Does anybody know anything about either of these? I’ve been seeing a promo for the series on YouTube but it’s mysteriously vague. Wikipedia is no help.
Premise as far as I can determine: Two percent of the Earth’s population disappears in what some seem to think is the Rapture. The rest of the world tries to carry on without their missing loved ones and to figure out what has happened and what they should do (Does this mean there is a God? Seems to suggest American society becomes more religious.). Some argue that this wasn’t the Rapture (“They were no better than we are!”) … which means millions of people somehow mysteriously disappeared for some unknown reason and by unknown means. How is that possible? Is it going to happen again? Are our loved ones going to come back? Are they living or dead? Some people join a mysterious cult, and society is divided over this.
Based on a book by Tom Perrotta (who also wrote Election, which was turned into a movie with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick). Do you know anything about either the book or the upcoming series? Looks kinda intriguing.
I’m kind of disappointed, I haven’t read the book and was hoping the show would just grab me. Hated the teenagers and their orgy, puzzled by the cult, intrigued by the black guy. I’ll give it one more try, next week.
It’s done by some of the people responsible for “Lost”. I watched a making-of preview last week to see if it might interest me. The cast kept saying things like “(the producers) keep telling us it’s better if we don’t know what’s going to happen” and the producer talked about how the important things are how the characters react to the situation and the journey they take. So, no, I’m not going to watch. It’s obvious they have no intention of ever explaining anything and I’m not interested in watching another show full of mysteries piled on mysteries with a lot of “it’s complicated” thrown in. (And I loved “Lost”. I’m just not getting fooled again.)
I was not at all familiar with the book at all so I am watching it cold. I am very underwhelmed after the first episode bit will give it a few more episodes. Reviewers, many of whom have seen the first four episodes, seem similarly underwhelmed.
I thought it was pretty well done. I don’t know if I enjoyed it exactly, since it’s a fairly bleak show. But I’m going to keep watching.
Feel free to come back later and laugh at my wrongness if I’m wrong, but I don’t think this is a show that will be mysteries piled on mysteries. It’s not the point, the point is to see about people dealing with the disappearances, and how it’s changed things. There is the central mystery, of why the 2% disappeared, and where have they gone, but I don’t think that will ever be solved. There’s also the mystery of what’s the deal with the prophet out in the middle of nowhere, and maybe if the police chief is going crazy, but neither of those seem like mysteries for the sake of mystery or weirdness like Lost.
I didn’t watch Lost but as I understand it, they started it off not knowing how it was going to end and made it up as they went along. Then they were kind of painted into a corner.
The Leftovers is an adaptation of a novel (which I haven’t read) so the mystery is either known or if not known will stay that way. That’s assuming that they stick to the novel.
There was dog-killing in the first five minutes. This made me get up and walk out of the room and I am not planning to watch this series anymore. They had an interesting idea going there, but nope to the dog killing.
Okay, so it’s not The Rapture™, but a rapture-like event. Is that supposed to symbolize something? I understand from Wikipedia that the book didn’t really explain it either; I guess you’re supposed to just accept that a thing happened and here’s the aftermath. But it seems like there should be some sort of point, at least an allegorical one. Otherwise, this is just The Happening with dog killing.
I found it interesting. I’m very curious to learn more about the cult smokers, and why people feel drawn to keep joining them, and how they get their watch assignments, how they keep the lights on and buy more gruel, etc.
Loved the television in the bar showing famous folks that were among the two percent and the bartender getting all consternated over Gary Busey.
Well, I understand the main point. My question is, is that supposed to be symbolic of something else… say… A small portion of society is checked out mentally, leaving the rest of us to carry on without them. That happens all the time, right?
So, I’m wondering if there’s some other point that’s not so obvious.
I have the book and read about 25% of it but stopped. I didn’t hate it but it just didn’t grab me. I watched last night’s episode and I am honestly not sure what to think. It’s the kind of show that you really have to like the characters to follow because the plot is never going to answer the central mystery of the show and I don’t think there was one character I liked that much.
