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The Leftovers S2 |OT| We're Going To Texas - [Renewed for 3rd and final season]

GavinUK86

GavinUK86

Member
Just finished watching the finale and I have no idea how to put into words how I feel about what I just experienced.

The show is just brilliant.
 
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bodyofanamerican

Member
Great interview with Damon by Andy Greenwald. About 90 minutes long. Some VERY interesting top level ideas of where he wants to go with season 3. His big inspiration?
Life of Brian
.

Channel 33: 17: ‘The Andy Greenwald Podcast’
Writer and producer Damon Lindelof joins Andy Greenwald to discuss the future of ‘The Leftovers,’ the legacy of ‘Lost,’ and how to survive a troll attack.
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https://overcast.fm/+FkNuemNmc
 
E

Erigu

Member
bodyofanamerican said:
https://overcast.fm/+FkNuemNmc
Click to expand...
Damon Lindelof said:
[...] and certainly with Lost, there was... Let's just call it what it is. This is the clickbait right here, on Twitter, which is, #LindelofAdmits, but it's sort of, like... There was constant politicking required on Carlton and my behalf to basically say, like, "answers are coming! answers are coming! answers are coming!", independent of whether they were! We had to be saying that even before there was an end date of the show, just because there was this thing happening in the media culture where it was being demanded of us, and it simply wasn't viable for us to just remain silent. Like, it wasn't. Like, because our silence would have made people nervous.
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"Look, we had to lie, or we would have lost our audience's trust, and that would have been bad for us!"

Damon Lindelof said:
Almost out of the gate, like, I think, as early as the pilot, the primary question being presented by both the media and fans alike was "are you making it up as you go along?". And this was said with arms akimbo. And so, the answer had to be "no". At all times. Because you couldn't say, like, "guys, let's just be pragmatic about this... I met J.J. the last week of January, it is now May, in that 13 week [didn't quite get that part], we shot and edited a 2-hour movie, and... no, we did not have the opportunity to sit down and basically break out the entire series of Lost". The answer was "of course we're not making it up as we go along! we completely and totally have a plan." I think, born of that lie, that forced lie... You know, it was, like, tell the people what they want to hear. Like, "guess what, America? you are safe." That is a lie we need to hear. And when it gets shattered, you get mad at the people who told it to you, but you wanted them to tell you.
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Holy crap, that guy. That hilariously condescending "you can't handle the truth" defense.
I also like how he only mentions those weeks they spent working on the pilot, as if they didn't have years after that to come up with something a bit better than the random nonsense the show ended up being.

He then goes on to talk about how he'd sometime lie to his son to protect him from the harsh realities of this world, and... well, it's good to know he still sees his audience as children ("look, Chuck E. Cheese!").

And the guy wonders why some people don't like him. Amusing.
 
Denton

Denton

Member
Saty said:
Hilarious reading the couple of posts being bothered about the timeline lining up for Kevin to see the girls at the lake. If you're the kind of viewer to take issues with stuff like that then i think you should be having a laundry list of issues with the show in general and with this episode in particular.

It must be awfully nice to be able to write a serious drama fiction while giving no fucks about characterization, motivation, world-building and basic sense but still get near-universally lauded. Wanna go bonkers? be my guest. Drop all pretense, though. Enough trying to provide paper-thin 'justifications' that only make you look worse. Drop the fig leafs and go naked.

- The GR is a terrorist organization and there's no reason in the world for its members to be acting freely and having what seems to be immunity from authorities. Dropping that line in Ep 9 about them no targeting children is what keeps the cops away in an insulting fig leaf.

- Members of the GR are lunatics who just want to cause havoc using whatever 'cover'. Any attempt by the show to give reason or motivation or anything failed miserably - so stop trying. The minute people slip into their white uniforms they become robots who are up to any task no matter from which walks of life they were before. It's not about grief. Not about the Departure. Not about the end of the world. It's about fucking shit up. Plain and simple. No reason why everyday people should be upset about people moving on. They didn't forget - that's why they have a memorial day. There's isn't really a difference in why a Departure would cause that kind on widespread group to surface but not after World Wars or even a catastrophe like 9/11.

