Support NeoGAF

[Dan]

No way Coon and Theroux don't walk away with Emmys.

You should probably go ahead and start preparing yourself for massive disappointment right now.

Season 1 and early Season 2 Kevin probably would have done that. But he's been awakened during that scene and doesn't care to waste time with the GR's bullshit. If you think about his arc all the way from season 1, he's won. He got his family back and then some.

I do love that moment where he recognized the song, half-rolled his eyes and just left. "Oh fucking whatever".

Sure, it'd be him lowering himself and granting her some satisfaction, but fuck it, she deserves it!

 

[SickBoy]

The episode felt long in the best way (I'm not sure if it actually was), but I kept thinking, "Oh man, it's going to end here" and it just kept rolling. Ended on a great note, I thought.

BTW, Christopher Eccleston plays the Matt role so well. When he has those moments of joy like in this episode, it's like the whole world lights up around him.

I would love to see the series come back. On the other hand, I don't know that it ends any better than this. Despite my selfish desires, maybe two seasons is perfect.

http://m.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-the-leftovers-wraps-an-all-time-classic-season-with-i-live-here-now

Sepinwall's review is up.

Love a site when I can click on a mobile browser link and it actually sees that I'm not on a mobile browser and serves up a non-mobile page.

EDIT: Wow, just read it and holy did he love it

 

[The One and Done™]

I would even say he GETS the GR after his Patti trip, and understands them more than he was willing to admit.

I agree with this too. In Season 1 he was hell bent on impeding the GR. But after his experiences, he understands that they are grieving in their own way.

 

[KoruptData]

Spoiler

"I don't understand"
"I don't either"
laugh
"What happens if no one is home"
"Then you come over to my house"

Fucking ace guys and gals. Those lines above were my favorite. That's the point to me. Not supposed to understand, just live.

Added spoilers to some dialog.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

Solid ending, though Kevin

Spoiler

singing his way out of purgatory was a bit much.

Actually, I was a bit underwhelmed overall. I'm amazed at what the episode managed to do, but leaving Kevin in limbo through almost all of it drove me nuts in the worst way.

 

[Sanke__]

Wow
That was fucking amazing
So glad it works as a season finale and a series finale if it comes to that

Fingers crossed for some Emmys and a season 3

I do love that moment where he recognized the song, half-rolled his eyes and just left. "Oh fucking whatever".

Couldn't agree more, was fantastic

 

[Cornballer]

- Variety interview: Damon Lindelof Talks ‘Leftovers’ Season 2 Finale, Show’s Future

 

[The One and Done™]

Some other memorable moments for me:

The scene with Evie and Erica was heartbreaking. How that scene was shot was incredible. No dialogue, just acting. Superb.

Matt's smile when he sees Mary speak was sublime. Such a REAL and powerful reaction.

Nora smashing the radio when the preacher answers, "Jesus" then following that scene later with her protecting Lilly, made her arc complete. No longer questioning herself or running away from anything. Instead running towards what matters the most; no fear.

The scene with the girls in the car and one starts crying. There was literally no dialogue for like 5 minutes during that sequence but because the writers had done such a good job during the season, the viewer knew exactly what was happening.

 

[RaidenZR]

That increasingly-awkward and intense silence between John and Evie playing catch in episode one has a much different play for me now. Pretty cool.

 

[Kahoona]

That increasingly-awkward and intense silence between John and Evie playing catch in episode one has a much different play for me now. Pretty cool.

I'm still confused about the whole running around naked thing.

 

[The One and Done™]

I'm still confused about the whole running around naked thing.

Same here. You could argue they were testing their escape route but why would they need to be naked? It's the only thing this season that didn't make sense to me.

 

[Dysun]

Wow they delivered in a big way, what a powerful finale. I wouldn't mind if that wraps up The Leftovers, such a strong note to go out on.

I haven't had that heavy feeling in a long time

 

[shoreu]

Bruh this show just got a gun, put it to the back of my Head and blew my mind.

 

[~Kinggi~]

That was emotional stuff. They really did deliver something special this season. Like Hannibal, i am content with this being the last season if that is what it comes down to. It was special while it lasted. Justin really does deserve some award recognition though it was so good.

