The Final Season of The Leftovers Is What You Hoped the Final Season of Lost Would Be - Today's News: Our Take. As the broader appreciation for TV has improved, expectations for final seasons have grown exponentially. We live in a cultural moment where nearly all scripted shows - - including sitcoms - - must . No show and no showrunner have suffered this fate quite like Lost and its co- creator Damon Lindelof. Season 2 opens in Jarden, Texas, aka Miracle, a town known the world over for not losing a single person to the "Sudden Departure," and one where Kevin (Justin. For those predisposed to make comparisons, there's quite a lot in The Leftovers' final season (which begins this Sunday on HBO at 9/8c) that might remind you of Lost. I am glad to see the main characters together in the same place. The one thing I disliked about the first season. HBO's official website contains schedule information, original video content, episode guides, polls, bulletin boards, and more! In many ways, the final season of Lost foreshadowed how we'd come to treat too many subsequent shows. Five seasons of compelling, confounding storytelling begat millions of words on theories, sub- theories, and fan wikis, which begat unbelievable expectations. The ABC drama's closing episodes never could have met those expectations. They're better than you remember, but it's hard to view them through any other prism because you can feel the expectations weighing them down. Lindelof has been open about how the hostile response to Lost's sixth season messed him up, to the point where it seeped into the already overwhelming misery of the first season of his current show The Leftovers. If the second season - - one of the best single seasons of TV ever - - was Lindelof rediscovering his mojo, then this final season is Lindelof truly letting it rip, and producing the kind of stretch run you wanted from Lost all along. Carrie Coon, Justin Theroux; The Leftovers. For those predisposed to make comparisons, there's quite a lot in The Leftovers' final season (which begins this Sunday on HBO at 9/8c) that might remind you of Lost. After intermittently utilizing the Lost approach of focusing on one or two characters per episode in the first two seasons of The Leftovers, Season 3 commits it to more clearly. Characters take a sojourn to Australia and they watch videos starring strangers that may unveil answers to a new supposed mystery. Kevin (Justin Theroux) continues down his . Check out last week’s Game of Thrones recap for Season 6, Episode 9, “Battle of the Bastards,” here. Three years after the disappearance of 2% of the global population, a group of people from New York struggle to continue their lives, while they cope with the tragedy. There's weirdness involving kids, important conversations on airplanes, and so much searching for meaning in the (now extended) aftermath of the Sudden Departure, the show's central event where two percent of the world's population disappeared in an instant. But whereas Lost's final episodes were required to attempt to answer or provide resolution to dozens of questions, The Leftovers is utterly, gloriously free to do whatever the hell it wants. It has long moved past Tom Perrotta's novel and the world building continues to aid the series' intrigue. Most impressively, pre- existing storylines are taken to fantastic, oftentimes amusing extremes. But that hasn't stopped Lindelof, Perrotta, lead director Mimi Leder, and the rest of the creative team from playing with that idea every season.\How to survive April's incredible (and incredibly overwhelming) TV schedule. The show's timeline is coming up on the seven- year anniversary of the Departure and, like many of the characters, Nora (Carrie Coon) continues to struggle with the loss of her children, especially when she encounters a sudden . The particulars of how Nora, a government employee tasked with verifying the veracity of Departure- related events, encounters and hunts down this surprisingly sci- fi- tinged outcome is one of the series' more powerful - - and odd - - pursuits. Kevin's mind- bending walkabout escalates as well. While Lost offered thinly- veiled nods toward Jack or Locke (Terry O'Quinn) as classic savior figures or fumbled its way through metaphors made literal - - the island has a cork at the center preventing all the evil from being released! For instance: Is Kevin Garvey, a man who has repeatedly died and come back to life, the next Jesus? If he is, shouldn't someone write A New New Testament? And if so, what does that even look like? On the surface, that may sound like a silly idea. But in execution, The Leftovers makes certain