The Leftovers: Season 1, Episode 3

The Leftovers

Episode Title: “Two Boats and a Helicopter”

Channel: HBO

Director: Keith Gordon

Writers: Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

Runtime: 60 min

Rated: TV-MA

Original Air Date: July 13, 2014

The Leftovers is a show I haven't been impressed with thus far. A little mystery is a good thing, but it has been a case of too many questions, and zero answers over the course of its first two episodes. As such I felt like this episode would be very important to my interest in the show. The first thing to say is that I'm happy that Justin Theroux's character's presence was kept to a minimum, it's not that he's a bad actor, I just find his character unlikable. He's angry all the time and I feel like it hasn't been a good writing decision to have us questioning his sanity before we care about his character, Police Chief Kevin Garvey. A descent into madness is much more interesting than starting there.

This episode put those concerns on the back burner and focused its attention elsewhere, on Christopher Eccleston's Matthew Jamison. After just a few minutes I sympathized more with his character than the others that we have been introduced to, this is a priest whom was left on Earth after what many would assume was the Rapture. What would this do to this man's flock and faith. The flock, we are shown, has been diminished greatly. Very few attend his services and he's been unable to pay his bills. His faith on the other hand seems to be strong. He follows a few signs/omens and raises the money to save his church. The audience is shown that he is determined and multifaceted as he does some shocking things to reach his goal.

The ending of the episode was a kick in the teeth. I'm trying not to spoil too much here, suffice to say that I'm actually of the opinion that this episode made sure that I'll come back for some more. Here's to hoping that we get some answers in the coming weeks, and that the show doesn't devolve back into unlikable characters and blank stares (please try Liv, just try!)

Conclusion: While still not great, the change in focus this week made sure that I'll be tuning in for a little while longer. I'm still not thrilled with the amount of mystery in this show, but maybe this was a sign of better things to come

Rating: 7/10 (Series thus far: 5.5/10)