This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
I'll be the one in the lobby in the green fuck me shirt. The green one.
This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
I listen to the Rewatchables too.
I figured, if anyone, you would get that reference.
I'll be the one in the lobby in the green fuck me shirt. The green one.
This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
I listen to the Rewatchables too.
I figured, if anyone, you would get that reference.
Mark Linn-Baker had like 4 threes in 6 minutes, good god. His cameo reminded me a bit of Billy Dee Williams' appearance in Lost: I had an lol moment when I first was like, "Look, it's Cousin Larry!" but after 5 minutes it was like no other actor in the world could've been in that role.
I finished the finale tonight (Merry Christmas to me!) and all I want to do now is write write write, but we've got two kids with fevers over 101, so maybe some other time.
This is not a show about science fiction. The Leftovers is a show about how people respond to tragedy, so it's important to understand what I mean by tragedy.
Tragedy is something that does not make rational sense. It is absurd. It is what talking heads on TV talk about when they describe something as a "senseless act of violence" because it makes no sense to us.
The best example is the Sandy Hook shooting. A young man took his gun and killed 20-something children whom he did not know. That sentence makes no goddamn sense. He gained no utility from that act.
Not only was this act terrifying because we can empathize with those parents, it was terrifying because it brought down the illusion of order in our world. It showed us that things that make no sense can happen to anyone.
The way people respond to this type of tragedy is by creating a story. Some choose the story of easy access to guns. For some it's a lack of mental health support. For others it's violent video games or drugs or social isolation. None of these stories really make the tragedy make sense, but they are a better story then senselessness.
My favorite example was a Facebook post from my old boss. A strong-faith Christian man, he wrote about how God was with those Sandy Hook children when they died. It didn't make sense, but I could tell he put a lot of thought into it and it helped him process the tragedy and retain his faith.
In The Leftovers, it makes sense that church attendance would see a decline. The departure was so senseless, that people stopped being able to believe in something that helped their lives make sense. The Matt Jamison character works so hard to find dirt on the departed because he has to believe that they were taken for a reason.
But for most people it wasn't enough, so they began to create their own stories: the Guilty Remnant, Holy Wayne, the Eddie Winslow character, and Miracle, Texas. Even holdouts like Kevin Garvey eventually began to believe he was the second coming of Christ. Nora was the only character who refused to write her own fiction. She even made it her mission to expose frauds.
It also makes sense that the protagonist was a cop, someone who's role was to maintain order in the face is increasing disorder as people clung to crazier ideas to try and make sense of what happened.
The finale wasn't a story about Nora finding out what happened to her family. It was about her finally creating her own story. If you pay attention, her tale concludes that her family is actually better off wherever they are. Self-delusion is the path to comfort and happiness in the face of tragedy. The awareness of senselessness will drown you. She had to find the perfect story to be able to move on and start her new life with Kevin.
You should post here more often.
I'm like Dion Waiters. In just ten minutes of playing time I'll get you 12 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. But there's a reason I'm not a starter.
I listen to the Rewatchables too.
I figured, if anyone, you would get that reference.
Mark Linn-Baker had like 4 threes in 6 minutes, good god. His cameo reminded me a bit of Billy Dee Williams' appearance in Lost: I had an lol moment when I first was like, "Look, it's Cousin Larry!" but after 5 minutes it was like no other actor in the world could've been in that role.
I finished the finale tonight (Merry Christmas to me!) and all I want to do now is write write write, but we've got two kids with fevers over 101, so maybe some other time.
Excited to hear more detailed thoughts should time allow.
Bug is a play written by her husband, Tracy Letts. It's a fantastic play and I'm jealous that you got to see Carrie in it. I bet she ripped the fucking roof off the place.
I saw both Letts and Coon play Broadway together in a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? back in 2012. That was the first time I'd see Carrie on stage and she goddamn stole the show.
durdencommatyler wrote:Bug is a play written by her husband, Tracy Letts. It's a fantastic play and I'm jealous that you got to see Carrie in it. I bet she ripped the fucking roof off the place.
I saw both Letts and Coon play Broadway together in a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? back in 2012. That was the first time I'd see Carrie on stage and she goddamn stole the show.
She's an absolute treasure.
i read that after i saw the play (about her husband). it was really mesmerizing. and you're right, she's a treasure. so good.
I finished this tonight, and thus feel safe to come into this thread....while it's not my favorite show, the final season of this show is one of the most powerful experiences I've had watching television, and it's an outstanding example of what the format of TV is able to accomplish in contrast with film. There's not much I can add that hasn't been said; Carrie Coon was extraordinary, and the finale was perfect in a season full of perfect episodes.
Steve Albini wrote:Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.
Last edited by tragabigzanda on Sat January 10, 2026 11:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