- Miracle is the most special place in the world. Visitors from around the world on a daily basis, a Mecca. Houses sold in millions of dollars. Weirdos gathering around the town. Everybody wants in, even in criminal ways. Miracle should be much better guarded, more security, law agencies near by. There's no two ways about it.

- Meg's plan makes no sense. It's predicated for some reason upon residents of Miracle knowing no pain because they didn't lose anyone to the Departure as if that's the only source of unhappiness and pain in the world. Staging a Departure and then refuting it doesn't damage Miracle's status.
An one hour countdown doesn't serve Meg's plan at all. That would result in more security, in every agency showing up to the scene. But The Leftovers gives no fucks, everything bends to the will of whatever craziness they want to pull. So nobody shows up. Miracle PD just sits on their hands the whole time. They don't send a bomb squad to check the trailer or anything. They are just bystanders like everyone else. Pathetic. And even when everything is said and done, hours later, when it's night, no other law agencies are in sight. Didn't Miracle PD call for everybody? Didn't the residents holing-up in their houses call the agencies and let everybody know and come take out the hooligans and the GR?

- No reason for it to be the 3 girls we knew. Could had been anyone. Worse yet no motivation or reason given why they of all things decided to join the GR. Only a vague 'You understand' from Evvie, which i bet is being applauded for not spelling it out or holding the hand of the viewer (not that it would explain the other two girls). So stupid me, does anyone want to try and help me understand what was that about?

- Good to know it takes the police like a month to get a hit on a palm print of a former police officer that should be in the database. How convenient that it lined up with the last ep of the season and after Kevin had a new thing to tell John.
- No reason for Mary to wake up here rather than play up the possibility of Holy Wayne's daughter having powers of her own. Mat would have wanted Mary back in the town either way, but sure wake her up i guess. Makes of a better 'reunion' shot at the end of the ep.
- Random baby snatching because..why not? Redundant drama. At first when Tom took her inside the trailer wearing all-white, for a second i thought maybe this was one big distraction so Meg can snatch Lily and run away with her or something. Might have preferred that, actually. Anyhow, Nora has forgotten about her stupid reason she left Kevin and she's back again there for the family shot at the end.

- The obvious nonsense with Immortal Kevin ofc. I mean, go ahead of it but wear it on your sleeve rather that hiding in there to pull off as a reveal 'this is why he isn't dead' and pulling the rug under the show's feet in favor of supernatural/mystical/metaphysical shit.

- The season completely leapfrogged two character arcs. Matt after locking himself up and Tom's that suddenly had enough (of his own idea, remember). So if you're serious about your characters or drama then that's a poor form. Same goes with trying to provide those fig leafs for Meg in one hurried along episode instead of taking a genuine attempt at it across a few. Chewing-up more than you can eat.

The Leftovers joins Fargo in being a good not-good tv show. Everything's well-done, greatly-produced but it's the creative side with the writing, plotting and narrative that lets you down, in a pretty big way.
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This post is amusing because I agree with everything except the last line (Fargo is ace) and yet I still enjoyed the shit out of it. I guess I just accept that Lindelof is a shittygood writer and that this show takes place in some weird alternate reality where 2% of human population vanished and our real world logic does not apply anymore when it comes to anything.
 
1

120v

Member
EastOfEden said:
I'm still not okay with them replacing the amazing S1 opening sequence with the S2 super shitty slideshow set to country music. :/
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they probably felt the old intro was a little too much, since the show is already "depressing" as is. new intro is more fitting, imo. a little refrain from the emotional porn you're about to endure

interested to see if they do a new one
 
Grizzlyjin

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Dysun said:
Let the mystery be opening grew on me as well, over the course of the season. Hated it at first
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Yep, same here. I went from "what the fuck is this?" to humming along in a few episodes.
 
F

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Wow what a turn for season 2. I knew there was a major shift but wow...

I mean I just watched Laurie run over 2 GR members. Crazy stuff. Also the cinematography in season 2 is spectacular. Way brighter and more vibrant than season 1. Love it.
 