 

[RaidenZR]

I'm still confused about the whole running around naked thing.

Lindelof addressed it a little bit (but seems to be holding back) in that Sepinwall interview linked above:

Sepinwall: At the time, both of those scenes were clues that something else was going on with the girls, but in hindsight, only one of them ties into them being with the GR. Do you want to talk at all about the naked sprint?

Damon Lindelof: I want to talk about it but I'm not going to talk about it. All I will say is there's a significant amount of intentionality in what we did. All I'll say is, (Tom) Perrotta and I spoke a lot about this, and Reza Aslan, our resident religious expert, spent a lot of time talking about what I'm about to say, which is that the observance of religion, particularly when it is first forming, in its nascent state, there's all sorts of things happening and shifting and calcifying, and people raising their hands and saying, "Well, what if we did this? Could we do this?" We see some of that in episode 9 when Meg asks, "Why can't we talk? Why can't we be violent? I thought our function as a religion was to remind people the Departure happened, and I'm going to do it my way if that's okay." All I'll say is that teenagers are the most likely to deviate from, or significantly amend what would be perceived as religious practice, and what could be done under that headline. That is the very hazy way of me answering your question. We all have a very specific idea of what the Guilty Remnant does and how the Guilty Remnant behaves based solely on our observation of the Mapleton chapter. All I'll say is the Guilty Remnant isn't even a religion yet; it's like Occupy Wall Street. There's no rulebook, no Talmud, no Torah, no Koran, there's nothing. There's just individuals deciding what to do when they wake up in the morning.

 

[firehawk12]

Honestly, for whatever reasons, I find purgatory just one step too far for me. I know that the entire show is premised around the fact that people just randomly got raptured, but for whatever reason the idea of going to purgatory to figure shit out before coming back to life - all Christ-like - seems like the most cop-out thing ever. The fact that it happened twice made it just seem even more artificial to me.

 

[The One and Done™]

Honestly, for whatever reasons, I find purgatory just one step too far for me. I know that the entire show is premised around the fact that people just randomly got raptured, but for whatever reason the idea of going to purgatory to figure shit out before coming back to life - all Christ-like - seems like the most cop-out thing ever. The fact that it happened twice made it just seem even more artificial to me.

You should read the review.

Thanks for the post Raiden. I still find it bizarre that they chose to include the naked running. I feel like the little game they played in the water was enough to show their deviance while still feeling like part of the story. As it stands now, it just feels very random.

Anyways it's not a gripe but more of a yearning for more.

 

[Infernostew]

Top tier season of television right there ladies and gentlemen! What a wild ride. Really hoping HBO renews on the basis of critical acclaim.

 

[firehawk12]

You should read the review.

Sepinwall's?

I really really really miss Firewall and Iceberg.

 

[RaidenZR]

You should read the review.

Thanks for the post Raiden. I still find it bizarre that they chose to include the naked running. I feel like the little game they played in the water was enough to show their deviance while still feeling like part of the story. As it stands now, it just feels very random.

Anyways it's not a gripe but more of a yearning for more.

In my head, I was pretty sure the three girls were non-departures prior to episode 9, and that lone, naked-running through the woods scene was the only thing making me feel that way. While I'm not entirely sure about the "why" it at least seeded the notion that they might be up to something, have a bond, or were organized as friends in a way I don't quite understand. At least, given the limited information presented.

 

[greendomo's ghost]

My only main issue with the episode was the timeline at the beginning seemed off. The girls left in the car, Kevin was at home, they got to the river and he was there, having already talked to the grandad. I mean, maybe they stopped somewhere first, but it just seemed weird to me.

Other than that I loved it, and will be satisfied (although disappointed) if this is the series finale and it doesn't get renewed. But hopefully it does!

 

[firehawk12]

You should read the review.

Spoiler

(*) When John shot him, I was briefly amused at the thought that the show had put him, and the audience, through everything in "International Assassin," only to kill him for real a couple of weeks later. And then when he emerged from the bathtub a second time, I for a moment wondered if that was a card the show shouldn't have played twice. And then Kevin realized where he was and screamed out an exasperated "MOTHERFUCKER!," and I laughed and went with it, since he was as in disbelief at finding himself there again, and so soon after the last time, as I was.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-wa...ason-with-i-live-here-now#QIfSC6DVvjmXkxy0.99

Eh, I didn't roll with it is all I'll say.lol

 

[RaidenZR]

My only main issue with the episode was the timeline at the beginning seemed off. The girls left in the car, Kevin was at home, they got to the river and he was there, having already talked to the grandad. I mean, maybe they stopped somewhere first, but it just seemed weird to me.

