Rewatching HBO’s “The Leftovers”

When HBO’s “The Leftovers” began to air in 2014, it was an unusually glum show, and to be perfectly frank, it wasn’t very good for the first two episodes. The show tried to explore what grief meant in a world where 2% of the population suddenly disappeared, but unfortunately, almost every character was pretty angry, sullen, and generally just not that interesting to follow around. Of course, one could argue that is exactly how people would react to such an event, but I didn’t think it made for good TV.

But I stuck with it mostly because I liked the themes it was exploring — religion, grief, and meaning — and I liked Damon Lindelof a lot. The show improved as it got deeper into the first season, although it was still hit or miss. (Jill Garvey and her high school friends’ storyline were particularly weak. So was Tommy’s storyline). It wasn’t until episode 6, “Guest,” that I had a “wow” moment. That episode explored the life of Nora Durst, whose two children and husband, suddenly departed, and she was left alone in her grief. Nora was everything the other characters were not: sad and depressed, yet, but also full of joy and searching and life and rage that felt so visceral and real. (It helps that Carrie Coon gives one of the great performances ever as Nora Durst). If the show had more Nora, I felt it could survive.