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Thread: The Leftovers (Season 1)

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    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    The Leftovers (Season 1)

    Well, that was... interesting. Spent much more time with symbolism than I expected for a first episode.

    I guess because it's HBO they could afford to be much more guarded about what the show is about and not throw out an obvious hook on the pilot. I imagine people would be fucking baffled if this was on a network, or even basic cable, since it's almost self-contained in a way, without any apparent threads to follow to the next episode.

    Pretty compelling performances, though. Another proof that Peter Berg is better off doing intense real people drama than action movies.

    The bit about Shaq and Busey made me laugh.
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    Kung Fu Hippie Watashi's Avatar
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    The book is so mediocre. Hopefully Lindelof spices it up a bit.
    Sure why not?

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    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    I just woke up on the couch after falling asleep during this pilot. Will finish tomorrow.

  4. #4
    Ain't that just the way EyesWideOpen's Avatar
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    I liked this. I'm interested to see where it goes.
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    This was exceptionally well done. Great acting, good structure. Loved the tone, loved the scene level dialogue, very natural. Terrific attention to detail.

    But: Two cults is a bit much, and the "white smoke" group is silly in a John-Irving-World-According-to-Garp sort of way.

    Even though I enjoyed this, holy shit am I burned out on post apoc stories. Seriously. It's been over ten years of this shit with a whole bunch of series on a whole bunch of networks. When are they gonna say enough is enough? Not everything can be the Walking Dead, FFS.

    This is aside from the cultural/ philosophical problem a show like this represents. We've spent billions of dollars, detained, tortured, murdered, and killed a whole slew of people in the last 13 years. Can we really claim, at this point, that we're the injured party, the scrappy underdog, the emotionally damaged, the ones perpetually looking for answers? That doesn't sound quite right to me.

    Finally, I fear that Lindelof will get in over his head again. This is another series whose premise rests on a huge mystery. One way or the other, they'll have to solve the mystery and move on sooner rather than later. Or find a way to reposition the show completely. Otherwise, it'll become something about insurmountable grief, week after week, and nobody will want to watch that (cf: Denis Leary's firefighter show).

    Anyway, helluva start.

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    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
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    I'll await 4-5 episodes before checking this out.

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    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    This is aside from the cultural/ philosophical problem a show like this represents. We've spent billions of dollars, detained, tortured, murdered, and killed a whole slew of people in the last 13 years. Can we really claim, at this point, that we're the injured party, the scrappy underdog, the emotionally damaged, the ones perpetually looking for answers? That doesn't sound quite right to me.
    I actually thought the bit with the deer and the dogs was precisely addressing this.

    Finally, I fear that Lindelof will get in over his head again. This is another series whose premise rests on a huge mystery. One way or the other, they'll have to solve the mystery and move on sooner rather than later. Or find a way to reposition the show completely.
    I've got a feeling they'll never explain it, since they're mining too many character moments based on what they think happened (hence the competing cults; hell, they'll probably add another at some point).

    Otherwise, it'll become something about insurmountable grief, week after week, and nobody will want to watch that (cf: Denis Leary's firefighter show).
    I don't disagree, but Rescue Me is an odd example to use for that, since it was decidedly a comedy with goofy main characters people liked, which is why it lasted 7 seasons.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)

    Finally, I fear that Lindelof will get in over his head again. This is another series whose premise rests on a huge mystery. One way or the other, they'll have to solve the mystery and move on sooner rather than later. Or find a way to reposition the show completely. Otherwise, it'll become something about insurmountable grief, week after week, and nobody will want to watch that (cf: Denis Leary's firefighter show).
    Precisely why I decided not to watch this. It's going to end exactly like Lost and it's going to piss me off all over again. Why would anyone want to subject themselves to the inevitable?

    I will ONLY watch this is MC absolutely raves about it.

    So everyone choose their words wisely.
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    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    I actually thought the bit with the deer and the dogs was precisely addressing this.
    Yes! The dog and deer thing was one of the reasons I liked the writing so much, because I think you can interpret it two different ways. The first is your way (which I like).

    But you can also see it another way, the "2A" way, because the show depicts private gun owners protecting themselves from an external threat when the cop (ie, the government) hesitates to do so. (Cleverly, the final shots of the episode have it both ways, with the cop joining in on the carnage as a way of mitigating his own grief. It's macho and gung-ho and emotional at the same time).

    The message of that final scene could just as easily be: It's prudent to take whatever action necessary to protect yourself in times of crisis, even if that means slaughtering former trusted friends.

    I've got a feeling they'll never explain it, since they're mining too many character moments based on what they think happened (hence the competing cults; hell, they'll probably add another at some point).
    My guess is you're right. They can't resolve the mystery without undermining the show's central purpose. I suspect that they'll goose the audience at the end of the first season by having another 2% disappear. (Although that might be a bit too heavy handed, and focus attention in the wrong places).