to deflate most of the self- importance that would come with figuring out if there is a way to find the people who departed, or learning that you're probably the rebooted Jesus (complete with a dope beard). Not only is Kevin uncomfortable with the suggestion, but other characters, including his long- time partner Nora, make fun of him for it. Scott Glenn, The Leftovers. Meanwhile, when the show steps away from the leads, it can get even wilder. One of the early episodes focuses almost exclusively on Kevin Sr. It's one of the most unusual episodes of TV you'll see this year, one that makes a strange story even stranger. Contrast that with some of the late- era Lost episodes about characters like Richard (Nestor Carbonell) or Jacob (Mark Pellegrino), which were ponderous - - if occasionally moving - - affairs that couldn't escape their purpose as a final piece snapping into the puzzle. It's not as if Lost didn't have comedic or surreal moments in the final season, but it certainly didn't have enough time for them. The stakes were too high, both on- screen and off. With The Leftovers, the stakes are still real - - the upcoming anniversary is supposedly going to bring another Great Departure - - but the show still manages to find time to address how someone crafted an inflatable statue in honor of the departed Gary Busey. In truth, the differences in the final seasons of Lost and The Leftovers come down to those expectations. As an enormous worldwide success, Lost had no choice but to play out its final season as it did. As a barely watched and short- lived HBO drama, The Leftovers doesn't have anyone or anything to answer for. But if these final episodes are any indication, more shows should have that luxury and that freedom. The Leftovers begins its final season on Sunday, Apr. The Leftovers Review: Season 3 Premiere, Episode 1, The Book of Kevin. Sarah could be Nora in the future, living under a new identity in the post- rapture world. Sarah could be Nora’s long lost twin and a descendant of the cult member who climbed onto her roof, repeatedly, at the beginning of the episode. Sarah could be anyone, really, but we’ll only know for sure when the creators decide we should. So let’s let the mystery be, for now, and dig into an episode loaded with fresh information — and incredible passion. READ MORE: . The shot earlier in the episode — of Kevin watching her ride off into Jarden — did show us the bike she used to collect doves in Australia.)Fresh Facts: 1. Fulfilling a prophecy first offered in Season 1, the federal government stepped in and took out the scariest white walkers on TV. A gas leak is the only way to explain killing American citizens who, technically, hadn’t hurt anyone, and that’s exactly what Kevin recounted to his son when pressed about their part in the assassinations of Meg and Evie. It was both a fitting and shocking end for the devious minds behind the plot to overthrow Miracle, and one that provided a perfect opportunity to jump into the future. READ MORE: . John and Laurie’s Non- Profit, and. Tommy stuck around to become a cop, just like his papa and grandpappy before him. Matt has taken over the church, and his congregation is out of control — in part, at least, thanks to Kevin opening up Miracle to everyone, no wristband required. But the biggest shock of the time shift — aside from the fact they haven’t filled in the three- year- old crater made by the missile that blew up the GR — was learning that John and Laurie aren’t only in business together, but are getting married. First, can we just talk about Laurie’s attraction to damaged men? Whoever Tommy’s biological dad is the biggest deadbeat/worst choice, but Kevin was a rough next step, given how repressed his emotions were at the time. Now she’s with John, an ex- con sent to prison for attempted murder who three years ago was burning down people’s houses and shooting Kevin in the chest? Methinks the therapist may be a bit too obsessed with her patients. As to John’s palm- reading gig, this makes perfect sense (in a wonderfully “Leftovers” way) and points to why Laurie would be into the new John. He’s paying his penance for what he did in Season 2, providing the same service the “real” palm reader did, but without accepting a single dollar in payment. That would mean he’s profiting off of his past sins, rather than making up for them as best he can. The Book of Kevin. To be clear, Kevin is not Jesus. No one is saying he’s Jesus. They’re just saying his life is worth chronicling, preserving, and studying in relation to the unknown. He has a unique connection to the afterlife no one else does (that we know of), and