The Leftovers (TV Series) Pilot (2014) User Reviews

An intriguing first episode

[dkwestbrook · 9/10 · 21 July 2018]

After hearing a lot of good stuff about this show, I decided to finally start watching it. I haven't read the novel it's based on, but I am a fan of co-creator Damon Lindelof's previous series "Lost". I didn't quite know what to expect from this pilot episode, but after watching it I was suitably impressed and definitely interested in continuing with this show.

Unlike "Lost", which had an explosive first episode that really hit the ground running and left the audience gasping for more, "The Leftovers" is very different. This first episode is deliberately paced and meditative, with far more focus going to the characters rather than the story. The focus on character was always my favourite part of "Lost", so it's pleasing to see that Lindelof is giving an even stronger focus to character in this show.

Despite having a high-concept premise (the sudden disappearance of 2% of the world's population), the premise doesn't drive this episode. The premise forces the characters into action, and it's the characters who make this episode so intriguing and it's the characters who I'm most interested to learn more about, not the mystery.

Overall, "The Leftovers" begins with a solid pilot episode that has a lot of potential and drew me enough to make me want to keep watching this show. That's what a pilot episode is meant to do. Unlike "Lost", this show doesn't hit its stride in the first episode, so I imagine it will take a few more episodes for me to decide if this show is as good as many people claim. But, on the basis of the first episode, I'm intrigued in what this show has to offer.

Loved it

[injury-65447 · 9/10 · 19 June 2020]

I already feel like rewatching this. The way it's constructed is mysterious, intriguing and beautiful.

Doesn't feel like any other show I've seen.

Can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

140 Million people disappear from around the world without explanation, and the pilot presents the world for those left behind.

[Amari-Sali · 7/10 · 5 July 2014]

Whenever HBO decides to stray away from a group of white people dealing with living in whatever city they are in, usually they have an interesting show. Now, with The Leftovers, I must admit I was thinking about The 4400 minus X-Men like powers, among other sci-fi staples. But, thankfully, the show seems more based on what would actually happen if people just disappeared than trying to create some new type of universe where anything can happen. With that said, let's talk about the specifics of the pilot.

Topic 1: A Family Divided (The Garvey Family)

It seems the main focus of the show is Chief of Police Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) who, after 3 years since what is considered by some to be "The Rapture," seems to be just sane enough to keep up with what remains of his family and work life. Though, at this point, all that really remains of his family is daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley) who seems distant. Perhaps due to both her brother Tom (Chris Zylka) and mother Laurie (Amy Brenneman) joining cults.

Tom's cult is under this Black guy named Wayne (Paterson Joseph), who I think claims some sort of power; and then Laurie is under this cult called the Guilty Remnant, talked about below.

Topic 2: Guilty Remnant & Other Cults

As you can imagine, something like people just disappearing opened the doors for religious sects to have a one up on science. But, as with anytime religion is given power, there are those who seek to use those seeking answers to gain power and create cults. One cult is called the Guilty Remnants, of which Laurie is a member, and it is led by Patti (Ann Dowd). Now, with this cult it seems they live their lives in silence while smoking up a storm. Why? Well that isn't explained. However, as harmless as the cult mostly is, unfortunately they use tactics like stalking and agitating the public to the point of warranting violence in order to get their message out. For example, they stalk a young woman named Meg (Liv Tyler) until she eventually joins them, and during the 3rd anniversary of the disappearing, they decide to rally together at a memorial/ statue unveiling and have signs which collectively say "Don't waste your breath" leading to them getting beat the hell out of until Garvey, and the rest of the police force, step in.

Though, while all this happens, you get to learn why earlier in the episode Kevin seemed to not want Jill there. For while obviously the GR, as they are nicknamed, would show up, I think Kevin didn't want his daughter seeing his mom look like she was fresh from the asylum, much less deal with how she abandoned them for this cult.

As for the cult Tom is in, well not much is said about them and really they aren't as easily identifiable as Patti's. They are somewhere up in the mountains and led by the aforementioned Wayne, but they aren't some weird rural folk. The place they live in looks like it could be some sort of hotel they took over, with a nice sized pool and everything, and it is rather hard to understand what their beliefs are besides that Wayne has some sort of power. One which even brings a congressman from Texas up to see Wayne, and of course pay a hefty sum of money.

