 review/wrap ups/interviews were before the S3 announcement, so I'm glad Lindelof did this interview with the Living Reminders podcast. It's a great overview of what the show has achieved so far and there's a couple of hints about where the show is headed next season.
posted by crossoverman at 4:09 PM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wish there was more discussion of this show here. Maybe we should do a rewatch before S3 airs, whenever that happens. I'm glad they are getting a third and final season, although this finale is pretty much perfect.
A lot of the post-S2 review/wrap ups/interviews were before the S3 announcement, so I'm glad Lindelof did this interview with the Living Reminders podcast. It's a great overview of what the show has achieved so far and there's a couple of hints about where the show is headed next season.
posted by crossoverman at 4:09 PM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
This show was totally off my radar until a week ago, and since then I've binged both seasons. So good!
I think the show runners found the perfect balance of surreal abstraction and traditional linear storytelling. Abstract enough to make you think while you watch, but not so much that you get too lost or disinterested.
The other thing I love is how much the characters feel like real people (compared to most other shows). Other shows create drama by building rifts between characters/factions fueled by jealousy or anger or just deciding to keep secrets from each other for no apparent reason, but its usually out-of-character for otherwise reasonable level-headed folks.
The Leftovers' universe is crazy enough that you don't have to manufacture the drama through those mechanisms; it's already burned into everyones psyche, and they're doing their earnest best to overcome that drama in very human and relatable ways for the most part.
For example how Kevin and Nora just blurt out their dark secrets occasionally and they get over it and move on. Other shows would keep those secrets as tension to propel the show, but it has the downside of making the audience frustrated and the characters less likable. The few secrets they keep in the Leftovers get a pass either because their reveal would be dangerous (palm print) or they are in line with the character, even to the point of exploring the fears that fueled their secrets.
A really thought-provoking look into how people cope with all sorts of negative emotions. I hope other writers are watching this and taking notes! Can't wait for S3!
posted by p3t3 at 6:27 PM on May 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
I think the show runners found the perfect balance of surreal abstraction and traditional linear storytelling. Abstract enough to make you think while you watch, but not so much that you get too lost or disinterested.
The other thing I love is how much the characters feel like real people (compared to most other shows). Other shows create drama by building rifts between characters/factions fueled by jealousy or anger or just deciding to keep secrets from each other for no apparent reason, but its usually out-of-character for otherwise reasonable level-headed folks.
The Leftovers' universe is crazy enough that you don't have to manufacture the drama through those mechanisms; it's already burned into everyones psyche, and they're doing their earnest best to overcome that drama in very human and relatable ways for the most part.
For example how Kevin and Nora just blurt out their dark secrets occasionally and they get over it and move on. Other shows would keep those secrets as tension to propel the show, but it has the downside of making the audience frustrated and the characters less likable. The few secrets they keep in the Leftovers get a pass either because their reveal would be dangerous (palm print) or they are in line with the character, even to the point of exploring the fears that fueled their secrets.
A really thought-provoking look into how people cope with all sorts of negative emotions. I hope other writers are watching this and taking notes! Can't wait for S3!
posted by p3t3 at 6:27 PM on May 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
Production on S3 begins later this month, to air in 2017. There will also be location shooting in Australia.
posted by crossoverman at 8:11 PM on May 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by crossoverman at 8:11 PM on May 1, 2016 [3 favorites]
A new discovery for me, had heard nothing of this, and have now binged. I really enjoyed theirs sidestepping/inversion of the male gaze and traditional storytelling. Looking forward to S3. Re lgbt characters, one of the "legacy" interviews involved a man being asked the questions re his departed husband. Tbh with such a small ensemble piece I would rather that sort of enclusio than a shoehorned character. Similarly I loved that Erika uses hearing aids and had sign language as one of the family's languages without it being A Thing.
posted by Iteki at 12:54 PM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 12:54 PM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'd never heard of this show until just two days ago, and now I've watched the first two seasons. Really extraordinary television. I'm just about to watch the first two episodes of the 3rd season.
It was interesting reading the comments here on the first season. People seemed really quick to assume that the writers were just leaving things hanging in the air without any thought of where they were going. I guess that's the legacy of Damon Lindelof and his time with 'Lost' (a show I really enjoyed, regardless of its flaws).
I'm so glad I found this show and I'm really looking forward to seeing where season 3 takes us.
posted by h00py at 3:00 AM on April 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
It was interesting reading the comments here on the first season. People seemed really quick to assume that the writers were just leaving things hanging in the air without any thought of where they were going. I guess that's the legacy of Damon Lindelof and his time with 'Lost' (a show I really enjoyed, regardless of its flaws).
I'm so glad I found this show and I'm really looking forward to seeing where season 3 takes us.
posted by h00py at 3:00 AM on April 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
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posted by carmicha at 8:02 AM on December 8, 2015 [5 favorites]