# The Leftovers S1E1 "Pilot" 6/29/14



## Demandred (Mar 6, 2001)

I liked it! Parts of it definitely had a "Lost" feel.

Questions so far:

What's with the deer/moose? I got the impression it was the main character's dad in animal form somehow but then it got eaten at the end.

What's with the dogs?

Why did Mom join the cult?

What's with the cult? The smoking but not talking thing was weird. And the sign they held up...how is talking any more wasting breath than smoking?

Wayne seems weird too. Is he another cult leader? Clearly not the same cult, right?

I'd be totally fine if they never explained where the "heroes" went, but I suspect much of the show will be focused on that.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

On HBO Go there's an about The Leftovers short that explains some of this.
There are a few cults and Lindenoff said many viewers may get hung up on the "where did they go" aspect but he had hopes the depth of the characters would draw viewers in and the focus on that question would wane.
I liked it too. I'm in.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Lindelof seems to have learned from his mistakes at Lost, where he both implicitly and explicitly promised things the show would never deliver (i.e., answers); now he's saying upfront that this show is not about why people disappeared, but rather how the rest respond to it.

I'd have to say carefully managing expectations is a lot better than shooting off your mouth without thinking! 

The cult baffles me. I'm really interested in what's going on there.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

There's a son in the family picture, I assume he disappeared and that's why mom joined the cult.
Now who is Liv Tyler playing,first she freaks out because the smokers are following her, then she shows up at the door.

Lots going on here and I need to watch it again to digest.


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## Demandred (Mar 6, 2001)

Gunnyman said:


> There's a son in the family picture, I assume he disappeared and that's why mom joined the cult. Now who is Liv Tyler playing,first she freaks out because the smokers are following her, then she shows up at the door. Lots going on here and I need to watch it again to digest.


The son is the guy working for "Wayne". The picture on his phone when "dad" called was the main character.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

I missed that. See like I said, lots going on and I need to rewatch.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Based on the pilot it's obvious the 2% were mostly Mensa members, because what's left went thoroughly stupid in less than 3 years.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I liked the pilot. now I just need to sign up for HBO so I can watch the rest of the episodes. FiOS had a free HBO weekend.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

It was pretty slow for a series pilot episode. Was the wife being in the cult supposed to be a "twist" revelation? I assumed that was the wife pretty early on and then the way he delivered the line at the cults house about "my wife" just made it seem like I was supposed to be shocked.


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## dthmj (Mar 12, 2002)

I had no idea that was his wife. I had assumed his wife was one of the ones that disappeared. So I was surprised.


And it really seems like more than 2% of the word disappeared.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I didn't realize it was his wife until he hit the picture on the stairwell and they showed her and the entire family.


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## rahnbo (Sep 12, 2010)

Test said:


> It was pretty slow for a series pilot episode. Was the wife being in the cult supposed to be a "twist" revelation? I assumed that was the wife pretty early on and then the way he delivered the line at the cults house about "my wife" just made it seem like I was supposed to be shocked.


I thought it was painfully slow too. I was expecting something closer between Lost and FlashForward I guess but I didn't really research the show good enough. The twist was kinda of meh and something I assumed for some reason was a given early on in the show.

The video memorial to the vanished celebrities was pretty funny though.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

Test said:


> It was pretty slow for a series pilot episode.




rahnbo said:


> I thought it was painfully slow too.


i took a break about 25 minutes in, watched a couple of other shows, then picked it back up and watched to the end. not a good sign for me when i'm watching a series pilot.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I recorded the show, but haven't watched it yet. I've thought the previews for it have looked like something I would not like at all. I have seen some good reviews and of course it is an HBO show. So, I kinda feel like I have to watch at least the first couple episodes. Seeing comments above that the show is "painfully slow" is exactly why I wouldn't watch the show.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

dswallow said:


> Based on the pilot it's obvious the 2% were mostly Mensa members, because what's left went thoroughly stupid in less than 3 years.


Gary Busey is a Mensa member?

I'm intrigued and looking forward to the rest of the season.

As someone already mentioned, HBO has a 30 min making of that explains a lot and the differences between the series and the book.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I enjoyed it and didn't think it was slow at all.

I had no idea Amy Brenneman was the wife - mostly because no offense Amy but she seems way older than Justin Theroux the lead male character.

Also that really quick flash of him having sex when he was asked where he was - I thought that was implying he was actually _in the act_ of screwing his wife when she vanished.... Can you imagine? 

as a complete aside he's Jennifer Aniston's fiancé. Lucky her.


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## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

Gunnyman said:


> There's a son in the family picture, I assume he disappeared and that's why mom joined the cult.
> Now who is Liv Tyler playing,first she freaks out because the smokers are following her, then she shows up at the door.
> 
> Lots going on here and I need to watch it again to digest.


I'm guessing that the reason the cult was following her is because she was "meant to be" in the cult.

Her being the only one they followed, and her being the only one who joined during this episode leads me to believe that might be correct.

-smak-


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

smak said:


> I'm guessing that the reason the cult was following her is because she was "meant to be" in the cult.
> 
> Her being the only one they followed, and her being the only one who joined during this episode leads me to believe that might be correct.


The only one they SHOWED being followed...but there were a lot of other cultists who went out, so presumably they were following a lot of other people.