One thing that was hinted to us though is that someone of Wayne's camp, Christine (Annie Q), is very important when it comes to this future Wayne foresees. As for why? Well, it isn't made clear. However, Wayne does explicitly tell Tom he better not lay a hand on the girl. Which may be difficult since the two flirt with each other and Tom gets her gummy worms to show she is special to him. But, considering Christine looks as if she is from the privileged life, it makes her being within this cult all the more odder since the majority we meet, I won't say they look like they were bred in the swamp but, certainly they don't look like they would normally associate with Christine.

Topic 3: What Lies Ahead?

As of now, honestly the only interesting bit deals with the two religious cults. What are their purpose, how did they form, and what led the members to join? Outside of that, really the teen angst of Jill reminds me of why I am glad HBO has never really had a teen focused series; Garvey and his battles with the mayor do nothing to make the show more stimulating; and really, as interesting as the cults are, I just don't know if this is the type of show I may stick with. For while it has an interesting gimmick of what happens when millions of people disappear, there isn't really any strong reason to keep you watching. If anything, it is one of those type of shows you may catch because you just got your cable package, with free HBO and Showtime, and you're bored.

I Had My Problems With This Season Opener

[nomis94 · 21 November 2015]

When I watched this pilot for the first time, I was confused and not really hooked to watch more. There are too many loose ends and I wasn't sure where the whole plot would lead to.

I already watched the whole season and a couple of weeks ago, I started to re-watch season 1. The pilot is still pretty unsatisfying, but now I understand more and I also have an idea why HBO created this episode like this.

The music is fantastic, by the way. It stays with you and is beautifully crafted. The acting is superb. The cinematography as well.

It's a decent season opener for people who re-watch the series... and a rather confusing and unsatisfying pilot for people who watch "The Leftovers" for the very first time.

The series seems promissing.

[AlbertCinefilu · 9/10 · 26 December 2020]

The central idea of ''2% of the world's population disappearing'' made me curious but now I am intrigued. I liked the plentitude of metaphors and the mystery surrounding the characters and story. I'm gonna keep watching it!

A good start

[jakobkraft-551-868975 · 8/10 · 10 April 2020]

An intising first episode! Not to many characters , but enough to make it interesting! The story is intense and plot driven, Damon Lindenhoff is teriffic ever since Lost ! Good acting from the main, especially Carrie!

"The Twilight Zone" meets "Six Feet Under"

[jameskane9000 · 7/10 · 2 July 2014]

So, first of all: I am from Germany. So in my following review could be some grammar mistakes. I apologize for that.

The Pilot feels like a mix-up of the famous series "The Twilight Zone" and HBO's drama "Six Feet Under". And thats not bad. The Pilot is focused on the characters and the relations to each other and don't answere what happened to the people who get lost in the unclear event 3 years ago.

Its a strong and entertaining start into a new (hopefully great) drama/sci-fi series by Damon Lindelof. Its not big cinema like "Game of Thrones" or "True Detecitve" (yet), but it feels like great dark independent-art-house work, with good actors and characters and a nice setting.

Until now, i can recommend the show to everyone who likes mystery storys and dramas and i will watch the next episode for sure. I only hope Lindelof an his team can hold (or better: improve) the quality of "The Leftovers".

Agonizing

[glupidio · 2/10 · 6 July 2014]

There's some quality acting in here, but the story lacks the intrigue and punch necessary to make it compelling. It has the feel of a long tedious walk down a dark lonely hallway that leads to a flooded basement where a hooded figure lurks in the shadows.

The characters were mildly interesting. I enjoyed getting to know them quite thoroughly in the first episode. However, not enough for me to really feel for them or care what happens next. I think this would have been much more interesting if it were 99.9% of the population that vanished.

There is way too much time spent on slow lingering shots of smoldering cigarettes, getting out of bed, climbing stairs, getting in and out of cars- and I'm a David Lynch fan. It tried too hard to be dark, emotional and dramatic and lost me in the execution.

