★★★★★ 0/5

The Leftovers

When 2% of the population disappear it divides those left behind in HBO's perplexing, sometimes frustrating, new drama.

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2014-10-10_1934It’s hard to know what to make of The Leftovers.

The characters are pretty unlikeable, the plot is perplexing, the style is drawn and gritty.

In its favour this HBO series is unconventional, especially when compared to broadcast television. It’s as if it yearns to be an indie film. Yet I also find myself wondering how long I’m expected to commit to this drama, co-created by Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Tom Perrotta, in order to elicit some kind of pay-off for my investment.

The series is based three years after the inexplicable disappearance of 2% of the world’s population. Presumably vanished through some kind of random ‘Rapture’, it has had a devastating impact on the remaining 98%. After all, aren’t we all expecting some sort of nuclear holocaust to do the dirty work, rather than divine intervention?

The central character is smalltown police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) whose family has been divided by the event. He’s father to a rebellious daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) and a son Tommy (Chris Zylka) searching for answers.

But his wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) has joined a bizarre, white-clad cult of disenfranchised people who never speak but spend much of their time stalking the locals in a zombie-like state, and chain-smoking. The number of cigarettes they puff is directly proportionate to the amount of times you will find yourself asking ‘But why?’

There are other frustrating characters: a British guru, a revivalist (played by Christopher Ecclestone) spreading leaflets to anybody who will listen, and a bloke who shoots dogs on sight. More sympathetic is Megan (Liv Tyler) as a troubled woman about to get married. The cast also includes Max & Charlie Carver (Desperate Housewives) as two carefree young men who befriend Jill.

The opening episode never gives much away in creating its post-Rapture world. Life seems like it is trying to move forward but there is a constant foreboding that hangs heavy over these survivors. These are emphasised by the dull tones, hand-held camera and directorial style that looks like a Dogme film. There’s also little to lift things by the way of a music score.

The most compelling scenes involve the three-year anniversary of the great departure, when the locals’ attempt to stage a parade marking the occasion are upstaged by the arrival of the smoking people. Our hero Kevin is caught in the middle of a violent fight between the two sides. Deliberately, we’re never quite sure why there are two sides.

If I had to live with these other 98% I’m not sure which would come first: turning to nicotine out of sheer frustration, ploughing through the remaining episodes to get some answers or wishing I had been whisked away with the other 2%.

The Leftovers airs 8:30pm Tuesday on Showcase.

8 Responses

  1. I had high hopes for The Leftovers. The first ep was good and had me interested but I dropped it after #3. It wasn’t going anywhere and was getting a little too weird for my liking.

  2. Seems this series may be another one that falls in line with the ever increasing number of shows that doesn’t grasp that you can’t make all the characters unlikeable. There should always be at least a few characters you can root for.

  4. I watched this a while ago, the premise is interesting & it’s HBO. I was apprehensive at Lindelof being involved because Lost (aghhh!) but I needn’t have worried – the characters are such awful people (except Nora) that I was not invested in them at all. The ‘hero’ is both boring & stupid, characters motivations are not explored & it’s so unrelentingly depressing it makes The Road seem like a laugh fest. I struggled through all the episodes as it was only a short season & I hoped there would be some payoff but it never happened.

  5. With Lindelof writing credits for Lost, Crossing Jordan, Prometheus, 2 recent Star Trek movies and World War Z movie and Tom Perrotta with Election (both book and film) and added to HBO funding and production it certainly has potential to be good.

    Decent writing? Check?
    Decent production and experienced production house? Check
    Acting? Yes its not scripted reality TV.

    Probably a little too intelligent and thoughtful for Free to Air TV though, appeals to me, I may watch it.

  8. The rating suggested it could be the first mixed review I had seen for this series. But that review came off very negatively. Seemed more like a 2 star rating. But can understand how this series is a tough one to judge. I’m passing on watching it.

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