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I had planned on watching this, until one of the show runners pretty much stated that they wouldn't be revealing the cause of the disappearances, so as to concentrate more on how the people dealt with it.

I have to know what's in the box, if I'm gonna invest a lot of time in a show. *



*Ref: Ronin


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## tivoboyjr (Apr 28, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> I had no idea Amy Brenneman was the wife - mostly because no offense Amy but she seems way older than Justin Theroux the lead male character.
> 
> Also that really quick flash of him having sex when he was asked where he was - I thought that was implying he was actually _in the act_ of screwing his wife when she vanished.... Can you imagine?


I had those same two thoughts, so I was surprised that Amy was his wife.

I liked the show, didn't love it, and will keep watching - mostly because there's not much else to watch.

It's like a higher class version of Under the Dome. (Now there's a compliment.)


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Doesn't Under the Dome start back up tonight? I guess I'll watch it tonight if I don't fall asleep.

I just hope that FiOS still has HBO for 50% off for twelve months in July. Otherwise I'll need to pay the full $20 a month until "The Left Overs" is finished for it's first season.


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## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

find someone to share HBO go with. That's what I'm doing.  (And HBO doesn't seem to care)


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## Fl_Gulfer (May 27, 2005)

When the kids were playing the "Spin the IPod" did she choke the kid to death? And the Kid's just don't care about living or dyeing anymore?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Fl_Gulfer said:


> When the kids were playing the "Spin the IPod" did she choke the kid to death? And the Kid's just don't care about living or dyeing anymore?


No, it was erotic asphyxiation. You CAN die from it (as did David Carradine), but that's not the intent.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

That sounds rather dangerous as David Carradine found out. You better be doing it with someone you absolutely trust. And even then it's still a stupid thing to do.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Only a Hollywood writer who spent a lot of time in AA or NA could write a plot line about a cult that sits around in a communal space smoking cigarettes endlessly. If this was another era or they showed a brand name I'd think this was product placement. But who knows, it could even be the cigarette lobby getting around the advertising ban by paying someone to write chain-smoking of cigarettes into the story. Otherwise I can't imagine what that whole element is supposed to be about.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Since it is an HBO series, I am in for a couple more episodes to give it a chance to get better. I do see some potential but in general shows that have a lot going on that makes no sense don't keep me interested long. 

The cult with Wayne where somehow Wayne has some mystic abilities to help people or control people or make people delusional or whatever can't really ever be explained satisfactorily, whatever it is he is doing can only be really stupid. Maybe he is a charlatan psychic claiming he can communicate with the departed, giving people comfort, I don't know or maybe his character will be developed as a real psychic, really able to communicate with the departed, maybe I am so far from what he really is that everybody will know I am no psychic.


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## dbranco (Nov 20, 2003)

For those who didn't realize that Amy B. was the wife" -- would it be a bad spoiler for me to tell my husband up-front that this is the case (e.g., is it a "twist" that you learn while watching and say "huh!" when you figure it out)? Or would this knowledge just make things a lot clearer while watching the whole episode?


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Why tell your husband anything up front?


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Jim_TV said:


> Only a Hollywood writer who spent a lot of time in AA or NA could write a plot line about a cult that sits around in a communal space smoking cigarettes endlessly. If this was another era or they showed a brand name I'd think this was product placement. But who knows, it could even be the cigarette lobby getting around the advertising ban by paying someone to write chain-smoking of cigarettes into the story. Otherwise I can't imagine what that whole element is supposed to be about.


Their motto seemed to be "don't waste your breathe". As in don't waste your breath talking about the missing. In fact, they don't waste a breath talking at all. I'd say instead they are wasting their breath on smoking. (or something)

Also, I don't see this as some great advertisement for smoking. People seeing a weirdo cult chain smoke cigarettes is really going to get them to run out and start smoking?


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

The dogs were left behind when their owners vanished and ended up running loose. I suspect they eventually joined up and formed packs and became wild.

There's a "Making Of" special that was aired for this show, but I haven't watched it yet. I'm curious to find out why the cult members are all chronic smokers and won't talk. I think each member or pair of members is assigned to watch over the family members of those who vanished. Either that or they're eyeing up potential new members, like Liv Tyler. They were all handed file folders just before they all went out into the community and started stalking folks.



Spoiler



The show is supposed to be about those who were left behind after the Rapture. The vanished were supposedly snatched up to heaven or wherever they're supposed to go.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

Jim_TV said:


> Only a Hollywood writer who spent a lot of time in AA or NA could write a plot line about a cult that sits around in a communal space smoking cigarettes endlessly.


Or the suburban Boston author that wrote the book that the series is based on. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Perrotta


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

dbranco said:


> For those who didn't realize that Amy B. was the wife" -- would it be a bad spoiler for me to tell my husband up-front that this is the case (e.g., is it a "twist" that you learn while watching and say "huh!" when you figure it out)? Or would this knowledge just make things a lot clearer while watching the whole episode?


Yes. I think that would be a terrible spoiler.
But I hate spoilers.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Cainebj said:


> I had no idea Amy Brenneman was the wife - mostly because no offense Amy but she seems way older than Justin Theroux the lead male character.