Overall, the pilot did not interest me enough to continue watching the series. Deleted.

Truly moving

[TheDonaldofDoom · 17 January 2018]

Wow. After watching the pilot, I'm hooked. True, it is confusing. There are a lot of gaps that I expect to be filled. If they're not, I'll be disappointed. But my God, that was a moving experience. I feel like it deserves praise just for that. It's not easy for a show to make viewers care so deeply for its characters' situations that they tear up (especially in its first episode), but that's what this pilot episode did for me. It manages this through a meaningful script, great acting and a calm, mournful soundtrack.

But, apart from still reeling from the emotion, I feel that despite the slow pace (which is very necessary for this kind of show) we got to learn a lot about the characters, about what happened and the way different people react in different ways. The chief thing that makes this mass disappearance different to, say, people dying in a war, is that there is no closure. They're just gone. It means you could spend your whole life hoping they'll come back, which is a curse, not a blessing. At least with death, you can move on. But this haunts those left over constantly. This is so evident with Jill, who is just out of it, and the scene where she and the twins bury a dog is moving, as they give the dog the closure the chosen ones didn't get.

What's fascinating is how people try their best to struggle on. Garvey has to cope with the loss of his wife who has joined a cult, the loss of his son and the metaphorical loss of his daughter. Despite losing no one in the event, he is alone. Speaking of the cult, it's weird, but not so far-out weird that I'd consider it improbable. Unexplained events will always inspire cults, especially a massive one like this. Some people obviously feel like it gives things meaning. For Garvey though, the only meaning the cult gives is his separation from his wife. It's a miserable and wonderfully acted scene when he tries desperately to reach out to her and she regretfully stays put.

One of the most affecting moments is when the mourners (or whatever you would call them) and the cult clash. It's upsetting to see that when the best way a community could cope with an event like this would be to come together, they end up fighting.

Some of the side characters don't get enough focus to explain their situation. Tom's situation is kind of confusing, it's not made clear what his job is, why he's driving a blinded congressman and who exactly the black guy is. Some clarification on that would have been helpful.

With this kind of show, it's often the attention to detail that makes or breaks it. With The Leftovers, there is a huge focus on detail. From the deer to the stray dogs to all the subtle things you could write paragraphs about, there is a lot to digest. If this show is anything like the pilot, it'll be brilliant, and if it gets even better it'll be phenomenal.

Meh

[ASBKnight · 5/10 · 31 December 2022]

I started watching this show since it was recommended by a couple of friends. I also saw the high ratings on Rotten T. So I though it's worth a shot.

Only at the first episode, but a couple of things are very bad:

• the editing is a piece of crap. Whoever amature handled this, I hope he/she wasn't involved in future episoded. At least 3 times in the first 10 minutes, I needed to turn the volum up to understand the fk they were talking about and then an insta loud sound to break my eardrums and speakers. Haven't seen such bad editing since the 90's.

• the premise is interesting, but the characters are mediocre at best. Right now, none seem intereseting or worth followingup.

• This science vs religion is a saturated and overly exploited subject. Please move on.

who approved this?

[JustHavingALook · 4/10 · 10 May 2023]

I guess the executives thought they had a David Lynch meets Stephen King situation... you know, an intriguing setting of supernatural that we don't see; a main course of middle class America characters; a side dish of conspiracy cult stuff.

But there's so much "nothing" on so many levels I'm actually impressed I made it through the whole hour

Now: the fact they produced 3 seasons it means HBO people are right, in a way or another. It means the analytics are clear: people watch one episode after another and they keep watching.

Anyway: the array of cliche presented are not supported by anything substantial. Ok, the chief of police (who is supposed to be the protagonist) wants his wife back from the annoying and irrelevant smoking cult people... not enough. I dont care about anyone in this pilot.

The writing is so incoherent and fragmented that I cannot name 1 single reason why I should keep watching.

The scene with the teenagers having a "wild party" is so stupid, useless and unrealistic that I'd like to know what real teenagers think about it.

Editing is loud, unmotivated and confusing. Terrible.