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The Leftovers (HBO)

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Has anyone else watched The Leftovers? I am on the fence about this show, it seems more concerned with the same kind of human drama that other shows do, but sometimes there is weird magical/mystical stuff I find interesting. Probably going to see how I feel after season 1 is over.

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I like The Leftovers a lot, but I was a person who loved the character drama of LOST, and this feels like Damon Lindelof hammering down on that aspect and basically saying "Forget about the mystery" at every turn. There's still some mystery and twists and magical realism, but he goes out of his way to signal to the audience that in the end it's what the characters do, and not how things became like this, that matters. I like that a lot, but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea, especially consider how bleak and nihilistic the drama can be at times.

 

I enjoyed Season 1 myself but Season 2 is generally regarded as a much stronger season.

 

Excited for the third and final season!

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I watched it with my girlfriend and overall enjoyed season 1 but really fell off season 2. I think we stopped 20 minutes before the end of the finale and neither of us went back to it.

 

I agree that it's generally character driven, but I think season 2 suffers from being further injected with the mysticism that's 'not the point of the show'. There's a significant magic plotline in 2 that I'd rather not be there because it seems to just drive some shocking unexpected points and narrative twisting. I liked a lot of the characters, but the show focused too much on the American dad trying to hold himself and his family together. It was a case of the creators focusing on different characters than I would have, so I just got frustrated with the priests airtime.

 

I'd definitely recommend trying season 1 at least, I fully enjoyed that even with the above complaints.

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27 minutes ago, SuperBiasedMan said:

I watched it with my girlfriend and overall enjoyed season 1 but really fell off season 2. I think we stopped 20 minutes before the end of the finale and neither of us went back to it.

 

I agree that it's generally character driven, but I think season 2 suffers from being further injected with the mysticism that's 'not the point of the show'. There's a significant magic plotline in 2 that I'd rather not be there because it seems to just drive some shocking unexpected points and narrative twisting. I liked a lot of the characters, but the show focused too much on the American dad trying to hold himself and his family together. It was a case of the creators focusing on different characters than I would have, so I just got frustrated with the priests airtime.

 

I'd definitely recommend trying season 1 at least, I fully enjoyed that even with the above complaints.

I finished episode 9 of season 1 last night. So I will finish the season, might keep watching the show because I need something to watch while heading to the core of the Galaxy in Elite Dangerous.

I hate the dad so much. He has the classic inability to communicate or treat his daughter like an adult. So many scenes where she asks what is happening and he either lies or deflects because he is stupid and doesn't respect her. Its that kind of drama that I really have a hard time watching and enjoying.

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Oh I missed the part of your post that indicated you already were watching. But yes, exactly that. I'm not sure if it's meant to be relateable but the dad just doesn't work for me as a character and gets an even bigger spotlight in season 2.

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2 hours ago, BigJKO said:

I like The Leftovers a lot, but I was a person who loved the character drama of LOST, and this feels like Damon Lindelof hammering down on that aspect and basically saying "Forget about the mystery" at every turn. There's still some mystery and twists and magical realism, but he goes out of his way to signal to the audience that in the end it's what the characters do, and not how things became like this, that matters. I like that a lot, but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea, especially consider how bleak and nihilistic the drama can be at times.

 

I enjoyed Season 1 myself but Season 2 is generally regarded as a much stronger season.

 

Yeah, I had the same reading for the show, but it worked infinitely less well for me. It felt like Lindelof was making this intensive drama about characters, which are generally well-realized in the actors' performances, but that he also couldn't help but keep the mystery and twists around as an escape hatch for the stakes that those characters had established. The Leftovers repeatedly sets up an impasse between two or more characters and then uses revelations that go nowhere to distract from or defuse it, and teases revelations that don't actually change the characters involved or are rendered meaningless by the season finale. The Leftovers has some great actors in Christopher Eccleston, Carrie Coon, Regina King, and others, and it has pretensions toward small-scale drama that is really powerful and meaningful, but it ultimately can't help chasing LOST's twists and Game of Thrones' and The Walking Dead's shockers and that makes it, if not bad TV, then frustratingly near-great TV.

 

Apparently my opinion has mellowed out over time, I seem to be really angry and disappointed in this post-second season comment.

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This is a really great listen! Makes sure you are up to date as they discuss the 2 episode of season 3

 

I absolutely adore this programme, after hearing good things about the seconds season and that the third was starting soon, i watch all of it over the past couple of weeks. Its my favourite thing on TV at the moment. Really excited about the last 6 episodes, its going to be totes emosh.

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I love it so much when Kevin is with the book and the play that holy choir music. Makes me LOL

 

episode 4 was fantastic by the way

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The other day I thought about he leftovers and I couldn’t quite remember Noras explanation of what happened...

 

fast forward to tonight. Pissed. Just watched atomic blond, good shit until the last 15 mins of stupid confusing rubbish, left a bad impression that doesn’t do that film any favours. Anyway. Drunk.

 

thought I’d rewatch the final episode of the leftovers. So fucking good. So much better then anything I’ve watched since. Better as a rewatch. Better drunk. That fucking music makes me cry every fucking time, Nora and Matt saying goodbye at the beginning of the episode. Then Kevin knocking on Nora’s door, whole shit. I’m only 25mins in. Chef kiss

 

anyway, treat yourself, rewatch the last episode x

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