What I’m Watching: The Leftovers (Season Finale)

The Leftovers: Season 2, Episode 10 “I Live Here Now” (A-)

I’ll still argue that the first season was much better in my mind, but it’s hard not to find some aspects of this episode incredible. That scene on the bridge with Erika running towards Evie, hugging her nonresponsive child, and then defiantly staying there while the clock ticked down was supremely intense, and it makes me think that maybe Regina King could have been recognized by awards bodies for this show and not for “American Crime” (though admittedly I stopped watching that show after episode one). Once again, the Guilty Remnant have done something worse than killing or physically hurting people – they have devastated any sense of peace or tranquility. Blowing up the bridge would have kept the residents of Jarden cut off from the rest of the world, but instead they made it just like any place, robbed of any wonder or specialness. Meg and Evie singing the town anthem was especially harsh, and I think the residents of Jarden may be too heartbroken to stand up to the cult newly in their midst. Nora having the baby taken out of her arms only to find her seemingly shielded from the horde of people trampling over each other was powerful, and Tom swooping in to choose the right side was a promising development. Kevin was bold to tell John that he thought his daughter might not have loved him, and that getting shot sent him right back into purgatory was so fascinating. Coming home to find his entire extended family, including a miraculously awake Mary, smiling at him in the dark provided a wholly unexpected happy ending, one that could well end this grim show on a weirdly positive note. Since I wrote this review, this show has been renewed for a third and final season, which I think is probably fitting, though I think it could go on for longer than that.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Regina King as Erika