Damon Lindelof roped me in.
He was a showrunner for one of my favorite shows of all time, LOST. So when I heard in 2014 he was part of a new HBO show, I was instantly intrigued. However, I did not have HBO, so I was resigned to eventually watching it, whenever I would have access to it somehow.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when I suddenly had HBO Go at my disposal. Soon I was on a binge journey, with what I would soon find out is among the heaviest and most intriguing shows ever produced.
Some may be scared away by Lindelof, since the masses were apparently divided about the LOST finale. I am one of his die hard followers-I thought every season of that show was great, unanswered questions and all. Even the much maligned finale in my opinion was pitch perfect, and had a natural ending, even if it didn’t answer all the questions I may have had.
The Leftovers is a different kind of show, and yet, still has some of the same DNA. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta (which I just started), the premise is intriguing: what if 2% of the world’s population suddenly disappeared (or departed, as they say in the novel/show). No explanation, no commonalities that make sense. Some families lose multiple members, some none. The trick is that Perrotta and Lindelof play against expectations from the start and say that where the departed went is not the point, and will not be answered. The story, then, is how the people left behind react. Some cling to traditional faith. Some cling to cults. Some cling to anything that makes them feel, even if it is destructive.
This is not the feel good hit of the summer. In fact, much of the first season is a study in just how much emotional punishment can you watch these characters endure. However, the mood and atmosphere are executed so masterfully that it is hard to look away from the car wreck. It is fascinating to see just how people would react to something so catastrophic, yet seemingly arbitrary. And Lindelof’s fingerprints are all over it. There are some LOST-like reveals of plot points that had me smiling with how brilliantly they were executed.
And just when you wonder where they could go, since season 1 exhausts the source material, seasons 2 and 3 build on some possibly supernatural elements of the first season, to make the plot even more mysterious yet still fitting into the themes of the show. Loss, faith, rage, indifference, self-destruction, coping mechanisms…all of these play a part in the Leftovers universe.
If it all sounds doom and gloom, there are some hilarious and random call backs to pop culture that people who came of age in the 80s will appreciate. Also, the music selection is top-notch. There are so many moments that are heightened by the original score, as well as other songs by various artists (one of my favorite musical discoveries courtesy of the show is “Dream” by Al Green). The atmosphere and tone of the show are extremely compelling.
Overall, if you don’t mind ambiguity in storytelling, then I think you will enjoy this show. The acting is superb (particularly Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux), the emotions real, and the writing intelligent and thought provoking. I highly recommend it.
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