The Leftovers: The Complete Third Season

"When I finished the series finale of The Leftovers, I briefly thought about a career change. Not just a career change actually. A whole life change."That's the line in a review of the Leftovers finale which made me go back and finish this show. I'm going to try and convince you, without spoiling it, that you too should finish this show.When I first read the above line I thought, "that's silly, it's just a TV show." I'm the silly one! The Leftovers unfolds less like a typical popcorn TV binge-a-thon and more like a philosophical treatise, play-acted in three parts. When I finally finished the Leftovers, I stopped and briefly considered my whole life, what it meant to me, and how grateful I was for it. THAT's powerful art. I also decided, then and there, that I would never spoil the ending of this show for anyone, ever, as long as I live. You might be saying, "well that's dramatic, and who cares? Spoiling things is a jerk move, anyway." Fair enough, but if you prod and poke and needle me, I'll spoil just about anything, not because I like ruining the experience but because I LOVE talking about powerful stories. It's kinda my thing. Not with this one. The ending needs to be seen, nay experienced, to be believed.So it's difficult to even talk about this show without veering into the metaphysical, the religious, and generally sounding like a C-average philosophy major. I'll try my best to be direct and brief.At its core, the Leftovers is about humanity in all its forms. It's not about good versus evil or mankind versus demons, it's just us. Just us folks. Within that study of humanity are three main questions that I feel drive each of the three seasons. These questions are answered in long-form, often intertwining character studies, and our characters are just people coping against a backdrop of sheer madness. It's not a spoiler to say the first few minutes feature the "Departure," an event where a sliver of the world's population vanishes into thin air. It's not a lot, I think globally it's 140 million. This is the defining moment for the humans you'll meet in the show. The three questions that drive each season, respectively, are:1. "How traumatized would we be?"2. "What would it do to our faith?"3. "How would we move on? "I don't want to spoil anything, but let's talk about that first season real quick, but in the context of its role for the overall story. It's tough. It's brutal. It's nihilist and unyielding and ugly as can be. It makes us feel depressed and angry and we despise the characters and the writers and stupid Lindelof. I just have to say- however it is you feel about the first season is okay. It's totally valid, and it's part of the process. Art is supposed to evoke emotion, and the stronger the emotion the more effective the art. It's okay to feel however you feel about it, because it means it's working. Season 1 sets the stage for the journey ahead. The stronger you feel about S1, the more fulfilling the journey. I'm with you. I D E S P I S E D this show after the first season, but a few episodes into season 2 I just leaned into those very human emotions and let it play. As you slog through season 1 ask yourself what you hope or think will happen to the characters, good or bad, and stick around to see if you were right. You will/WILL come to love some of these same people you despised in season 1. You'll keep watching because you just need to know that so-and-so is okay, that in the end, it all works out.You'll develop an affinity for the characters that's considerably stronger than in many other shows, due largely to how unflinching this show can be. You've been dragged through the depressing muck of the pseudo-apocalypse right along with your favorite characters. You've seen these people at their best and at their absolute worst, but you'll eventually feel a deep yearning to see them through to the 'end'- whatever that might be. Eventually, you'll accept these characters for what they are, deeply human, wholly imperfect. Somewhere near the end of season 2, I just surrendered to the show and let it wash over me. I stopped trying to figure it all out and just embraced the utter chaos laid bare that is the human condition. Like life, the Leftovers will have you bursting with laughter, crying tears of joy and sorrow, questioning your existence, yelling at the screen, and ultimately, feeling very alive, feeling very much like a human. There are few things in art as powerful as raw, imperfect, chaotic humanity, and the Leftovers showcases the inner chaos we all feel from time to time better than anything else.So I know Season 1's tough, but let me quit droning on and just say that on the whole, this is probably the most satisfying tv show I've ever witnessed because of how honest it is. Experiencing the end of this show is like the culmination of a spiritual journey, a nearly transcendent experience that will make you grateful you exist on the same plane as the Leftovers. It is a literary and cinematic triumph, and I'm so glad I watched it in 2020. It's been a weird year, one very much defined by humanity at its best and worst, and in some small way the Leftovers has helped me to cope with that. Whatever you decide to do about this show, just stay safe, and be there for your fellow humans. The Leftovers points out that our existence is frail and fleeting and small, but also serves to remind us that as long as we're alive, it's an enormous blessing we should be thankful for. Make the most of it.

I can't separate out the seasons. This applies to all three.The show revolves around the reactions of several families to an unexplained disappearance of 2 percent of the population. One second they were there, the next they weren't. A cult sprang up of members committed to the notion that as a result of this incident life had no meaning and they did what they could to disrupt attempts for life around them to continue as it had before the incident. As the series progresses, the focus narrows down to Kevin Garvey, Jr., the police chief in town, and Nora Durst, who becomes his second wife. His first wife Laurie has joined the cult.My sister recommended The Leftovers to me. After the second or third episode I confessed to her I didn’t like any of these people. They acted crazy and I said I didn’t know if I cared to see more of their lives. She reminded me they had all been traumatized and their craziness was their response to trauma.That thought held my interest and slowly I began to get involved in their search to make some sense of what had happened to them. At first I was most puzzled by Laurie because she seemed like she had lost nothing and had one of most extreme reactions. Later her loss is revealed.I so much liked Nora as she struggled to believe she had come to terms with her loss even as it became more obvious that was not the case. And Kevin who wound up discovering his bizarre gift to enter the world of the dead.I began to realize that our lives are not that different. We all struggle to make sense of a perplexing world. Many of us – maybe most of us – are traumatized by life at some point. The Guilty Remnant is not that different from Westboro Baptist Church that pickets against homosexuality at military funerals. Nora’s struggle is not unlike the aftermath some people experience after a family member commits suicide.To some degree we all feel that we were left in a place that never makes complete sense, that confounds us, disappoints us and leaves us lost. Maybe the only hedge against an uncertain world is companionship and it’s fragile at best.I began the last episode with such hope for Kevin and Nora. They had persevered on a cobbled-together faith that did little more than protect them from the chaos that stalked them relentlessly. After going though so much, it seemed their remaining lives would have been so empty apart and alone.As they each told their stories, tears streamed down my face – tears of empathy for their suffering and sorry. When Kevin held out his hard and Nora placed hers in his, I felt at peace.

interesting series. very entertaining.

Truly one of the best bits of writing I've seen in a long while. No, I didn't read the book before watching the series, but I definitely will now. The cast was believable in the most unbelievable of circumstances, and a special nod to Chris Eccleston for conveying a realistic character that experiences every possible emotion and reaction to an unreal and world changing event. Bravo.

complicated stories...not to be used in life(not funny)

Adding my own review to lessen the damage done to this rating by Happy Gilmore. This is the story of the people left behind (with apologies to Tim LaHaye) after what Christians understand is the rapture. It centers initially around the sheriff who is trying to hold his sanity together in addition to that of the town. Streamed episode 1 of the third season, am really looking forward to getting the DVD I just pre-ordered. With streaming these days, there is often no reason to have a physical copy of movies anymore except with a physical copy, you can watch it whenever you want on any player that doesn't need internet access. This series is one of the few that I am adding to my physical collection.