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Orbis Tabula

Member
Sorry for the bump, but I just finished season two. Man, did I enjoy this show. Hard to quantify why, but it was compelling. Can't wait for season 3.
 
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dancrane212

Member
Had to wait for the bluray release this time around so I'm a little late to the party here but folk weren't kidding about Season 2. Watching the finale I kept wanting to check the current runtime -the episode felt like an eternity (in a great way) and not knowing if things were just going to end at any point was maddening. Really had me at the edge of my seat in a way few things can.

So incredibly happy to see this get renewed for a third season.
 
H

HoJu

Member
Just finished episode 6 and damn that episode was great. The whole season has been great. There's some bullshit, but the focus on individual characters for each episode is paying off. And how characters are developing in the background, like the romance between Jill and Michael, and Kevin's escalating craziness.
 
R

RootCause

Member
Honestly would've been very happy with season 2 being the ending for the series. I swear it's going to end on a bad note. And I will ultimately feel different about the show.
 
S

Sadsic

Member
Watched both seasons for the first time over the last week or so. Goddamn what an emotional rollercoaster! I really really like the coupling of Kevin and nora. They are so cute together <3
 
Quote

Quote

Member
I just powered through both seasons and I'm surprised at how much I enjoy this show. It's probably one of my all-time favorites. I had to stand up and pace around a few times during season 2. I think a secret to enjoying this show is willing to be hand wavy as much as the writers are about some things. It also helps that they answer a good amount of the questions I thought they'd leave unanswered. I don't mind that some of the answers are out there mythical/magic.

I will say the only thing that really killed my suspension of disbelief is Nora leaving towards the end of S2. It felt very out of character. I will give it a pass though because I thought it was a set up for some Nora vs Lorie stuff which I wouldn't be interested in at all.

I do wish I knew more about religion, I can't help but feel that a good chunk of the scenes are religious symbolism.
 
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D1renegade

Member
Wow... Just finished season 2. This show just has a way of reeling me in, making me anxious about what's coming next. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks but I think they were implemented well in this season.



But man I can't stand the S2 opening theme. Bring back the melancholic choir.
 
O

oatmeal

Banned
Fuck yeah, Australia is happening!

This series is going to play SO WELL when binged.

Was listening to S2 today, amazing.

Can't wait!
 
N

NimbusD

Member
I just said "What the fuck?" out loud in my office.

Really the last thing I expected, but I guess it makes it consistent from season to season.

EDIT:

OH SHIT, I completely forgot his dad went to australia. DUR
 
B

BrightLightLava

Unconfirmed Member
NimbusD said:
I just said "What the fuck?" out loud in my office.

Really the last thing I expected, but I guess it makes it consistent from season to season.

EDIT:

OH SHIT, I completely forgot his dad went to australia. DUR
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's a few things going on in Australia that get mentioned in the background. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
 
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bodyofanamerican

Member
Yup. Makes total sense. Cannot WAIT to see where they take this, especially with Lindelof citing Life of Brian as an influence when writing this season as well.
 
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BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
Fantastical said:
It's a different show. Season 1 was really meh to me especially in the first half. S2 is batshit insane in the best way.
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Just popped on the first episode. Right off the bat, tonally, it's hitting vibes the first season never came close to. First season felt like it was aping Lost in some ways. Feels way more organic here.
 
A

aussiedude08

Member
Just finished watching season 1 and the extras on the Blu-ray, and going to re-watch S2 next.

Sucks that season 3 is going to be the last after how amazing season 2 was, I just wish more stuck with the show. I know some who gave up part of the way in season 1, and still trying to get them to watch season 2 [Well other then the cavewoman thing at the start]. International Assassin was one of the best hours of TV i saw last year, going back to S1 i liked it more then i did the first time, the Matt episode was great and the Flashback one. There were also little things you understood more when rewatching the series like the "Doggy bag" Patti made for her ex when she took Lori out for some time off

Also watching the S1 extras. I think Justin Theroux would make a good Nathan Drake if they ever get the movie off the ground. and he isnt too old by then.
 
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BlueTsunami

there is joy in sucking dick
The scene when Nora is asking what a lens is and the lady on then phone goes into religious reasoning was legitimately creepy
 
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