Out of curiosity I looked it up.
Brenneman just turned 50.
Theroux will be 43 this summer.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

[unpoilered because I have no idea why this would be spoilered]


mr.unnatural said:


> The show is supposed to be about those who were left behind after the Rapture. The vanished were supposedly snatched up to heaven or wherever they're supposed to go.


That seems not to be the case at all. As they say on the show...Gary Busey?!?


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## Fl_Gulfer (May 27, 2005)

What if they all had the same Blood Type and Aliens need it.??..


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

The not talking part is not that unusual. There are a number of Catholic orders of monks and nuns that follow the tradition, with varying degrees of strictness. Trappists, Benedictines, Cistercians, Dominicans, Carmalites, etc. There are similar religious groups that practice silence in Hinduism and Buddhism.

I'm not aware of any religious orders that require smoking.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> [unpoilered because I have no idea why this would be spoilered]
> That seems not to be the case at all. As they say on the show...Gary Busey?!?


Gary Busey and the Pope!


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## Dawghows (May 17, 2001)

I'm withholding judgement until I see a couple more episodes, but the pilot didn't quite do it for me. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters, and the plot didn't seem to have much of a trajectory to me. I agree with the OP that it had something of a "Lost" feel. Unfortunately I don't consider that to be a positive. On the other hand, I do trust HBO to deliver, so I'm choosing to remain cautiously optimistic.

Fingers crossed....


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> [unpoilered because I have no idea why this would be spoilered]
> That seems not to be the case at all. As they say on the show...Gary Busey?!?


From the show description at The Futon Critic:



> (from HBO's press release, April 2014) The debut date for THE LEFTOVERS has changed. The series begins its ten-episode season SUNDAY, JUNE 29 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO (not June 15, as originally announced). From Damon Lindelof (Emmy(R) winner for "Lost") and acclaimed novelist Tom Perrotta (Academy Award(R) nominee for "Little Children"), THE LEFTOVERS is based on Perrotta's bestselling novel of the same name. The drama series takes an original look at The Rapture... because it's not entirely clear The Rapture happened. Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Charlie Carver, Max Carver, Carrie ****, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Emily Meade, Annie Q, Margaret Qualley, Amanda Warren and Chris Zylka star. Lindelof serves as the series showrunner. Produced for HBO by Adventure Corps in association with Warner Bros. Television.


Apparently, the bit about the Rapture is being left as a bit of a mystery. The writers could keep us dangling before they let the cat out of the bag or they may never spill the beans about what happened to the missing 2% of the population. Just as long as it doesn't end up being another smoke monster I'll stick around.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> The dogs were left behind when their owners vanished and ended up running loose. I suspect they eventually joined up and formed packs and became wild.
> 
> There's a "Making Of" special that was aired for this show, but I haven't watched it yet. I'm curious to find out why the cult members are all chronic smokers and won't talk. I think each member or pair of members is assigned to watch over the family members of those who vanished. Either that or they're eyeing up potential new members, like Liv Tyler. They were all handed file folders just before they all went out into the community and started stalking folks.
> 
> ...


In their house they had a sign on the wall that mentioned why they smoked.

What threw everybody off is there was no rhyme or reason for the people that vanished. They encompassed all walks of life, good and bad, young and old. And was not consistent. Which threw the world into turmoil. Which I would expect would occur if something like that happened in real life. Because it would certainly make people question their beliefs that ended up being wrong.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I just watched the Making Of special and I got the feeling that we may never know the real reason why everyone disappeared. The actors kept citing mysterious incidents that happened in real life where people disappeared with no explanation. The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island was one and incidents involving the Bermuda Triangle were mentioned, among others. I think this one's going to be a major head scratcher.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

mr.unnatural said:


> I just watched the Making Of special and I got the feeling that we may never know the real reason why everyone disappeared.


after finishing the pilot, i'm not sure i even care. 

because it's hbo, i'm giving this a few more eps, but only as long as i enjoy them more than the pilot.


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## dbranco (Nov 20, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> Yes. I think that would be a terrible spoiler.
> But I hate spoilers.


Thanks! I'll definitely keep it to myself. I usually hate spoilers, too; for me, though, it depends on the show. Since this is brand-new, I don't mind so much.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Jeeters said:


> Or the suburban Boston author that wrote the book that the series is based on.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Perrotta


Okay, my new theory about the smoking by the cult members is that in real life this writer is a smoker who is annoyed by the various restrictions placed on him by his city or state in recent years and writing this smoking cult into the novel and tv show is his protest.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

I also wonder why the police chief's wife joined the cigarette cult. Unlike many other people, her whole immediate family including husband and two children are still alive. What's her problem?


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

I really liked it. Yes, it's slow moving, big deal. It's not an action show. It appears to be a show about how people deal with a catastrophic event. It's not a show about the mystery surrounding a catastrophic event. I expect no explanation of it. That's setup.

Said event is also not the rapture, as Christopher Eccleston pointed out, ALTHOUGH, if you're going to get technical about what the rapture is supposed to be, it's not "good people". It's "Christians". Good, bad, if someone's a Christian, they're taken. This is what some people refer to as "once saved, always saved". I'm not turning this into a religious post, just correcting what appears to be an error (one that 99% of TV writers seem to make).

