Deadly Joker
Member
Why wouldn't I?
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The Leftovers S3 |OT| The End Is Near - Premieres Sunday 4/16, 9pm on HBO
- Thread starter bodyofanamerican
- Start date
Why wouldn't I?
bodyofanamerican
Member
MythicReclaimer
Member
I guess "Nora never lies" was an underlying theme throughout the episode but I don't know if it plays a role in the last 15 minutes.
Mushroomer25
Member
I feel like the point was that Nora may well be making everything up. Throughout the show, we see people trying to find meaning and logic behind the departure. They put their faith in any explanation they get, that they can cling to in order to find peace.
Nora's story could very well just be another empty explanation. She may have just gotten scammed, robbed of cash and left behind in a parking lot. Ultimately, this is the story she tells herself to justify it all - and by giving it to Kevin, she gives him resolution.
Had they actually shot the story as an episode, I feel it would've felt like too concrete of an explanation to the central mystery. While the show has done episodes in other realities before, those were rather clearly positioned as a realm of fantasy. Giving the viewer anything but Nora's word would undermine the intentionally fuzzy nature of it all.
Sweeney Tom
Banned
It's one last test of faith and you're probably never getting a complete answer
Was a great ending, just definitely didn't like the format or how long it took to get there in that particular episode
EverythingShiny
Member
Absolutely loved it, although I didn't get quite as emotional as I expected. Really sad the show is over but I'm glad it wrapped up well. Mimi Leder did a fucking fantastic job directing this episode.
Baron Aloha
A Shining Example
Great way to end it. I choose to believe.
MegaSackman
Member
I expected a different episode but I expected that almost everytime haha. It was a sweet long epilogue, I liked it, some powerful scenes here.
MomoPufflet
Member
I was reasonably satisfied with the ending, a few teary scenes, but the skimping of 2 episodes this season really showed. It felt too abrupt overall.
Mushroomer25
Member
If anyone's interested, Vulture just put up a huge behind-the-scenes article on how the final episode was written, shot, and edited. Very in-depth, and a good read coming off the last episode.
I binged on the whole show leading up to this and I gotta say I really enjoyed it overall. Loved the music, it heightened so many moments.
The finale certainly felt... simple in comparison to all the craziness that built up to it. It felt a little anticlimactic, and not because I was expecting answers. Nora's "answer" was far more than I thought we'd get. I wanted to believe her, but I didn't. Ugh but they do seem to make a point of showing how much she dislikes lying so who knows. This show does ambiguity so brilliantly, it can easily be interpreted either way. I love that they technically gave viewers an answer to the mystery for those that do believe it.
Agreed. And Kevin's hardly one to judge someone with a crazy story lol.
The finale certainly felt... simple in comparison to all the craziness that built up to it. It felt a little anticlimactic, and not because I was expecting answers. Nora's "answer" was far more than I thought we'd get. I wanted to believe her, but I didn't. Ugh but they do seem to make a point of showing how much she dislikes lying so who knows. This show does ambiguity so brilliantly, it can easily be interpreted either way. I love that they technically gave viewers an answer to the mystery for those that do believe it.
Agreed. And Kevin's hardly one to judge someone with a crazy story lol.
TheDarkKnight774
Member
Hey at least Laurie didn't kill herself
moondoggerr
Banned
I thought it was utterly perfect.
Many tears at that final shot of the birds returning.
streetsahead123
Banned
Shocked so many people believe Nora. Huge theme of the show (and highlighted several times in this episode) is people finding comfort in answers that aren't true just because they need something to latch onto
(Although I guess people believing her is in line with the show then)
(Although I guess people believing her is in line with the show then)
TheLostBigBoss
Banned
This article put my emotions and thoughts that I'm not smart enough to actually articulate, into a coherent form that I'm just gonna link again.
This was a special show, and I'm really glad I picked it back up a nearly six weeks ago after I watched the first season.
This was a special show, and I'm really glad I picked it back up a nearly six weeks ago after I watched the first season.
streetsahead123
Banned
If Nora's been in the afterlife this whole time, she's definitely been drinking the water and thus wouldn't know she's in the afterlife at this point
I really enjoyed the last episode. Loved seeing Nora and Kevin end up together, and I think I'll also enjoy chewing on the questions raised related to Nora's explanation of the LADR machine. I definitely agree the episode probably ran a little long.
I'm going to miss this show a lot. Very happy the creators were given the chance to finish it with this season. One of my favorites, for sure.
