The Leftovers

The Leftovers is a show that has had a quite fascinating trajectory. An HBO show with an all-star cast, created by the co-creator of the magnificent Lost. How could it all go wrong? And yet, it almost did. Season 1 at first glance was an inconsistent, tumultuous show of middling quality. Moments of genuine quality interspersed with plodding mediocrity. That said, upon a rewatch, my opinion of it significantly improved. It always was a good show, with some truly mesmerising moments (see Holy Wayne hugging Nora). Season 2 is where it really came alive, however. Whereas season 1 might have seemed overly gimmicky and lacking focus, season 2 delivered a truly engaging, engrossing story with the perfect mix of excitement, surreality and detailed characterisation. By season 3, critics were hailing it as one of the greatest shows of all time.

Season 3 introduced the typical Leftovers’ blend of humour, the bizarre (dogs taking over the world?), entertainment and gut-wrenching misery. Like the other magnificent, emotionally driven, character based show of recent times ‘Rectify’, this show could be considered ‘misery porn’. Though I love it! However, I do feel season 3 is something I will need to watch again. It had many moments of great quality, and it was excellent, but it felt almost a bit too chaotic and lacking focus at times. Moving on, whilst the show has a very strong cast, Justin Theroux is the real acting heavyweight. Indeed, the man is an acting God who should be a Hollywood A lister. Scott Glenn was spectacular in season 3 and Carrie Coon, plus Christopher Eccleston, were never anything short of magnificent. Eccleston’s episodes were always great and full of substance; whilst Coon excelled in the finale, signing off with great aplomb.

I have now watched this episode twice and both times I was struck by the exposition early on, where Nora reveals how she was allowed access to the chamber. For a show as adult and intellectual as this, it’s clumsy; however, it’s...