It also seems to me that each episode is going to focus on a different character. The actors in most cases are character actors (like the guy shooting the dogs), but most had bit parts in this episode. I expect the main characters of THIS episode to be background characters of OTHER episodes, with this episode's backgrounders to be foreground. It's a foregone conclusion Eccleston will have his own episode, as will dog-man.

Like I said, I really enjoyed it, and obviously will keep watching. My only real beef is the "let's curse and have nudity because it's HBO" requirement. It all seemed in your face, with some shows it fits, but with this one it just seemed to be shoehorned in. The guy who jumped into the pool naked reminded me of the girl who went skinny dipping in the one Amazon Prime show. We can, so why not?

Looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.

Greg


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

Jim_TV said:


> Okay, my new theory about the smoking by the cult members is that in real life this writer is a smoker who is annoyed by the various restrictions placed on him by his city or state in recent years and writing this smoking cult into the novel and tv show is his protest.


as a mostly annoyed smoker myself - i totally buy that


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

Cainebj said:


> as a mostly annoyed smoker myself - i totally buy that


I come from the opposite side. As a non-smoker who is utterly disgusted by cigarette smoke when I am exposed to it even in passing on the street, it always grosses me out when I see it incorporated prominently on tv.

Even in other shows, I always notice it. For example, in Ray Donovan, the main character Ray and his wife live in this beautiful expensive house in Southern California and they're smoking like chimneys inside the house around their two teenage children and I can't help but think that Child Protective Services should get contacted.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

I decided to give it a unbiased viewing. My come away is I don't care about anybody. The previews did not interest me and it all seemed so cliche.

I could make up answers like the smokers are doing it because they want to die. It's a symbolic suicide statement but you know what I just don't care.

Enjoy guys but HBO just seems like there trying to copy network TV especially NBC with this. They deserve better!


Now play nice!


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

zalusky said:


> Enjoy guys but HBO just seems like there trying to copy network TV especially NBC with this. They deserve better!


Oh, but it's different! They can say the f-word! And show penis!

Greg


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## hairyblue (Feb 25, 2002)

I liked it quite a bit.

I'd have joined the cult too, but you know, smoking is bad, M'kay.

So 1 in 50 people vanish all over the world of all different religions. There are 2 cults in the town the show is focusing on. Are the cults international?


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## Dawghows (May 17, 2001)

gchance said:


> ... if you're going to get technical about what the rapture is supposed to be, it's not "good people". It's "Christians". Good, bad, if someone's a Christian, they're taken. This is what some people refer to as "once saved, always saved". I'm not turning this into a religious post, just correcting what appears to be an error (one that 99% of TV writers seem to make).


But not all Christian denominations believe "once saved, always saved." Also, this wouldn't explain all the non-Christians who were taken.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

I can't imagine it was the rapture if not all babies were taken. I am not much of a church goer but I remember somewhere the bible saying something about the rapture and how all children are considered innocent.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mwhip said:


> I can't imagine it was the rapture if not all babies were taken. I am not much of a church goer but I remember somewhere the bible saying something about the rapture and how all children are considered innocent.


WHich again is the reason it throws everything into turmoil. The people disappearing does not follow the patterns people thought would occur from the rapture.. I don't need to know why the people disappeared. The show isn't about that. It's about how the people react to that event. That is more interesting than how they disappeared. People are going to react to an event like that in a multitude of ways.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> WHich again is the reason it throws everything into turmoil. The people disappearing does not follow the patterns people thought would occur from the rapture.. I don't need to know why the people disappeared. The show isn't about that. It's about how the people react to that event. That is more interesting than how they disappeared. People are going to react to an event like that in a multitude of ways.


I keep thinking of the show The 4400 for the reason for disappearance.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Could just be a random quantum fluctuation, on a macro scale.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I wonder if there will ever be another "rapture"? Like at the end of every season, another 2% of the population disappears?


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Hoffer said:


> I wonder if there will ever be another "rapture"? Like at the end of every season, another 2% of the population disappears?


With any luck the 2% would always include 100% of the people we've seen on the show. And the network execs who greenlight this garbage.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mwhip said:


> I keep thinking of the show The 4400 for the reason for disappearance.




Don't bring that show up. Four seasons done and they cancel it before the fifth and final season. It still pisses me off thinking about it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

dswallow said:


> With any luck the 2% would always include 100% of the people we've seen on the show. And the network execs who greenlight this garbage.


it's HBO. They don't need to follow the same rules as a regular broadcast network. I know this show got me to sign up again for HBO. If this show had not been on I would not have subscribed again.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

You can't have a show where the characters are all talking about what happened, asking/wondering and trying to figure out WHY it happened...but not expect the audience to do the same.


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## zalusky (Apr 5, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> it's HBO. They don't need to follow the same rules as a regular broadcast network. I know this show got me to sign up again for HBO. If this show had not been on I would not have subscribed again.


Given all the other shows on HBO this is what caused you to sign up!!!
That's more of a mystery than the show is!


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## Dawghows (May 17, 2001)

zalusky said:


> Given all the other shows on HBO this is what caused you to sign up!!!
> That's more of a mystery than the show is!


Yeah, that's funny!

