The Leftovers: Season 1, Episode 10

The Leftovers

Episode Title: “The Prodigal Son Returns”

Channel: HBO

Director: Mimi Leder

Writers: Damon Lindelof and Kath Lingenfelter

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

Runtime: 60 min

Rated: TV-MA

Original Air Date: September 7, 2014

Season finale time! “The Prodigal Son Returns” picks up right where “Cairo” left off. Chief Garvey is in a tight situation and calls Matt for help. Apparently Matt has little of the qualms one would normally associate with a pastor, as he dives right in to help bail Kevin out. The episode treated us to a string version of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica during the reveal of the Great Remnant's master plan, which was pretty fun to hear.

There are still the questions as to whether or not Kevin is crazy, and seeing Perfect Strangers on in the background has me leaning heavily towards the Froot Loops. The chief is barely handling his own problems when we're shown first hand the chaos created by the Remnant. Their stated purpose was to make everyone remember, I thought at first that they were trying to make sure that the departed weren't forgotten. Evidently though, they were actually trying to prove that those left behind are not good people, although the method they went about doing this would have probably driven the most balanced person to some extreme actions.

Wayne pops up to muddy the waters further, and the dynamic of the Garvey family looks to be changing. It felt like the writers had to fit a lot into this final episode and might have benefited from having one more episode to work everything out. Instead of knowing what direction a number of the characters will be going headed into season two the audience is left with very few answers to their questions.

Conclusion: “The Prodigal Son Returns” manages to be an adequate season finale without really telling us what to expect going forward. The repercussions of the Great Remnant's plan will be intriguing next season. Did it accomplish what they wanted? If so, what else do they have in store for those left behind going forward? It was a successful finale if it got me asking questions like that.

Rating: 7.25/10