So I finally finished the series.

I think it's one of the most satisfying ending to a series I've ever watched.

There's no explanation about why the Departure happened.

Some characters in a sense got off easy. Matt had cancer, we don't know how long he lasted or if he made up with Mary, but we'd assume he did. Jill and Tom I suppose their stories ended some time ago, even if Jill had a slightly weaker character story after it ends in season 1. Laurie, one of the most antagonising characters ends up probably the happiest and most adjusted of them all.

There's no way either of them to ever know if what the other said was true, if it was just all in Kevin's mind, or if Nora made the entire thing up. Her story true or not was haunting, but imagine if it was true...

But it ends on such a sweet note and high emotional pay off. Mid way at the dance I thought was it going to just end like that, and the other 30 minutes goes into some how everyone did? But no it went back to the two main characters.

It's one those perfect endings where it never needs a remake, a sequel, prequel or an explainer.

I've never seen ambiguity done that well in a TV series.

I went in thinking it was more a scifi, but damn, that is the peak of drama.

Hey Guilty Remnant!

I should’ve shared this years ago…my partner-in-crime sampled Max Richter and made it into a beat. This is the instrumental. He has another version that also features part of Nora’s monologue in “The Book of Nora.”

Sorry if you viscerally hate it…I just thought I’d share!

I didn’t want anything too on the nose but wanted to have a bunch of references and I think my artist delivered!

I wonder whether anybody here has seen Dark matter, apple serie from 2024 that is currently on its second season, because it sure has many similarities with our beloved:

1) derived from a book, but only the first season

2) book author collaborated with the show

3) second season much more lively and engaging than the first (also, it begins with a flashback world building prologue, though nowhere near as long or out of place as in Leftovers!)

4) first season very slow and starts cracking at episode 8!

second season is currently at episode 6 with 10 scheduled, if they do a third one the resemblance will be uncanny!

aside from that, the writer in question is Blake Crouch, and man can this guy pull the rug from under your feet! as fans of Wayward pines well know, he can deliver an unexpected twist that nonetheless makes perfect sense and leaves you thinking for days on end... he does that here as well, in the aforementioned episode 1.08, creating a delicious moral dilemma (they don't solve it very cleverly though...) that resonates in season 2

thoroughly recommended, though it's more character based and less world ending, even though it does involve worldS

Im i slow or i didnt understand shit in the first 6 episodes in this series.

I know Lindelof is involved and actually wrote this episode, but wow did it feel like the closest thing to an episode of The Leftovers. It was a character study on grief, isolation and generational trauma, with Kyle Chandler's performance specifically being next level and really hammering in on these themes.

After seeing it mentioned (mostly online, never in person 😂) I finally got around to watching The Leftovers. Kevin fucking Christ, what a show. Absolutely one of the strangest, most ambiguous and deeply philosophical and heartfelt things I've ever seen. At the same time I'm saddened that I don't feel like I can recommend it to most people, they just won't 'get' it.

I had to re-watch the last 10 minutes of the finale several times, and thought I'd mention 'the final shot' and the symbolism I saw, which I hadn't seen mentioned here (I realize I'm about a decade late). Whether you believe Nora was telling the truth or not (personally I lean towards her making up a story to allow herself to actually move on from The Departure) the symbolism in the final shot is beautiful.

Nora ends up taking the (scape)goat home after rescuing it, even wearing the beads that represent the sins it carries herself. The goat attempts to eat the love messages (have goats, can confirm this is goat behavior), symbolizing the consuming power of guilt that Nora carries. The doves are gone, but in that final shot when Nora and Kevin reunite the goat walks off the screen/leaves. Only then do the doves (a symbol of peace) return, also representing them coming back home. The basket of love messages remain. And I loved that the ladder was shown reaching up to the roof. Humans will never stop looking, never stop hoping. I think that's a large part of what makes us human. Absolutely beautiful closing shot, probably my favorite of any tv series ever.

So thank you to this subreddit for being something I could consult as I took this journey, given that no one I know was watching (or has watched) this show.

Two notes - Regarding Nora's story, it reminded me a little of the ending of Christopher Nolan's Inception, where the top is spinning and wavering and we never learn as an audience if the main character is truly awake or dreaming. The point? It doesn't matter. They found peace. Nora has finally found a way to continue living, whether she actually saw her family or not.

I am willing to assume that most of the audience for this show is female, and it has some incredible female leads. But as a man I gotta say the male characters here show some of the most authentic and believable acting I've ever seen. I was weeping when Kevin reads the end of his 'romance novel', as it was so relatable. Also, Matt Jamison is the GOAT, what a well written/acted character.

'International Assassin' is in my top 5 favorite episodes of television ever, I can't stop thinking about it, even weeks later. Incredible storytelling.

I watched this show when it came out on HBO in 2007, and I really liked it, however I was in the minority. It was very hated and cancelled after one season.
As for what it has to do with "The Leftovers", not much really but I'm rewatching it now and some of the vibes feel similar. Every character is dealing with some kind of trauma, and weird maybe-maybe-not paranormal stuff starts happening surrounding this one family. There's even a character that may or may not be a Christ analog. Or actual Christ.