As I said above, I'm holding out hope that this show will improve over the next few episodes. But if I had signed up for HBO specifically for this and then seen that pilot, I'd be pretty disappointed.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Yeah, I thought the previews for this show look pretty awful. I guess maybe a big Damon Lindelof fan might sign up for HBO?

We will see if I'm still watching the show at the end of the season. Basically giving it a shot since it is on HBO. I listen to a couple podcasts where people have watched the show. They all seem to love it.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Dawghows said:


> Yeah, that's funny!
> 
> As I said above, I'm holding out hope that this show will improve over the next few episodes. But if I had signed up for HBO specifically for this and then seen that pilot, I'd be pretty disappointed.


I signed up for HBO after seeing the pilot. The last time I signed up for HBO because of a specific show was for a Larry David show.

It's only $10 a month at half price so it's inexpensive. Plus I can watch the Show Veep as well at some point. They don't have a number of shows that interest me like they used to years ago. And the movies I've seen most of them. At full price HBO is over charging.


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## dtle (Dec 12, 2001)

My guess since it's from the creator of Lost, the reason why the show started off 3 years later, is because we will have flashback (albeit shorter than Lost's flashback) to fill in the missing info.


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## mwhip (Jul 22, 2002)

aaronwt said:


> Don't bring that show up. Four seasons done and they cancel it before the fifth and final season. It still pisses me off thinking about it.


Yeah it was a good show.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Watched the pilot - didn't really enjoy it. Kind of like "Resurrection" in reverse


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I'm in the pilot was meh camp. I don't mind slower moving shows, but only if the characters interest me. Right now they really don't. But I see potential that it could get better, and the show runner has a track record with Lost. I'm in for a couple more, but it's on thin ice. Color me disappointed because I was looking forward to it.


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## Silverman (Jan 18, 2013)

Smoking in it to lure more smokers? It could indeed if product placement along with a story line of smoking getting one sexually desirable. Why do you think all those 1950's movies had smoking? Yes, trying to get new smokers. 

Here it would seem the writers are so poor they are going to announce they can't even explain main occurrences in the pilot, I'd stay away and let this bomb fail.....


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## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Just a couple of thoughts. I now it's a nitpick, but the top cop's uniform pulled me right out of the moment. All of his patches looked brand new. They should have aged them a little, so it didn't look like he just came from Acme costume rental.

Speaking of, the chief apparently has never had any classes on crowd control. Contrary to popular belief, the baton is a defensive weapon, used for blocking attacks and as a barrier device. I know this guy is all pissed off about his wife and all, but he was beating the living crap out of the protesters.

I've read that the producers want the audience to focus more on the experiences of the leftovers, than on why it happened. This might be easier to do if they weren't all a bunch of morose asswads. Kinda like the Dome and Dumber crowd over at Chester's Mill.

They've even made Liv Tyler unappealing. Which is pretty hard to do.

I just wanna see how they react when the aliens finally land.


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## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

So the story is that we aren't going to find out where the people went, and we aren't supposed to care. This is based on a book, right? Does the book give an explanation? Has anyone read it?


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## tivotvaddict (Aug 11, 2005)

RGM1138 said:


> <snip>
> 
> Speaking of, the chief apparently has never had any classes on crowd control. Contrary to popular belief, the baton is a defensive weapon, used for blocking attacks and as a barrier device. I know this guy is all pissed off about his wife and all, but he was beating the living crap out of the protesters.
> <snip>.


I thought was beating the crowd that was attacking the protestors? Something along the lines of taking out his frustrations at the fact that the protestors won't fight back... I'll have to look at ending again.

The cultists smoke because of the fact that the "rapture" doesn't make any sense. There is no reason and they believe it's futile to keep trying to figure it out. They could be taken any minute, so they may as well go ahead and smoke. Kind of like a young mom who spent her life eating the right things and avoiding the bad ones and got cancer anyway, wishing she had just eaten the damn doughnuts because it didn't matter anyway.

tta


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

Silverman said:


> Smoking in it to lure more smokers? It could indeed if product placement along with a story line of smoking getting one sexually desirable. Why do you think all those 1950's movies had smoking? Yes, trying to get new smokers.
> 
> Here it would seem the writers are so poor they are going to announce they can't even explain main occurrences in the pilot, I'd stay away and let this bomb fail.....


If only you would.


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## efilippi (Jul 24, 2001)

Demandred said:


> The son is the guy working for "Wayne". The picture on his phone when "dad" called was the main character.


And didn't he drown in the pool? It looked to me like he did a big "inhale and scream" while under water. Can't be a good thing.


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## Jeeters (Feb 25, 2003)

efilippi said:


> And didn't he drown in the pool? It looked to me like he did a big "inhale and scream" while under water. Can't be a good thing.


He was screaming under the water so nobody could hear him.


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## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

He inhaled while above water, and let it out in a scream once below water. He didn't take in any water (at least not that we saw).


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Did a double take on seeing the twins from Desperate Housewives. Also if the chiefs daughter reminds you of someone its may be because she's Andie McDowells kid.

On why the chiefs wife is in the cult, it may because the who the chief was in bed during the rapture wasn't his wife and she disappeared in the middle of it.


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## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

I just didn't know what to make of it all. I didn't really like it, but didn't hate it either. 