100% agree. Bothered me too. I would have liked or expected to at least see the girls stop somewhere to suggest that time gap. There's nothing to contradict that they didn't stop offscreen somewhere, but I'm surprised the creators here didn't insert something just because we know that Kevin still had to fall asleep, sleepwalk to Virgil's, and then carry a cinder block and some rope to the water.

 

[BrokenBox]

Excellent finale, and similar to the first season's in the way they wrapped things up. Satisfying for me. They really did cover a lot of ground for it being a bit over an hour.

I don't think they had to kill Kevin again, but oh well. I guess the main purpose of that was to show the time lapse of the town and do some character development.

I was so certain they were about to end on a cliffhanger when the earthquake happened at the end. Fortunately that wasn't the case.

Now renew this great show, HBO!

 

[RPS37]

Trying not to read any of the posts in this thread. I've got 3 more episodes left to watch and I want to take it as slowly as possible. I hope this show gets renewed after this amazing season.

 

[Frog-fu]

HBO better renew this for a third season.

Season 2 has been phenomenal accross the board and the finale was powerful.

 

[zeeaykay]

Damm that was good. The best writing in this show almost always comes across in the simplest lines. Will be so disappointed if it doesn't get renewed but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Klocker]

Agree with most of the other posts amazing finale can't wait for season 3 really well done be hard to top.

 

[KingCookie5]

What s great season of TV! I suppose I'm greedy and would love a third season, but I think they raised the bar so high they wouldn't be able to come anywhere near this, though I guess when I heard they were doing a second season I kind of figured it would be junk! Loved another knod to the Sopranos with Dont Stop Believing on the wheel. Such a shame more people aren't watching this. I hope this isn't one of those shows where people discover it later and are stumped why HBO didn't keep it going like Deadwood was for me!

 

[Fenderputty]

Yeah, great season and ending. Hope we get a third, but would be content with that if not.

 

[Byakuya769]

Ok. That finale was the best bit of tv I've seen in a couple of years.

Each situation was more tense than the one it followed, the joys of some of the reveals and the always stellar acting on this show. What a ride!

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

"I don't believe you." "Why not?" "Because it's stupid."

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I rewatched that scene at least 5 time.

 

[jmelons]

That was pretty amazing. I kept feeling that at some point the rug was going to be pulled out from under my feet for some reason. Then it ended and I let out a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding. Love it.

 

[Conscience Falls]

What a beautiful ride. I hope it continues on, it's a cinematic gift to the world.

 

[Gin]

so who was smiling when

Spoiler

kevin ended up back in the hotel?
The music.. theme and his song .. just the whole hotel scene was perfect.

God damn i love this finale.

 

[Erigu]

Oh, man. Where to begin.

Okay, so Meg's grand plan to "change everything" apparently was to go into town and set fire to stuff, break shit and whatnot. Yep, that was it.
It entirely relied on the security (whose entire job is to make sure 24/7 that a whole bunch of weirdos doesn't get into town) letting a whole bunch of weirdos get into town.
And it actually didn't need those three girls at all in the first place. Which is just hilarious.

Oh, and why are you doing this anyway, neighbor's daughter?
*dramatic writing*
"You understand."
But of course. The same "2deep4u" non-answer as when Patti killed herself. That was a good one, why not recycle it. I knew I could count on you, Lindelof.

Anyway, Kevin, whose mystical experience from the night before reminded him that he saw those three girls get out of their car the day they disappeared, naturally deduces that they staged it all (look, he used to be a cop, he's just very good at this). And naturally just says as much to his super-violent and vindictive neighbor.
Really, he just says all the right things to defuse this clearly volatile situation: "I didn't remember until I came back from the dead with the help of the man who raped you, and, well, maybe your daughter staged her disappearance because she didn't love you". "BANG", replies the neighbor (whose superpower is that he can get away with anything, if you'll recall: of course he got some alone time with the only suspect). Oh, Kevin. You came back to life just for that.

