The Leftovers season 1: what would you do if your loved one disappeared from earth?
What would you do if your loved one disappeared from earth? Or your whole family, without explanation. Would you just keep on going? Join a group that doesn't want to forget? Or talk to God? And what if you can't forget?
I must admit I was skeptical when HBO announced The Leftovers, a series about the departure of 2% of the earth's population, created by Damon Lindelof. This was that guy who wrote Prometheus, the recent Star Trek films, Cowboys and Aliens and more importantly, co-created Lost.
None of these are bad films, and I even made it to the end of Lost. But I wasn't waiting for another gimmicky series about the sudden disappearance of a big portion of world's population and all the vague storylines that would come with it.
Luckily The Leftovers turned into something totally different. A layered story with great characters, smart writing and little gimmicks — apart from, well, you know, millions of people disappearing from earth in a split second.
What's great about it, is that it's not about why this has happened. No conspiracy theories, FBI coverups or big worldwide plots. It's about all these people dealing with what happened in their own way. A great unexplainable happening that turns a small town called Mapleton, New York upside down and leaves The Leftovers Lost (pun intended)...
Now it can still happen, as the show will return for a second season. For one, the main character chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) is not sure if he's going crazy like his dad. Or there's a chance his dad is not crazy and he is actually seeing people other people can't. Or what about the messiah Wayne, who granted him a wish. Is it all the work of a fraud? You can see Kevin wants to believe in something, but he just can't because "it's all bullshit," as he likes to say.
The Leftovers is one of the best new series this year. It's got the depth very few series on tv can match. It often feels unlike anything you've ever seen before as the writing is so original and thought-provoking. Let's just hope they keep it up in season 2, and this doesn't turn into another Lost.