I'll watch a couple of episodes further though, just because this was the pilot and I'll cut it a little slack.


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## domat (Apr 16, 2007)

I could never buy this kind of story especially 3 years later. Humans are pretty resilient. 3 years later most people would already have moved on and this event wouldn't be having this drastic effect on them. As mentioned in the show 1 in 50 would mean many families would not have lost anyone. 

God works in mysterious ways would eventually be the religious reason.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

domat said:


> I could never buy this kind of story especially 3 years later. Humans are pretty resilient. 3 years later most people would already have moved on and this event wouldn't be having this drastic effect on them.


Because in 2004, most people had moved on and from 9/11? That was 3000, not a percentage of the ENTIRE WORLD'S POPULATION, yet even today, people without a direct connection are affected.

Greg


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## domat (Apr 16, 2007)

gchance said:


> Because in 2004, most people had moved on and from 9/11? That was 3000, not a percentage of the ENTIRE WORLD'S POPULATION, yet even today, people without a direct connection are affected.
> 
> Greg


vast majority of people moved on within weeks, months after 9/11. I know I was back at work with all my coworkers within days even though we witnessed first hand from right outside our window. People acted as they had before for the most part.

Much more catastrophic events like earthquakes, tidal waves or wars that have killed many and people move on. It is what we do.

It is the very small minority that don't recover.


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## GoPackGo (Dec 29, 2012)

But this is something with no explanation. I think that would weird out most people.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Yes. This would affect people from all races and all religions. It would turn peoples thinking upside down. Plus the not knowing would freak out tons of people too. Three years later people would still be freaked out over something like this. It would be the abnormal person that would not be changed by an event like this and of this magnitude. Those would be the people that I would really worry about.


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## Jesda (Feb 12, 2005)

Is it worse than Under the Dome?


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

no, if that's even possible.


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I think I liked it. Not sure. I certainly didn't _not_ like it. I don't mind "slower" shows, especially pilots which always have a lot of groundwork to lay, as long as the premise is interesting. I will have to give it a few more episodes to decide.


aaronwt said:


> That sounds rather dangerous as David Carradine found out. You better be doing it with someone you absolutely trust. And even then it's still a stupid thing to do.


 Since she was just holding his neck it doesn't seem so dangerous. If the guy goes unconscious she's probably going to let go. If you're using a belt or rope or doing it by yourself that would not be a good idea. Of course, it's possible just grabbing the throat like that wouldn't do much (no idea how it works, to be honest).


Fl_Gulfer said:


> What if they all had the same Blood Type and Aliens need it.??..


 I'd expect someone would have noticed something so blatant in the intervening three years . They had a scientific report announced during the show that said "and I'm paraphrasing here", "we don't know" why it happened: the scientists would have done lots of statistical analysis of all sorts, certainly medical, on everyone who disappeared and swaths of people who didn't, and evidently the result was there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (in what they studied).


gchance said:


> It also seems to me that each episode is going to focus on a different character. The actors in most cases are character actors (like the guy shooting the dogs), but most had bit parts in this episode. I expect the main characters of THIS episode to be background characters of OTHER episodes, with this episode's backgrounders to be foreground.


 Just curious, why do you think that? Personally I expect they'll stay on the cop and his family as the main characters throughout the season.


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## Jim_TV (Mar 4, 2006)

I never watched _Lost_, but I understand after watching the first two episodes that this series is from the same producer. And now I see why people say they hated where that show went. This show _The Leftovers_ is just dumb. I mean, I am kind of enjoying it in a way. I want to like it. But almost every single major character is acting so contrary to any kind of logic that it's annoying as all get out. I hate every one of them and the things they do.

The smoking cult makes no sense. The police chief's wife has no reason to be there since she lost no one in her family. Liz Tyler's character has no reason to be there or to cut down that tree. Do you know how hard it is to chop down a tree of that size with an axe? A woman of Liz's strength would be working at that for a week and would more than likely hurt herself and end up in the hospital before it came down.

The teenage daughter and her friend beeping the horn are hot but stupid. They haven't explained what magical powers the black British cult leader has or why the police chief's son is working or killing for him. And the whole idea that the police chief is having hallucinations like his father makes no sense either. Why? Where does that imaginary guy with the truck killing the dogs come from? These writers are making this nonsense up as they go along. Or maybe it came from a novel that had no sense and no real ending either.

The only person I like on this show is Liz Tyler's boyfriend because he rightfully wrote her off when she left him for the cult. Good riddance. If she's that gullible and impressionable she's worthless anyway.


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## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

Don't make assumptions about Lost based on this show. They're nothing alike in feel or in theme, IMO.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Jim_TV said:


> I never watched _Lost_, but I understand after watching the first two episodes that this series is from the same producer. And now I see why people say they hated where that show went. This show _The Leftovers_ is just dumb. I mean, I am kind of enjoying it in a way. I want to like it. But almost every single major character is acting so contrary to any kind of logic that it's annoying as all get out. I hate every one of them and the things they do.
> 
> The smoking cult makes no sense. The police chief's wife has no reason to be there since she lost no one in her family. Liz Tyler's character has no reason to be there or to cut down that tree. Do you know how hard it is to chop down a tree of that size with an axe? A woman of Liz's strength would be working at that for a week and would more than likely hurt herself and end up in the hospital before it came down.
> 
> ...