    I don't disagree, but Rescue Me is an odd example to use for that, since it was decidedly a comedy with goofy main characters people liked, which is why it lasted 7 seasons.
    Rescue Me came to mind because when that show started, it was very much grounded in the tragedy of 9/11 and its aftermath. The hero is swamped with PTSD and survivor's guilt and keeps seeing images of his dead brother. It's dark and reflective. They moved beyond that pretty quickly though. By the end of the second season, 9/11 is barely mentioned and the character of the dead brother disappears completely.

    It went from focusing on the tragedy to focusing on the lives of the characters. It became the show you describe, a sort of working class comedic soap opera, but it didn't start out that way. The shift is gradual and subtle, but it's definitely there.

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    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Irish (view post)
    My guess is you're right. They can't resolve the mystery without undermining the show's central purpose. I suspect that they'll goose the audience at the end of the first season by having another 2% disappear. (Although that might be a bit too heavy handed, and focus attention in the wrong places).
    That really depends which side of the HBO genre coin they want to be on. If they want it to be the big surface show like GoT and True Blood, I can absolutely see them doing something like that. If they want to be taken more seriously like how True Detective treated procedurals or Deadwood treated westerns, then they need to really hammer to the audience that the show is absolutely NOT going to be about what caused the disappearance at all, and they'll need to figure out some other hook. Given the title and the tone of the pilot, I'm hoping for the latter.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    I will ONLY watch this is MC absolutely raves about it.

    So everyone choose their words wisely.
    It's as excellent as a Terrence Malick movie.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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    Given the title and the tone of the pilot, I'm hoping for the latter.
    Likewise, absolutely.

  13. #13
    Too much responsibility Kurosawa Fan's Avatar
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    I thought this was a bit corny. The two cults are a bit much, especially when you factor in that members of our protagonist's family have taken residence with each of them. The choking bit, the clunky symbolism of the dogs and the deer, the slo-mo riot sequence, catatonic Liv Tyler... it all just fell flat for me. Nothing affected me on a significant emotional level. I'll give it a couple more episodes, but if it doesn't improve quickly, I'm out. Lindelof doesn't have much of a leash with me, and this wasn't a promising start.

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    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    It's as excellent as a Terrence Malick movie.
    Does not compute.
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  15. #15
    Ain't that just the way EyesWideOpen's Avatar
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    I've been reading some other sites comments about this show and a lot mention that 2% isn't that big of a deal and I think they're missing the point. It's not like 2% of people dropped dead of some illness. They fucking vanished into thin air. It doesn't matter the number it would completely change everything we knew about science and religion. Not to mention make everyone left wonder why they didn't get taken.
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  16. #16
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Did not expect the episode to just open with a gunfight.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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    Here till the end MadMan's Avatar
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    I saw an episode of this while on vacation last week thanks to having HBO at my hotel. What I saw I liked although the show is a bit weird. Also for some reason I didn't recognize Liv Tyler right away. Also I noticed this show has Scott Glenn and the 9th Doctor. Cool.
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  18. #18
    Ain't that just the way EyesWideOpen's Avatar
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    That was easily the most promising episode so far.
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  19. #19
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting EyesWideOpen (view post)
    That was easily the most promising episode so far.
    Yeah, just watched the first three together and there's such a significant jump in quality and intrigue with this third Christopher Eccleston-centric episode than the opening two in my mind.

    I almost wish this is the structural direction the series follows from here. Very LOST-y in terms of more or less just following one character for an hour after you're introduced to everyone out of the gate. Simply following such a concise and layered arc with Eccleston was so much more compelling to watch gestate and develop compared to the rushing between everyone else a few minutes at a time in the Pilot and second episode.

    Plus, Eccleston is the perfect person to carry an episode in this universe, both because of his character being written the way it is, -- so at odds with everyone else in different ways -- but also simply due to his strengths as an actor (despite how awkward his accent work might be at times). You can completely grasp everything you need in those moments without dialogue or obviously scripted action from him.
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  20. #20
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    It's such a big stylistic jump that it was jarring at first, but a television show is probably better served with this tone than the jagged Peter Berg style repeated hour after hour (even FNL broke off from it eventually to a more fluid style). And yes, it really played like a Lost episode, and I mean that in the best way possible, of course. Eccleston is such a compelling guy to watch throughout.

  21. #21
    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    The most recent episode was a clear peak so far, yes.

    I also want to commend the show's original score and its Raphaelesque opening credits sequence.

  22. #22
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting number8 (view post)
    (hence the competing cults; hell, they'll probably add another at some point).
    Haha, I was right.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
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  23. #23
    Ain't that just the way EyesWideOpen's Avatar
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    That was another pretty good episode. Loved the part with the picture frames.
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  24. #24
    Shocking Seductive Spiral Thirdmango's Avatar
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    alright, you all make this sound more promising. The first episode was interesting but I almost felt like it wouldn't have the ability to go anywhere.

  25. #25
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
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    That opening scene was hard to watch. Obviously the point, but man.

    I have absolutely no idea where this show is going, and I kinda love that.

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