But that's okay, because that just sends him back to Hotel Purgatory right away! Yep, musical cue and everything. Which miiiiight be a brilliant gag? It's supposed to be a serious show, right? And the season finale? And about life and death? I don't know!
So this time around, Kevin does what we all do when we start a second playthrough and picks another choice: the cop outfit!
And the cop outfit means that this time around, he has to sing to come back to life. So he does and he does.
It might sound stupid, but Kevin himself remarks it is, so that makes it okay, right?

Also, Matt's wife woke up just in time for some "we need to get you back in town, but oh noes, the Guilty Remnants!" drama. I'm just glad the actress got something to do.
And Nora? Er. Well, she had to deal with a crazy baby-stealing lady. And then she was back home. It's like her leaving was all a bad dream. Or a contrivance.

 

[biosnake20]

The HBO year ender video doesn't show a Leftovers Season 3. hbo pls

 

[Klocker]

Oh, man. Where to begin.

Okay, so Meg's grand plan to "change everything" apparently was to go into town and set fire to stuff, break shit and whatnot. Yep, that was it.
It entirely relied on the security (whose entire job is to make sure 24/7 that a whole bunch of weirdos doesn't get into town) letting a whole bunch of weirdos get into town.
And it actually didn't need those three girls at all in the first place. Which is just hilarious.

Oh, and why are you doing this anyway, neighbor's daughter?
*dramatic writing*
"You understand."
But of course. The same "2deep4u" non-answer as when Patti killed herself. That was a good one, why not recycle it. I knew I could count on you, Lindelof.

Anyway, Kevin, whose mystical experience from the night before reminded him that he saw those three girls get out of their car the day they disappeared, naturally deduces that they staged it all (look, he used to be a cop, he's just very good at this). And naturally just says as much to his super-violent and vindictive neighbor.
Really, he just says all the right things to defuse this clearly volatile situation: "I didn't remember until I came back from the dead with the help of the man who raped you, and, well, maybe your daughter staged her disappearance because she didn't love you". "BANG", replies the neighbor (whose superpower is that he can get away with anything, if you'll recall: of course he got some alone time with the only suspect). Oh, Kevin. You came back to life just for that.

But that's okay, because that just sends him back to Hotel Purgatory right away! Yep, musical cue and everything. Which miiiiight be a brilliant gag? It's supposed to be a serious show, right? And the season finale? And about life and death? I don't know!
So this time around, Kevin does what we all do when we start a second playthrough and picks another choice: the cop outfit!
And the cop outfit means that this time around, he has to sing to come back to life. So he does and he does.
It might sound stupid, but Kevin himself remarks it is, so that makes it okay, right?

Also, Matt's wife woke up just in time for some "we need to get you back in town, but oh noes, the Guilty Remnants!" drama. I'm just glad the actress got something to do.
And Nora? Er. Well, she had to deal with a crazy baby-stealing lady. And then she was back home. It's like her leaving was all a bad dream. Or a contrivance.

While, I enjoyed the season immensely and really enjoyed the drama of this finale and ending.....

You're not wrong.

 

[John Harker]

Incredible ending.

So Vergil. I had the impression he sexually molested Michael as a child and that's why John tried to kill him, but did this episode imply that Vergil actually molested John himself? That's strange given the ages of the characters but would explain a lot about John

 

[Grizzlyjin]

so who was smiling when

Spoiler

kevin ended up back in the hotel?
The music.. theme and his song .. just the whole hotel scene was perfect.

God damn i love this finale.

Me. I loved that entire sequence.

This season was quite the ride. So many fantastic acting performances. I really hope HBO gives it another season.

 

[Don Draper's Hat]

Matt's shaving cream was all over the place in different shots. Piss poor editing. Ruined the whole show!

Why did no one, knowing that they had 1 hour, even think about getting to the supposed explosives on the bridge? Why would they just all stand around and watch? Very odd.

I wasn't a huge fan of the first series, it was intriguing but nothing really made it memorable to me. I wouldn't have cared if there was no second series in all honesty, but I am very glad there was one. It was a tremondous watch.

