Having strung five "whoa" episodes in a row coinciding with their renewal, there's a lot to be excited about.
What did we learn today?
- A root cause analysis shows that The Departure was but the tipping point in Kevin and Laurie's marriage, rather than the source of the split
- The Guilty Remnant, or some form of it, pre-dates The Departure, or at least gets going immediately
- Who Neil is and what's in the bag
- Why Nora's paper towels were just so
- Exploding manhole covers are no joke, people.
A microcosm of the dishonesty in their marriage, we know right away we're in flashback when Kevin sneaks a cigarette. He goes to certain lengths to hide his habit*, stashing a pack under a mailbox**, smoking in the woods***, and using mouthwash (1).
* Which Laurie doesn't care about, per se. She cares about his lying about it. Or maybe she's lying about that....
** Which we saw Tommy do something similar in service to Wayne
*** Fire hazard!
Jill's on to him. Later in the day he smokes out in the open when at work, though not bothering to cover his tracks (2). Laurie picks up on it at this point. By the episodes third act, he is smoking outside his house (3) with friends and family around in a way that his father points out is "asking to get caught." Kevin's nihilism towards his marriage at that point, exemplified by his decreasing desire to put up the facade of quitting, leads to his fun times with the conference attendee.
"Hey, opposite...is opposite!" *
Several characters are in diametrically opposite positions, compared with where they stand at the end of Episode Eight.
Patti is a broken shell, verbally abused by, we assume, her husband. Paranoid* and meek, she finishes her story the stern cult leader who doesn't necessarily build her community by charisma but by stoic and firm leadership.
Laurie is a successful therapist of some kind, present in her children's lives. It kills her to not attend Jill's science fair, and she clearly has a rapport with Tommy. Giving up the wordly possessions, her practice which she probably built for years and her connection with her children is quite a sacrifice. I'd have guessed most GR members fit a sterotypical profile of cult members, impressionable, with little to lose. But Laurie does not fit that mold.
Grandpa Garvey is large and in charge of the Mapleton police force. A pillar of the community, he's honored with an award and with a party by his friends and loving family. Deeper though, he's telling Kevin how he's nothing special and simply meant for this simple life. FutureGrandpaGarvey has something different to say about that, with NatGeo props.
Tommy invested in school at least to the point that he is still enrolled. He's close enough with his dad that he can call him to get him out of an arrest, not to mention that his dad will resort to fisticuffs in defense of his son. Compare this with his going incommunicado from his family while deifying Wayne as some sort of father figure/savior up to the point he rejects him.
Dogs are cute and sweet and adorable and such a good boy! Until after The Departure when they're viscous, feral and scary. Kevin's stance on dogs changes. At least Kevin Durden's stance on dogs changed.
One constant though is that deer, crazy as ever, invading your space. It seems at least three of the people it crossed paths with departed, Nora's daughter, the kid with Downs Syndrome, and Kevin's lady.
*"You're gonna show me my clothes?"
** Is is paranoia if someone actually is out to get you?
Trials and Tribulations
Every. Simpsons. Ever. aired "Hurricane Neddy" on Sunday where Ned Flander's house is destroyed in a storm. The only home in all of Springfield destroyed in the storm. This despite his selflessness and general clean living*. He mentions Job, but Rev. Lovejoy calls him melodramatic.
The Leftovers has brought Job hard and heavy, particularly Episode Three, which focused on Matthew. There's also a Faustian element to things, or even King Midas, where unintentional consequences reign from what a character believes they want. Particularly one family where Matthew craves attention and is given leukemia, or Nora seeking accomplishment and freedom, and being relieved of her family.
* "I even kept kosher to be on the safe side"
Next Week (Two weeks actually) and Some Jibberish
"The Prodigal Son Returns" Is it Tommy? Is is Kevin, to Pops? Is it Laurie's baby?
I theorize that it's Tommy (given the "prodigal" part), with nothing left on the road and no one to turn to, he comes home. Tommy (younger son/sinners) would be accepted back by Kevin (as the father/God does) despite what he did (spent his inheritance/sinned). It makes you wonder if the Departed are that toll that God is leveraging against mankind, rather than send his son again to die for the sins of man, he exacts the toll, a tax practically, of 2 percent. Which means tithes can't really justify 10 percent anymore.
Maybe the Departed return? But that wouldn't fit with the parable, as they would be returned by God/the father rather than returning to him. Also, where would they return from? Hell? At least that's where Kevin's friend said she was going...right before she Departed.
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