Review: THE LEFTOVERS' Shift Makes it Most Compelling Drama on TV

The goal of art is to make the viewer feel. While many didn't appreciate what the first season of HBO's THE LEFTOVERS made them feel, no one can argue that it did, in fact, make them feel something; and for many, more deeply than TV has in a long time. Often, for better or for worse, that feeling was an overwhelming sense of oppressive grief. Easily last season's most divisive show, Season 2 kicked off tonight with a slightly different approach, a more optimistic approach, but nonetheless, still a very emotionally intense approach. And, in doing so, THE LEFTOVERS has taken a gigantic step forward to becoming the most compelling drama on television.

The groundwork for this optimistic shift was laid in the finale of Season 1 when Nora (Tony nominee Carrie Coon) found an abandoned baby on Kevin (Justin Theroux)'s porch. For the first time since the disappearance of her husband (played in flashbacks by Broadway's Sebastian Arcelus) and children, something good happened to Nora and she allowed herself to accept it, and to be happy and to move on from the crushing grief of the Departure, in which 2% of the Earth's population suddenly vanished.

That desire to move on takes Nora, Kevin, his daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley), and the newly adopted Lily to Jarden, TX, a town of just over 9,000 that saw no one taken in the Departure. Now enveloped by Miracle National Park, the town has become a pilgrimage site for anyone looking to heal. However, while the main location for the series has been reset, the characters haven't. They still live with the reality of what they have done and had done to them.

Over the first three episodes of the season, show runners Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, who wrote the book on which the series is based, show the characters dealing with what happened in the first season. Kevin holds himself accountable for his role in Patti (Ann Dowd)'s death. His father is released from the mental institution, and his ex-wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) and son Tommy (Chris Zylka) attempt to help former members of the Guilty Remnant cult re-assimilate into everyday life.

Surprisingly, all of these transitions all feel natural and organic, while nearly everything has changed from Season 1, it feels like the logical next step for each of the characters. While they each are meet with varying levels of success, the growth that they go through is refreshing after such a depressing first season. Since the plot of Perrotta's novel completely unfolded in Season 1, the writers are able to address the issues that even the most entranced viewers had, without having to completely dismantle the beautiful landscape which they created last year. Very few details from the first season are ignored; so much so that it almost feels like it was a prologue always intended to set up Season 2.

While the tone has shifted slightly, mysteries new and old still remain. There is something ominous and suspicious about the tightly maintained security around Miracle. As we learn more about the town in the first two episodes, it becomes clear that while Jarden didn't see anyone taken in the Departure, that doesn't mean that the event didn't significantly impact the lives of those that live there. Kevin Sr. admits to his son that he was not released because he no longer heard voices, but instead, because he finally listened to them. As the first few episodes unfold, we see that Jr. is still sleep-walking and is now having increasingly vivid visions of his own.

Tonight's season premiere introduced a number of Jarden residents, specifically the Murpheys, who live next door to where Kevin and Nora's newly formed family moves. John (Kevin Carroll) is the head of the Jarden Fire Department, and his wife Erika (Emmy winner Regina King) is a doctor. They have a son Michael and a daughter Evie, who will be at the center of one of the season's mysteries.

Nora's brother Matt (The Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston), a preacher, and his wife Mary (the criminally under-used Janel Moloney) moved to Jarden as well to help a local church. Matt is convinced that being in the town is helping Mary, who was left paralyzed and unresponsive by a car accident during the Departure. Now that Moloney has been bumped up to main cast status, I am hoping that she will have more to do, either in Jarden or in flashbacks.

What I have always appreciated about THE LEFTOVERS is that on a surface level, the show was captivating, but the more you allow yourself to think about it, the more you realize just how deeply the show's poetry and metaphors go. While the Departure is something completely foreign to our real-lives, loss is not; either individually or collectively. From the death of a loved one to 9/11, loss is universal, and the first season examined that truism by wallowing in its own grief. Season 2 feels as though we are taking a step beyond grief and learning to live with its painful reality; while we will likely stumble along the way, at least we are putting one foot in front of the other and making an effort.

Throughout the first three episodes, there is a running theme of being "okay." Some characters think they are, some characters think they aren't, and some lie and say they are when they clearly know that they aren't. While this seems simple, just acknowledging that there is more to dealing with tragedy than misery is a major transition for the show; one that is done both subtly and startlingly.

I loved the first season of THE LEFTOVERS, but after watching screeners of the first three Season 2 episodes, I am convinced that Lindelof and Perrotta are making one of the most important shows on television. The storytelling is tighter and more focused, and therefore, more impactful. The first three episodes indicate a more palpable forward momentum, while still diving deeply into each of the characters in the incredibly rich and talented ensemble.

If you appreciated Season 1, you will love Season 2. If you didn't appreciate Season 1, give Season 2 a chance, it just might change your mind.

Random Thoughts

1) I am glad that Lindelof has made it clear that this show has no intention of giving answers to its central mystery. While that might anger many fans, especially those still upset about the LOST finale, the Departure is not what THE LEFTOVERS is about. Yes, it is the catalyst that drives everything on the show, but the show isn't about the people who were taken, it is about the people who were left over.

2) After such a heavy first season, it is nice that the writers have put a little bit of humor into the first few episodes. In fact, I think that there are more laughs and smiles in episodes 1 and 2, than in all of the first season combined. There is a really funny, and sweet, scene between Kevin, Nora, and Jill in which they admit all of the terrible things that they have done.

3) While I didn't hate last season's opening credits like many others did, in fact, I thought they were kind of funny, I find this season's to be a really effective way to demonstrate the show's growth, while providing a more personal reminder of how the Departure impacted people. Also, pay attention to the words of the new theme song. Since Lindelof is not known for overlooking details, I think it is safe to assume that it is a message to viewers not on board with the way they are telling the story.

4) Speaking of music, in next week's episode, Kevin goes to a laundromat blaring music through headphones. Pay attention to the first line of the song that he is listening to for nice little Easter egg.

5) Finally, I decided to post this article after the premiere aired, because I wanted to try and unpack the completely bizarre, but beautiful, opening of the Season 2 premiere. However, while I understand there is a metaphor there for re-birth and loneliness and tragedy, and that the scene might play into a greater mythology as the season goes on, I don't know that I have much insight into it, other than to say that it probably could never have worked as well on any show but THE LEFTOVERS. If you have any thoughts on it, let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

Check out a preview clip below:

What did you think of the move to Jarden? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Photo Credit:
1) Margaret Qualley, Kevin Carroll, Regina King, Carrie Coon, and Justin Theroux: Van Redin | HBO
2) Carrie Coon and "Lily:" Van Redin | HBO
3) Regina King and Kevin Carroll: Van Redin | HBO
4) Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux: Van Redin | HBO