THE LEFTOVERS: HBO's nondenominational post-rapture series

Showrunner Damon Lindelof has said the new season will have a stronger “narrative engine” compared to the more meditative first season.

hmmmmmm

narrative engine powered by polar bear pushing a wheel

we have to get to the cabin

is everyone returning for season 2? liv tyler?

they're getting rid of quite a few of the supporting cast but Liv is in the trailer

new reviews are largely glowing, incl. a few by people who were not necessarily high on the first season

premieres sunday night, and i mean it's not like this week's SNF is gonna be good so c'mon y'all

I've heard that all the episodes are going to be like those couple of one-character point of view ones they did in the first season, as those were the most well liked.

also the GR is pretty much gone now

remind me what the GR is

guilty remnant

oh yeah thx

ok the combo of the new intro plus that prologue this week was amazing

yeah loved this premiere.

I think this show learned from all the mistakes of Lost, which is, just relish in the weird, there doesn't need to be an answer for everything

I lol'd when I noticed that this sentiment is baked right into the show's new theme song

the bbq scene was great

I'm honestly not sure if I liked it. It was audacious, and brave, and well done, but... I really really loved season 1, why did they change everything?

It reminds me a bit of Hannibal season 2. First seasons just emotionally hit a perfect spot, and ended absolutely as good as they could. And I know, that there was no reason in repeating that, and that that would just be diminishing returns, and that I should just rewatch seasons one if I want to. But I still sorta just want more of the same...

well, it's changed because there's no book to base it on now, so it's gotta go somewhere.

Sure. Still, this would never have happened if it was on Showtime.

I am gonna spend the next little while chuckling and imagining the Showtime version of this show

Okay I'm 5 minutes into either this or Quest For Fire. Can't be sure. Will update.

showtime would have run the same fucking idea into the ground for six years! I hope twin peaks survives

loved all of this, perfect level of creepy wtfery to keep me coming back

prologue made me cry a little, v cool

glad that regina king took up the mantle of jogging places while we wait for j theroux hot cop to show up again

I loved that even in an almost Garvey-free episode they still found time for a line about how pretty Theroux is.

tbf he is a very handsome man

the first episode was wonderful, and the second, while a bit less unexpected and more in line with what we've seen earlier, is also really good bc we see kevin attempting to grow and not just react in a permanent scream as he did for most of the 1st season. (although he would prob not be this /relatively/ well-adjusted without nora's help.)

that said as soon as i saw ghost patti i was like "god damnit." ann dowd's performance as her was great but i don't know how the guilty remnant plot arc can continue beyond its logical apotheosis at the end of season 1.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if we never hear the term "Guilty Remnant" ever again

Coon still rules, loved the scene with the MIT dudes

carrie coon was robbed of a first season emmy nom - based just on her scenes in these two episodes if the same thing happens next year it'd be goddamn ridiculous. the character is also very well-written but i can't imagine it would work this well with any other actor.

re: guilty remnant i hope you're right. and while kevin's inability to let aspects of the past go even in the face of real hope, it's also believable - it's the classic arc of fighting your way out of depression. that shit doesn't want to lose.

*in the face of real hope is frustrating

reza azlan has a regular recap interview on vulture talking abt spiritual/religious symbolism in the show since he's a consultant. it's kinda cool - apparently kevin may or may not be a shaman which to me is a huge lol just picturing fuckup kevin burning down a sweatlodge etc

ha! i could kinda see that.

just finished episode 2 and there are def some shots that look like guilty remnant motherfuckers but that could just be to wrap up their portion of the program through the eyes of kevin's ex-wife or (ugh) liv tyler, who it appears we'll (ugh) have to see a bit more of (ugh)

interested in Timelord Matt & what's going on with him and/or that church

interested in christmas-lights trailer man

i cannot stop thinking about regina king's bird in a box from ep 1

looking forward to more of this weirdass town

this show for all it's ???? is one of the most enjoyable things on tv for me because it's so strange & challenging

should i read the novel y/n

looooooool at the last music cue and the actual Rickrolling in last night's episode. Show's troll game is peerless.

i kinda like that about it tbh

Me too! Not enough dramas that dgaf

i really like the first four episodes of this season--a lot. does that mean i should watch season 1 or is it optional?

you should watch it imo, given the way you analyze other shows on other threads i'm interested in yr thoughts

though in terms of forward momentum you don't necessarily need to

yeah it's not as if stuff is ~explained~ in the first reason that i need to know. like, i gathered that episode 3 was picking up a storyline from season 1 but it was sorta gratifying to be so disoriented and trying to figure out what was going on.

this last one really felt like a Lost episode, but in a good way

i wish there was more activity on this thread.

last 10 or so minutes of the last episode were just outstanding.

no one watches things at the same time any more. I plan on watching cos i loved s 1 but wrapping up some other shows first.

i enjoy this show, though sometimes it is just toooooo grim.
and the theme song for this season is just atrocious.

yeah it's annoying

I like this season but I'm not clear where the son went after he declared he had the prophet's powers.

also it will be interesting if that is all we see of Liv Tyler all year.

It's not clear because we don't know! He went AWOL.

i like the new theme song a lot

i like the theme song too.

the grimness works for me, perhaps because there's a clear sense of humor and playfulness in so many of the other choices.

i cannot stop thinking about regina king's bird in a box from ep 1

good payoff to this. that whole scene, from the acting to the directing to the writing, was just wonderful. this show is somehow able to pull of things that would just not work elsewhere.

Really love this show, especially current season; most recent episode, "Lens," might be the strongest yet -- so many interesting reveals, so many new twists and turns, none of it feeling rushed or overblown or scattershot. The direction and the acting is just fantastic. Not sure if, for pure emotional impact, they'll top the conversation between Erika and Nora, but then I didn't think they'd top the previous episode centered around Matt, either. I thought season one had its great moments and fine episodes and pretty great acting throughout, but I seem to recall there were some flat-out bad episodes too, not to mention the quickly tiresome Holy Wayne silliness. I'm now obsessive enough about S2, that I assume I may get more out of some of that stuff when I go back to it, which I definitely plan to do.

I love a lot of Max Richter's soundtrack music, too, plus there's been some good pop music scattered about, from Al Green in the last episode of S1 to Bellamy Bros to Rihanna in "Lens."