Also I am finding hard to picture what episode 23 of this series will be like. Or Season 3 (“Yep, they’re still gone and everyone is miserable.”). I am not sure I have room for another show full of hopeless characters.
I’ve read that they’re not going to stick strictly to the novel. Some of the comments on the AVClub said something about how the first episode covered a good portion of the book, so obviously they’ll have to start going into new territory to cover a whole season (or multiple seasons).
Not that you need to keep watching, but the dog killing wasn’t gratuitous. It turns out there are groups of feral dogs running around since the 2% disappeared. That dog seemed harmless, but at the end of the episode there’s a group of dangerous ones.
The dog being shot was dark to have at the beginning of the show, but it is a dark bleak show. I’m curious how The Leftovers will do in their ratings, if it will be too bleak to be popular. True Detective was a pretty dark show, but had moments of humor, while the only humor I remember from The Leftovers first episode is the mention about Gary Busey.
If I was going to have to guess, I’d say it’s just symbolic of death. For the mother who lost her baby, she doesn’t know why it’s happened, she doesn’t know where the baby is, she doesn’t know if it will happen again to her or other loved ones at any moment. That’s the same whether its because the baby disappeared in a Rapture-like event, or if the baby had SIDS and died. If the baby had SIDS, she might feel guilty, and she’d have a body to bury, but she still wouldn’t know if the baby was in heaven or some sort of after life or just gone. She wouldn’t know why it happened to her, when she’s a good mother and does everything right. She wouldn’t know if she had another child if that would happen again.
I started listening to the audiobook and like this person have gotten into it a ways and it just isn’t grabbing me. Nothing is happening. In the book, a dog killing is briefly mentioned in passing, and it’s NOT an important focal point of anything, but leave it to the TV/Movie people to manipulate our emotions by showing that, and early on.
Most of what I’ve read (listened to) so far is a waaaaay too detailed exposition of the inner workings of a teenaged girl whose friend disappeared and then it’s moving into similar paralysis-by-analysis of her older brother. <yawn>
Anyway, if you read some of the amazon/audible reviews, one of the complaints seems to be that NOTHING HAPPENS. The whole book apparently is just a recounting of how the Sudden Disappearance affected individuals left behind. The End.
I was struck by how much it reminded me of The Dome. The mopey characters; hot-teens-doing-sex; frazzled authority figures…there’s something about the tone that was very similar.
I picture a bunch of HBO execs sitting around saying *'hey, The Dome was a pretty big hit, last summer. For summer 2014 we need something like *The Dome (just not enough like it to get us sued)…’
Wait, 2% disappear and the remaining folks call themselves the “Leftovers”? Aren’t they more like “The entire dinner, minus the handful of fries someone nibbled on on the way home”?
Two percent is an interesting number. In absolute numbers, it’s a terrible number of people. But, at a personal level, it ranges from awful to just vaguely unsettling. If 2 out of every 100 people disappear, most people would sort of know someone who disappeared, but would have good odds of dodging the bullet in terms of losing close family or friends.
Depending on what country you live in, 2% falls somewhere between World War II and the Great Flu pandemic of 1918.
I read and enjoyed the book. In it, the disappearances are never explained. The book feels very suburban - suburbs as a metaphor for bland satisfaction? - and also very American, especially the grieving survivors turning to religion, and the religions becoming more and more extreme and polarizing. I liked the characterization of the teenagers especially, and their rebelliousness echoing back the emptiness they feel.
I haven’t watched the first episode, but I think I will.
I kind of liked it. I’ll be tuning in next week to see where it goes.
I’m interested to learn more about the animals (one of the boys at the party said theres a rumor that something strange happened to the dogs that saw people disappear, right?).
What I found interesting is that apparently no one from the police chief’s family disappeared. His wife joined the cult, his son joined the other cult and his daughter is still at home. But he’s still traumatized by the event. (And what happened to his kitchen?)