The Leftovers: Season 1, Episode 6

The Leftovers

Episode Title: “Guest”

Channel: HBO

Director: Carl Franklin

Writers: Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

Runtime: 60 min

Rated: TV-MA

Original Air Date: August 3, 2014

This episode centers on the character of Nora Durst. She has the unfortunate distinction of being a person that lost her entire family during the 'departure.' We see through the beginning of the episode that even a few years later she's having trouble letting go of her old life and family. Whereas the last episode expanded the audience's view of the situation, this episode drew it down to the smallest scale possible. The struggle of one person to come to grips with what's happened.

“Guest” fills in the holes in the Nora character admirably, and has made her one of the more interesting characters on the show. Carrie Coon gives a great performance as a lonely person striving to maintain an illusion of normalcy, while falling apart privately. She encounters a group of her peers who seem to have embraces the same libertine behavior that we've seen out of other segments of the remaining population. What follows is a sequence of events that push her to getting help 'letting go.'

The end of “Guest” finally ties in a couple of threads from other episodes, giving us something that resembles an answer, well, maybe not an answer, but a hint to an important question we should be asking. It's at least a hint of where this ride might be taking us, which is a good sign. Nora seems as if she's a changed woman after the events of this episode, and as a viewer you actually feel like you can smile along with her.

Conclusion: Another Chief Garvey-lite episode hits the mark. I don't know if that's merely a coincidence or if his character is just that unlikable, but I hope it's a trend that doesn't continue, as it appears he's the 'main' character. Getting some answers, and growing of a character makes for one of the more enjoyable episodes of the season.

Rating: 7/10