Here we are at the season 1 finale. So far, The Leftovers still hasn’t fully hooked me, although this episode features some exciting developments that suggest shakeups in season 2. It also features a fair amount of Christopher Eccleston, which doesn’t hurt!
Kevin seeks help from Matt after a sudden, shocking turn of events that has him worrying, more than ever, that he’s going crazy. Meanwhile, the G.R. pulls its biggest stunt yet, sending the town into a roil.
That’s a short summary, but there’s a lot of spoiler territory that I want to avoid, so we’ll keep things general. Kevin, as usual, is a mixed bag. Justin Theroux’s performance continues to be engaging as this overstressed everyman on the brink of falling apart, but there are a lot of places where Kevin’s characterization just bothers me. I’m not a fan of the police chief blatantly trying to hide evidence, and we’re offered up a shoddy depiction of a mental-health facility that’s straight out of Cuckoo’s Nest. On the plus side, he has some strong scenes with Matt, and he steps up during the final sequence.
The latest exercise from the G.R. is pretty twisted, albeit not all that surprising for them. While the reveal supplies a sufficient gut punch, I like that, looking back, the seeds of it are spread through various episodes in the season. It feels like this is a real game-changer for the town, and it’ll be interesting to see what the state of relations is like between the G.R. and the rest of Mapleton at the start of season 2. (Will we continue directly from these events, or will there be a time jump? Guess I’ll find out next week!)
This episode is probably the biggest showing for Christopher Eccleston since episode 3, so that obviously makes me happy. I might not be entirely sold on The Leftovers yet, but I do like how Matt is shaping up and Eccleston plays him quite well. In this episode, he proves himself to be reliable and no-nonsense, compassionate and insightful. When Kevin is in crisis, he shows up with scarcely any questions asked, and they do what needs to be done with little debate.
One thing I want to say about Matt is that he’s one of the more sympathetic portrayals I’ve seen of a devoted Christian on TV. He’s aware that his advice/guidance often falls on deaf ears, but he continues to give it anyway, gently and without really pushing. He knows that his town is full of lost souls (not just in the Christianity sense, more just the general state of the world at large) and there’s not a whole lot he can do about that, but he keeps trying, reaching out and offering a listening ear. He extends love to most people he comes across and, even as he promotes Bible teachings, he doesn’t really judge people.
While it’s markedly different from the “they weren’t all angels!” crusader we met in the pilot, I’m not complaining about it. Obviously, this makes for a more sympathetic character, and for my money, a more interesting one too. I feel like you don’t see this type too often, and I appreciate getting it here. Eccleston nails that soft, everpresent aura of nonjudgmental readiness to help. In my 100% biased take, his scenes tend to be my favorite when he has something good to work with, and I’m looking forward seeing to where season 2 takes him.
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