One of my all-time favorite TV episodes is "Funhouse", the season 2 finale of The Sopranos. In the same vein, "The Test Dream" from season 5 of the same. Two episodes where the lead goes through his worst fears in a surreal nightmare where he doesn't understand jack.
Going into this episode, I was happy I stuck with The Leftovers, but I wasn't calling it one of the greatest seasons or anything. And season 1 was, while good enough, hugely frustrating, and season 2 was a needed improvement anyway. It was damn good this far, but it seemed like there was a jolt waiting to happen, and the episode before this seemed to set it up.
Turns out, the jolt wasn't just a jolt, it was an electric chair. "International Assassin" is one of the finest hours of television, and I saw it on my TV screen which made the visually dazzling experience even more enriching. I was screaming my brains out at the end, a deeply satisfying catharsis that takes us through Kevin's mind and Patti's existence. It will make you feel for someone you didn't care much about earlier. It's a surreal piece of television that'll stay with you, if only for the last conversation between these two characters if nothing else. But there's a lot more than just this. There's a dark cloud hanging all over this episode which eventually brings rain (and one pretty cool action sequence). It's rich in character exposition, and a tad bit funny too (I'm looking at you, Wayne).
I called this season "damn good" earlier. Nope, now it's great. And having finished season 2, I am very pleased to have stuck this ride out. But I'm not reviewing the 2 episodes after this as of now (both extremely stellar episodes, mind you). It was this one that has me believing in miracles. Miracles like season 2 of The Leftovers which on any other network would have likely been dropped after season 1. Of course, Funhouse and The Test Dream are up there in my rankings, never to be upset. But, International Assassin is legendary, in its own right.