Matt, Michael, and John’s book is meant to convey that by telling his story. Does Matt get a little carried away? But what’s in the book frightens Kevin because he does not understand it, and what he doesn’t understand cannot be explained; not even by Laurie. Kevin has always struggled psychologically. He’s lived in fear of becoming his father and being shipped off to the looney bin. But the events of Season 2 forced him to take his visions seriously, and he’s clearly still wrestling with how real his experiences were. After all, when he was talking to Dean about dogs infiltrating the United States government, his mind flashed back to shoving little girl Patti into the well. There’s a connection there to him; a doubt similar to anyone who believes in something that cannot be explained. And he’s going to have to face that doubt head- on before October 1. Big Questions: 1. Where is Lily?– This is a big deal. Nora and Kevin’s baby, given to them by Tommy and fathered by Holy Wayne, is nowhere to be found, and Jill makes a point of asking Kevin if Nora ever talks about her. Where is Erika?– The only major cast member missing from Tommy’s non- surprise party is John’s ex- wife, and while we can assume it would be awkward for them both to be there, we hope this doesn’t mean she’s distanced from both families. She and Nora had a special bond, to say the least, and Regina King is such an incredible talent, we’d hate if she’s gone for good. Will we ever see Jill again?– Jill’s parting words to Kevin were meant as a joke, but there was an ominous quality about her appearance and departure. Plus, with her spending time at college, it might be harder to tie her life into those in Jarden. Perhaps that goodbye was a bit more relevant than either of them knew. Who’s distributing those flyers?– If it’s not flyer- loving Matt, then who’s printing those things? Odds seem high they’re connected to whoever drew the skywriting at episode’s end, but that’s the only other clue we have to go on. We’re comfortable answering that for you, John. The dental records are conclusive evidence, whether you believe it or not. Why is Kevin suffocating himself?– Is he going back to the hotel? Is he testing his powers? Is he looking for someone? Or is he just damaged, and needs the rush? Who’s Sarah?– Yea, OK, we already went over this. But seriously: Who the fuck is Sarah? The Purpose Behind the Pain. Just like Season 1, Season 2, and most season premieres in general, “The Book of Kevin” was focused on establishing arcs. Season 1 introduced the sudden departure. Season 2 provided a possible follow- up when Evie disappeared. Season 3 has given us a ticking time bomb: October 1. Bible (and anywhere else) for significance in a seven- year anniversary. Even though it may seem like we have more questions after the hour began than when it ended, there’s a much clearer picture of what the final season of “The Leftovers” will look like. The questions shape the narrative, and our eagerness to have them answered drives curiosity for the remaining seven episodes. READ MORE: What Makes TV ? Damon Lindelof, Aya Cash, The Cast of . This episode was a largely lighthearted hour of TV, other than Dean attacking Kevin, Tommy shooting him, and the immensely painful introduction. Kevin needs to ask himself the questions he’s afraid to answer as much as we need to know what happens to the Garveys. But Kevin doesn’t know why we’re going through this either, and people are looking to him for answers: John, Matt, and us, the audience. In a way, he’s already answered our questions: By sacrificing mind and body on a journey of self- discovery, we’ve learned so much from Kevin about priorities, regret, acknowledgement, passion, and courage. It’d be hard to watch Season 2 and not realize something profound about yourself. But belief is an ongoing struggle, and Season 3 seems determined to go further down the rabbit hole. How Kevin (and Nora, Matt, et al) accounts for his own doubts, worries, and fears in the coming weeks will dictate how we feel coming out of “The Leftovers.”Right now, we’re scared — just like Kevin. And that’s right where we need to be. Grade: A“The Leftovers” releases new episodes every Sunday at 9 p. Bonus: How Funny Was “The Leftovers” This Week? Answer: Very. And that sandwich bit? Oh, Kevin, you’re so clever. Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here. Stay on top of the latest TV news! Sign up for our TV email newsletter here. Entertainment and Celebrity News, TV News and Breaking News. Things to Watch This Weekend, May 2. Doctor Who, American Gods and more.
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