Who said the guy in the truck was imaginary? The guy is questioning himself because his dad is Schizophrenic and that can be hereditary. SO he is questioning what he is seeing.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

The discussion has drifted into the second episode. Which doesn't bother me, but I'm sure some heads will be exploding...


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> Who said the guy in the truck was imaginary? The guy is questioning himself because his dad is Schizophrenic and that can be hereditary. SO he is questioning what he is seeing.


The police chief's daughter and friend had no trouble seeing the truck driver or his beer.

I do have to say that the show is not enough for me to keep my HBO sub. I'll be dropping HBO until Boardwalk Empire returns in the fall.


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## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Jesda said:


> Is it worse than Under the Dome?


For me, most really bad shows go in a bucket that has no inherent order. There being no particularly good reason to waste time trying to order them at that level. And for me, this is currently in the same bucket. Though Under The Dome actually gets my attention, laughable at times, whereas I have not found anything yet about The Leftovers that holds my attention, except the hope/faith that there's some level of background/build-up necessary before the story gets involving enough.

So far I see it as rather formulaic, and poorly formulaic at that. Don't explain lot's of stuff. Make things happen that aren't readily explainable, or give them misdirection in their potential source, mix it up with lots of similar stuff and avoid showing how anything ties together. Promise answers at some unspecified future time.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I'm liking the show so far. I will watch the entire season. There is nothing else on HBO I will be watching. So at least i should be able to get my moneys worth, from the $10 a month HBO is costing me.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

Bob Coxner said:


> The police chief's daughter and friend had no trouble seeing the truck driver or his beer.
> 
> I do have to say that the show is not enough for me to keep my HBO sub. I'll be dropping HBO until Boardwalk Empire returns in the fall.


I don't think the friend acknowledged the mystery man...he of course blatantly jumped out of her way. The daughter did acknowledge him...something that runs in the family? OR he really was there and the friend is just rude.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

What about the beer he handed to the daughter?


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

aaronwt said:


> What about the beer he handed to the daughter?


Right, so either the crazy runs in the family or the daughters friend is just rude.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

Jim_TV said:


> I never watched _Lost_, but I understand after watching the first two episodes that this series is from the same producer. And now I see why people say they hated where that show went. This show _The Leftovers_ is just dumb. I mean, I am kind of enjoying it in a way. I want to like it. But almost every single major character is acting so contrary to any kind of logic that it's annoying as all get out. I hate every one of them and the things they do.
> 
> The smoking cult makes no sense. The police chief's wife has no reason to be there since she lost no one in her family. Liz Tyler's character has no reason to be there or to cut down that tree. Do you know how hard it is to chop down a tree of that size with an axe? A woman of Liz's strength would be working at that for a week and would more than likely hurt herself and end up in the hospital before it came down.
> 
> ...


I agree, I'm not a fan of the show YET, but the idea has potential.

As for the reasons behind the cult and the wife/Liv joining...we don't know yet. There was obviously a reason, it just hasn't been revealed in the first two episodes. I imagine we will have some flashbacks that explain...maybe the wifes other family was taken? maybe the chief was a cheater? maybe the wife was and her boyfriend was taken? Liv could have any unexplained (for now) reason for joining.

Right now it is too early to write the show off for the background of characters that hasn't been explained yet. Your post reads like an angry series finale post where no mysteries were revealed and a lot of questions left unanswered.


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

madscientist said:


> Just curious, why do you think that? Personally I expect they'll stay on the cop and his family as the main characters throughout the season.


Early reviews were saying each episode is more or less standalone, my guess was based on that, and the fact that Christopher Eccleston is too big to be just floating around in the background with everyone else. That said, now that a second episode has aired, without spoiling things, it's clear that there will be an A-story and B-story, the A-story being "our heroes", and the B-story being standalones of "everyone else" (which includes Eccleston).

Greg


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## jkeegan (Oct 16, 2000)

Damn some of you are lazy.. Post a new thread for the new episode - don't talk about it in the previous one.. This is a good rule we have for a reason (some people own these devices that let them watch things when they want....)

Here, created it for you. Stop talking about Episode 2 in this thread, move it here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=518973

(Hi Rob.  )


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## gchance (Dec 6, 2002)

Dunno what to tell you, these days, you create a new thread and get yelled at for it. I'll admit it, I avoided creating the thread myself.

Greg


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## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

I've never seen anyone get yelled at for creating a new episode thread (certainly not after the episode airs). It's pretty rude (beyond just being against the rules) to have all this unspoiled content for the second episode in a thread clearly marked as only being for the first episode. If I hadn't happened to watch the second episode before I got back to reading TCF today I'd probably be pretty pissed off about it.


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## SoBelle0 (Jun 25, 2002)

jkeegan said:


> Damn some of you are lazy.. Post a new thread for the new episode - don't talk about it in the previous one.. This is a good rule we have for a reason (some people own these devices that let them watch things when they want....)
> 
> Here, created it for you. Stop talking about Episode 2 in this thread, move it here:
> 
> ...


Thank you!! :up:

I, personally, am not worried about what I've read thus far. I can see how others might be... so, thanks for creating a new place.