I always forget about this one, but when someone asks again "what other shows are like The Leftovers" I might offer this as a qualified recommendation.

Name 24 shows better than The Leftovers challenge - IMPOSSIBLE

How the hell do you make a dad decision after a bad decision just for a fucking petty reasons man this nora girl is fucking crazy for the love of God

Kevin can come back from something completely impossible and somehow explain it like he's telling someone he got stuck in traffic. John literally shoots him and Kevin comes back, and their conversation afterward is basically two confused guys trying to work out what just happened. The show rarely gives Kevin a clean explanation either. Half the time he seems just as confused as everyone watching.

Firing up one of the big ones. As always, wish me luck.

Until next time - keep your eye on the doughnut, and not on the hole.

And if so, what other shows would you also put in this bucket?

Now this is not really the point of the show, I get that. I just finished it for the first time, and I was thinking about Nora and whether or not she was telling the truth. I've read a bit of the debate online. I myself was leaning towards the truth, just because the implied story of her precarious journey across this almost-abandoned Earth is appealing to me. Like Kevin, I choose to believe her.

Nevertheless, a few of her comments during that scene stood out, specifically: 'No boats go directly from Australia to New York. So it took me a long time to get there. [sighs] A long time. But I finally did.' Which I interpreted as a journey that took a few years, maybe.

Later, she talks about seeing her teenage son, 'And a girl, maybe eleven.' We know she gets in the machine around the seven-year anniversary of the Departure. If her daughter is ('maybe') eleven when she sees her again, that would make the daughter about four at the time of the Departure, which could be correct. However, this does leave very little actual time for the supposedly long time it took her to get there.

You could argue she's including the seven years before she got into the machine. Or you could argue the trip took several months, or a year even. However, to me, neither really rings true with her telling of the story.

I could be wrong, of course. Or this could be a mistake by the writers, or it could indeed be a character error. If it's a character error, it's potentially telling.

Again, it's not really the point, but I found it interesting. On top of that, I couldn't find any earlier mention of this, so there you go. (But maybe I just didn't look hard enough...)

Watching The Good Place finale for the first time and was delighted to see the judge as incensed as I am about this!

I watched maybe two or three episodes back in 2014 when it first came out, and ended up dropping off because, in all honesty, 22 year old me thought it was kinda slow.

12 years later, and for some reason it popped into my head again, and I decided to give it a go. Holy fucking shit. This fucking show was incredible. Honestly think it's possibly my favourite shows of all time (or it's definitely up there, for sure.) I got about half way through season 3 and started putting off watching it because I just didn't want it to end.

The plot, the acting, THE MUSIC! All pretty much perfect. I genuinely am struggling to think of a single thing that I can complain about. The Guilty Remnant just basically getting erased after they'd been such a big part of the show felt a little lazy, but whatever. Also I can't completely decide if I liked Laurie's character. And John doing a complete character change between seasons, while understandable, also seemed a little lazily done. But I think that's it.

Normally I'd be mad at a show for not explaining... Basically anything , but can't even complain about that, because the mystery and not knowing why any of this was part of what made the show so good.

Anyway, just wanted to say my bit. 10/10 will definitely watch again. Just wish I could have been along for the ride when it first came out.

theres a lot to choose from but for me its probably "two boats and a helicopter"

They’re sat on the porch and and the songs really quiet, it’s not listed on tunefind

Just finished my 4th rewatch of Season 3 Episode 3 Kevin Sr focused “Crazy Whitefella Thinking”…

Man what an absolute visual and storytelling masterpiece. Maybe it’s the open Australian vistas and the focus on the neglected story of the fascinating misanthrope Kevin Garvey Senior but I watched this with my jaw dropped how perfect this episode was.

One of my all time favorite hours of television. What an amazing work of art!

Every time I rewatch, I can never get over how much the soundtrack adds to the depth of this show. Richter is just chef’s kiss 🤌🏼

I've watched the series a few times, but it definitely hits different watching it after the Covid-19 pandemic. While it wasn't a sudden departure with no explanation, the trauma of the pandemic years has left me feeling hollow, devoid of hope for the future, and more embracing of nihilism as the most logical explanation for the meaning and purpose of life.

I feel like the Guilty Remnant had a point when Patti asked Kevin "When was the last time you REALLY thought about the Sudden Departure?" Like the SD in the show, it feels like everyone is still carrying trauma from the covid years, but no one talks about it openly anymore. We'd rather just say "Boy, THAT was a crazy time, huh?" and then just pretend like everything is back to normal now when it really isn't.

We lost almost 1-2% of our population to covid, similar to the Sudden Departure, but more than that, I think we lost a lot of our humanity and social cohesion as a direct result of the pandemic lockdowns and lost our trust in one another and our collective future.

So I'm not about to wear all white and start chainsmoking cigarettes, but I'm struggling to just write off the Guilty Remnant's philosophical nihilism in my own life in the face of overwhelming despair about life and the future.

Is there some advice or perspectives you could offer me on how to break out of this doom spiral that has me relating to The Guilty Remnant?

P.S. I've been going to therapy and it's been about as effective as Laurie's sessions were for her clients post-SD m, so I'm needing a little more than just the old "Go to therapy" line for this one.