 

[UltimaPooh]

Spoiler

So Kevin is just immortal now?

 

[Mutagenic]

Surprised so many people enjoyed the ending. This season had me all the way up until the finale, where I thought things became far too disjointed and, quite frankly, a little boring. So many different people acting stupid throughout the show. So many subplots that failed to resolve in any meaningful way.

 

[Baron Aloha]

I was a little disappointed that Meg's plan was to just invade the town...probably because I had read that she planted the C4 on the water tower causing it to flood the Babylon encampment and killing a ton of people... that would have taken the GR to a whole other level.

I still enjoyed the finale though. For a moment I thought Kevin's house collapsed at the end when there was the earthquake, similar to the cave woman in the first episode.

I thought it was a good ending. They could stop here. I hope the show comes back though...but only if they can keep up the quality.

 

[TheOddOne]

- Sepinwall: Review: 'The Leftovers' wraps an all-time classic season with 'I Live Here Now'.
- A|V Club: The Leftovers ends its stellar second season with a whimper, not a bang.
- Atlantic: The Leftovers: Homeward Bound.
- TVLine: The Leftovers EP Damon Lindelof Answers Burning Finale Questions, Drops Big Season 3 Clue.
- Vox: The Leftovers season 2 finale: Star Justin Theroux tells us all about (literally) singing for his life.
- Variety: Damon Lindelof Talks ‘Leftovers’ Season 2 Finale, Show’s Future: ‘We Want There to Be More’.
- Salon: How “The Leftovers” became brilliant: HBO’s depressed dark horse finally found its voice—and now it sings.
- THR: Damon Lindelof on 'The Leftovers' Finale, Feeling Validated and Season Three.

 

[Hamlet]

Great emotional finish to the season.
Still got chills after that perfect last scene and i'm more than satisfied if it was to end on that final note, even though I still hope for another season if its anything like this past season has been. Still great way to end it and talk about a massive improvement from season to season.

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

- Vox: The Leftovers season 2 finale: Star Justin Theroux tells us all about (literally) singing for his life.

On Garvey being "better", and something I got from the show as well:

"I think our season ties up very nicely, in a really satisfying way, but much like life, you can have an experience or a job that ties up very nicely, but it doesn't mean you're protected from anything moving forward."

That was what was so jarring about the finale. Everything has become more unstable but it's all okay, we'll be fine. It's like one long, emotional hug as the world falls apart around you where you can find the space to take a deep breath and relax.

 

[John Caboose]

This whole season has just been crazy. Fine ending.

 

[Kadayi]

Ya'll shoulda just did like me and utilize GAF's wonderful ignore feature.

I'm generally reluctant to go down that route as 'even a broken clock is right twice a day' but I think it's a wise course of action in this particular case. I don't think there's anything to be lost with regards to the signal to noise ratio being delivered from what I can tell with respect to either insight or originality. In a world of infinite distractions life is just too damn short to waste time on people who, or pursuits which, bring nothing meaningful to the table of ones own existence in terms of richness and experience.

As for the finale. I really enjoyed it. Initial thoughts in spoilers (I need to watch it again to take it more fully in).

Spoiler

I was kind of relieved that it didn't go down the route of the explosion. In large part because I didn't want to see Regina Kings character get obliterated. Liv Tyler was great in the villain role. I'm enjoying the way in which the writers have taken her character and evolved her into this decidedly terrifying force. Patti was fearsome in her own way, but Liv Tyler is joker territory unhinged. The bit where half the encampment suddenly stripped off and donned their whites was super creepy as well.

Not overly keen on the bit with the baby snatcher, but I guess it was a means to bring Tom & Nora together and Tom into the family fold. I did worry that it was going to be a convenient excuse to lose the baby from the story so I was glad that that didn't occur.

Matt and Mary was great. The pure joy coming off of the two of them was palpable.

 

[ThLunarian]

That final scene gave me more joy than any other fictional entertainment I've come across in years. Probably not since the LOST finale has a scene been so emotionally satisfying to me.

Kevin may not have saved the day against Meg, but he still fulfilled his destiny just by returning home (in my mind, to be the patriarch of the new family, but we'll see how that develops. I hope.)