I sure was confused, though. I knew I was nearly falling asleep while watching, but I did not recall half of what was mentioned.


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## tlc (May 30, 2002)

Jim_TV said:


> Even in other shows, I always notice it. For example, in Ray Donovan, the main character Ray and his wife live in this beautiful expensive house in Southern California and they're smoking like chimneys inside the house around their two teenage children and I can't help but think that Child Protective Services should get contacted.


That may not be the worst thing going on in that household...



Ment said:


> On why the chiefs wife is in the cult, it may because the who the chief was in bed during the rapture wasn't his wife and she disappeared in the middle of it.


Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that. I remember thinking we were going to see the female disappear during that flashback, *but we didn't. Did we?* And when I remembered/realized his wife wasn't gone, I assumed that she was the woman in the flashback and no one disappeared. (Or he just daydreams about sex when people are talking to him.)


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## Dawghows (May 17, 2001)

tlc said:


> (Or he just daydreams about sex when people are talking to him.)


Wait, you mean not everybody does this!?


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

BUMP BUMP BUMP

Just started the show. Never really paid attention to it when it was airing, but when Watchmen was airing I listened to a lot of podcasts about it and obviously they mentioned Lost and The Leftovers a lot, so figured I want to check it out.

Not looking for spoilers, but just know that it's not a show that is going to answer what is going on or happened with the 2%

I really did enjoy the first ep and looking forward for the ride.
Found a podcast from AfterBuzz TV that does one per ep. so going to do that. Watch it slowly with the podcast and see how it goes


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

MikeMar said:


> Not looking for spoilers, but just know that it's not a show that is going to answer what is going on or happened with the 2%


Not sure what, if anything, you're asking here...


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Not sure what, if anything, you're asking here...


Nothing, just saying I'm going to watch it and though the first ep was a good setup

Guess I'm curious how many people here watched the whole series? Seemed like a lot of people here saying they were bailing


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I watched the whole thing, and didn't regret it.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I watched it all and will definitely watch it again at some point. In my opinion, it's one of the best shows of all time.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I watched the whole thing, and didn't regret it.





gweempose said:


> I watched it all and will definitely watch it again at some point. In my opinion, it's one of the best shows of all time.


Sold and SOLD


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## realityboy (Jun 13, 2003)

I’m guessing that you already know this but don’t bail after the first season.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

realityboy said:


> I'm guessing that you already know this but don't bail after the first season.


Planning on the whole series. I'm a person that unless it's really bad I have to watch it all


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I really liked the first season, but I do agree that the show gets even better after that.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

MikeMar said:


> Nothing, just saying I'm going to watch it and though the first ep was a good setup
> 
> Guess I'm curious how many people here watched the whole series? Seemed like a lot of people here saying they were bailing


I enjoyed the entire series.


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## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

The first season is good and weird. The second season is great and even weirder. The third season is a masterpiece and the weirdest of all.


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

I just finished watching The Dinner S2. I don't remember Carrie **** from watching The Leftovers. Was she in season 1? If so, I can't believe I didn't remember her. I didn't watch S2 as our subscription to HBO ran out, and when we started again for GoT we didn't think of continuing with The Leftovers. We'll get there eventually. I've got to see more of ****.


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## kcarl75 (Oct 23, 2002)

Just finished Leftovers. She's great in it. On Fargo season 3 now and Guess who?


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## nessie (Apr 18, 2010)

All the positive comments surprise me. It started to get really religious after a while and nonsensical, at least to me.


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## robojerk (Jun 13, 2006)

wprager said:


> I just finished watching The Dinner S2. I don't remember Carrie **** from watching The Leftovers. Was she in season 1? If so, I can't believe I didn't remember her. ... I've got to see more of ****.


Umm, yeah she's in season 1.. and amazing.


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## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Guess I'll have to go back and rewatch.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Finished Season 1

I'm fully IN!!!! Going to have to pace myself to not tear through S2 and S3


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Ah, let 'er rip! It's not like you have to worry about then waiting for Season 4!


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Ah, let 'er rip! It's not like you have to worry about then waiting for Season 4!


I've been reading the TCF threads and listening to a podcast after each ep. Hard to catch everything by yourself


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## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

gweempose said:


> I really liked the first season, but I do agree that the show gets even better after that.





TAsunder said:


> The first season is good and weird. The second season is great and even weirder. The third season is a masterpiece and the weirdest of all.


I liked the first season the best, and really did not get the third season much at all . . . .


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Just finished. Will read and maybe post in the finale thread but man I loved this show!

Watched it slowly with 1 or 2 eps a night at most!


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## mtnagel (Nov 15, 2003)

Funny this was bumped. I recently watched the first season after seeing it on a list of the best tv shows ever. Shockingly, I had never even heard of it. The first season did not grab me at all. I doubt I'll ever watch the rest even though I'm also someone that will finish most shows after I start them.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

mtnagel said:


> Funny this was bumped. I recently watched the first season after seeing it on a list of the best tv shows ever. Shockingly, I had never even heard of it. The first season did not grab me at all. I doubt I'll ever watch the rest even though I'm also someone that will finish most shows after I start them.


Yeah heard it's very hit or miss with people, but it's probably in my top 10 or 15 shows I've ever seen.


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