I'm going to miss this show a lot. Very happy the creators were given the chance to finish it with this season. One of my favorites, for sure.
csquared587
Member
I also really loved the ending. I found it to be incredibly emotional and though provoking.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
Jesus that was perfect.
Budget. And it would have lost the imagination you used to picture it.
The Illiterati
Member
It would have lost the entire point of the ambiguity. IMO, Nora definitely did not go to some alternate dimension. But they leave it vague.
That Sepinwall review hits the nail on the head over and over. Great job, great finale.
KingCookie5
Neo Member
Loved it. Lots to process tonight, but how great was it that they were able to make this season, after we wondered if season 2 was it. Cracked my personal top 5 for tv series
Agreed, and I disagree with your take. But it's easy to be contrarian I guess.
I see it as alternate universes splitting.
LockOfTheWeek
Member
Most of it sucked honestly, it was boring and not at all what I was looking for (and I wasn't expecting answers) but I liked the last 20 minutes. A 70minute resolution episode for their relationship just didn't sit that well with me. Really disliked the butnahhhhhh Laurie is alive thing after a perfect set up and goodbye ep for her.
Oh well, season 2 will still always be one of my favourite seasons of t.v ever and S3 was mostly enjoyable. Kudos to the people involved with it over the years, they made a good one.
Oh well, season 2 will still always be one of my favourite seasons of t.v ever and S3 was mostly enjoyable. Kudos to the people involved with it over the years, they made a good one.
Doesn't really take much to picture a place like the one Nora described, it's kinda most zombie movies.
Episode 7 should've been Nora's stuff.
aronnov reborn
Banned
so beautiful.. and damn.. I never get to know what the dove message was?!
"why couldn't I die? what was up with that?"
Grizzlyjin
Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
Exactly. Either way the fear of how things were left off was keeping them apart. The story gives them a bridge they can cross over together. It might be true, might not be.
Really liked the finale. Way different than what I was expecting, which is exactly why I love this show
Dr_LucienSanchez
Banned
Shit, what a finale.
Jay Shadow
Member
Lindelof talks about it a bit in this TV Line Interview.
Both Laurie's dive, and Nora's story changed meaning a bit between writing and performance. They wrote it mostly sure Laurie had died, but when they saw the footage of the whole episode cut together they didn't feel like her motivation felt earned.
Then with Nora's story tonight they meant it to be completely ambiguous, but in watching her perform it he felt it could be taken as a legitimate answer. Still open to the viewer thinking of it as bullshit though.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
I feel like not shooting the actual "traversal" is what makes it at least appear to be bullshit.
I honestly don't know if I would have rather had brief flashes to this alternate world, or at least to her watching her family from across the street, rather than just a pure infodump. (It could still be ambiguous, because maybe she just hallucinated/dreamed what she wanted to see).
But I suppose the performance does sell it.
I honestly don't know if I would have rather had brief flashes to this alternate world, or at least to her watching her family from across the street, rather than just a pure infodump. (It could still be ambiguous, because maybe she just hallucinated/dreamed what she wanted to see).
But I suppose the performance does sell it.
I loved season 2 and would still rank it as one of my favorite television seasons of all time. From the beginning of the first two episodes of season 3, it just felt like the series was going into a different direction then what was alluded to in season 2. You had all of these supernaturally mysterious springing up like Jardin, Mary waking up, people seemingly having powers like that guy who can read hands, Kevin not being able to die, etc.
I did not care if they addressed the departure, but why create all these new plot lines in season 2 and not even acknowledge them in the end. I was not expecting answers, but Kevin's rebirths are pretty big in the show and had two episodes dedicated to them and they didn't mean anything in the end.
I feel like this episode only works if you really cared about Kevin and Nora's relationship but the show was more than that, or at least i thought it was. I cared about the overall strangeness of the world but that was all ignored for a character focused ending for a character i didn't really like all that much.
I did not care if they addressed the departure, but why create all these new plot lines in season 2 and not even acknowledge them in the end. I was not expecting answers, but Kevin's rebirths are pretty big in the show and had two episodes dedicated to them and they didn't mean anything in the end.
I feel like this episode only works if you really cared about Kevin and Nora's relationship but the show was more than that, or at least i thought it was. I cared about the overall strangeness of the world but that was all ignored for a character focused ending for a character i didn't really like all that much.
it makes the finale a schrodinger's cat. which I enjoy.
Poor GRIMES
Banned
Yes it did... kinda, he had a heart problem this whole time. Which probably somehow allowed him miraculously survive not breathing or something