HBO's The Leftovers

I should clarify something I said in a previous post -- I, too, am still interested - at this point - in what caused the disappearances; I'd like to know why 100 million people suddenly vanished. I'd like to know why there was no surveillance footage anywhere that captured someone disappearing (maybe there was and the show hasn't shown us yet). I'd like to know if it's some sort of futuristic population-control.

Having said that, I am open to the show reaching a plane in which I no longer care about the cause. Obviously, because the series is so new, I'm curious about the cause. But if the show is written and directed skillfully, then I can move away from the cause and embrace it for its bigger concepts.

 

There's definitely a lot going on. I believe the chain-smoking cult in white is called The Remnant. And there was a sign in one of their houses that said: WE DON'T SMOKE FOR OUR ENJOYMENT. WE SMOKE TO PROCLAIM OUR FAITH. No idea what that means yet, but it's definitely bizarre. Also, weird how the members take a vow of silence and stalk people (in a physically harmless way) to recruit them. Maybe the most mysterious thing about them is that no one knows where they all came from. According to the cop, there was a small amount a year ago, and now there's more than 100. And they bought up a cul-de-sac in Mapleton.

Wayne is interesting because we're being led to believe that he has some sort of ability to "unburden" people. We don't know what Wayne does, but we know it's expensive, based on what the congressman paid for Wayne's services. The skeptic in me says that he could be a charlatan, and the people who seek his help are desperate for something, so they start to believe in things that they probably wouldn't have believed in, had the event not occurred. The formation of these small factions of cults is probably due to peoples' fear of the event. I can definitely envision humans reacting like this in real life. This storyline is definitely mysterious, especially as it involves the cop's son.

I also would like to know what the cop was doing during the event. When he's asked about it by the woman at the bar, the quick flashback shows him banging some chick --- presumably cheating on his wife. I presume he was cheating on his wife because his answer to the woman at the bar was that he was cleaning out a gutter at his house. Clearly, a lie. So, why would he lie? Probably because he was cheating. So, I'm guessing there was some sort of friction between he and Laurie, before she joined the Remnant. Still, I want to know a bunch more.

The dogs and animal stuff is fucking wack. Kind of hard to watch at moments, but that's a good thing because it's eliciting a reaction.

 

Nice, bud, glad you watched it. I'm hoping to be able to discuss this show with some people other than those immediately around me.

 

Jeez, the pace of this show is molasses. The second episode wasn't particularly compelling, there wasn't any music that stood out, and the story is kind of creeping along.

However, I didn't expect Wayne's ranch to get raided, let alone so soon. That was pretty brutal, the way the S.W.A.T. guys were shooting unarmed members. I didn't find myself feeling too bad for those Wayne disciples; nevertheless, it was brutal and some of them probably didn't deserve to die. Regarding Wayne himself, I kind of expected him to be a fraud. Maybe he really does have some sort of extrasensory ability or whatever, but the guy has followers and likes to bang young (?teen), Asian girls. So, that sounds like a greasy cult leader to me. And maybe I'm idiot, because, despite all that, I still wonder if there's something "special" about the girl, Christine, who he wants protected. Or maybe he just wants her protected so he can bang her in some ritualistic way because he's a sick fuck. I'm not sure. Curious to hear others' opinions about this.

At one point during the episode, I convinced myself that the bald guy is Kevin's version of Tyler Durden (Fight Club). When the bald guy arrives at Kevin's front door, I thought it was odd that he couldn't get the guy's name. He asked, but the guy wouldn't provide it because Kevin said, "I'm not your friend." Then, Kevin's daughter, Jill, grabbed the beer from the guy (her friend walked right past him without acknowledging him) and after he left, Jill asked her dad, "Who was that?" So, it can't be a figment of his imagination or his alter ego, can it? From a technical standpoint, I suppose the writer can circumvent this by having Kevin exist as both guys: the daughter actually grabbed the six-pack out of Kevin's hand, and then Kevin only imagines her asking, "who was that?" It's a stretch, but I'm just saying that that's a possibility. Having said all of that, by the end of the episode, I was unconvinced that the bald guy is his alter ego. The therapist, and then Kevin actually finding the bagel (thank goodness that got resolved) -- I'm leaning towards the bald guy being a real guy -- just a mysterious, real guy; mayhaps some sort of survivalist, rebel guy. But, I am leaving open the other possibility, which is that he might only exist in Kevin's head.

The plot that piqued my interest in this second episode is the one that involves Nora Durst (the woman who spoke at the remembrance day). Anybody have any ideas about why she intentionally, yet surreptitiously, knocked the mug off the table in the coffee shop? I have a very basic theory, but it's only based on two measly episodes, so it's probably inaccurate. Also, is anyone else suspicious of the agency that she works for--the benefits for the departed? I'm wondering if she's representing a counterfeit agency, and she's really on her own personal crusade to figure out what happened. So, maybe she goes around asking those questions to gather information as she attempts to find some answers, specifically what happened to her husband and kids. Hmm, I don't know.

 

Such a good point. I think that that's a pretty good job of fucking with the audience's minds.

 

I never saw Lost, but I was watching this second episode with my friend, who has seen lost.

When Kevin couldn't find the bagel, my friend said that the bagel probably slipped into a time portal haha.