
The final season of The Leftovers has worked to slowly disassemble everything we thought was true coming out of an unexpected, bright, and even hopeful, season two. The tonal change from the dark despair of season one’s Mapleton, NY to the golden gospel of season two’s Miracle, TX was drastic, and in many ways a major relief from the bleakness that made the initial episodes of The Leftovers difficult to watch.
Season two gave us magic, the suggestion of a greater power, and glimpses of a place that could be heaven. Back then, it seemed like maybe there was a reason for the departure and a mythic way to make amends.
But little by little, we’re seeing that it’s an illusion. In “The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)†Kevin sees the “otherside†for what it is—a way for him to run away from his problems (read: Nora). A little fantasy world for him to funnel his energy into. And as horrific as blowing up the fake-world is, Kevin’s decision to do so is necessary for him to terms with what’s happening in real life.

Of course, this fantasy world of Kevin’s has wormed its way into lots of other people’s lives. Matt, Kevin Sr., John, and Michael have all believed in Kevin’s abilities as holy, as way to heal. We saw Matt come to his senses in “It’s Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World,†and we see Kevin and Senior do the same in this penultimate episode. Senior on the roof at the end of this episode, realizing all of this predictions were wrong, reeling from thinking he killed his son, and wondering out loud “What now?†was a perfect summation of how then of this series is playing out. In a lot of ways we’re back to beginning; it’s season one all over again, when the grim truth of reality reigned supreme.

But grimness aside, “The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)†was chockfull of the dark, absurd comedy that The Leftovers has become known for. To begin with, just to have two Kevins was strangely funny, and a nice call-back to the story about Jesus’s twin from “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World.”
Kevin as the Guilty Remnant-supporting President of the United States is such a great contrast to his real life persona of anti-GR small-town police chief. Kevin is so earnest while he’s on the “otherside†and it makes all of the nonsense happening that much funnier. Him fumbling through teleprompter readings, ending with the surprised utterance of “I’m the president,†to the delight of the crowd of onlookers, was a hilarious and slyly satirical take.

I cackled during the penis scanner scene, and again when Kevin, irritated with Patti, refused to give her glasses back and then proceeded to smash them to pieces. I also love the “otherside†theme music, which is especially playful, like if Kevin is staring in a lighthearted heist film (which, frankly, isn’t that far off). Meg and Patti as high ranking members in the US government reminded me how much I miss Liv Tyler and Ann Dowd on The Leftovers.
This is partially due to how nice it was to have clear villains on the show. Back when Patti was running the Mapleton branch of the GR, or when Meg was planning on taking over Miracle, it was clear that they were the “bad†guys. We knew we had to root against them. We don’t have that luxury in this final season. It’s not a negative though—we’re just dealing with an entirely different set up now.
But what Meg’s speech to Kevin made clear was that of course the GR wasn’t really evil. They don’t actually believe family doesn’t exist. They are just like everyone else. Kevin’s coping mechanism is traveling to a fantasy world where he’s an assassin; for GR members, it’s joining a cult and pretending they don’t love anything. Both are ways to disconnect from your real life, to deny what’s happening, and to avoid your problems.

And we see the same sort of half-hearted commitment in John. He’s a believer in Kevin, and by extension, Senior’s apocalyptic flood theory, but only because claiming belief gets him closer true goal—Evie. John is a man of god, so it’s not unreasonable for him to believe in an afterlife where Evie is, or even “The Book of Kevin†he and Matt wrote.
But he’s also been heavily influenced by Laurie. And his intentions are made clear when he’s satisfied after Kevin’s first attempt to go to the otherside, since he got the closure he needed from Evie. He doesn’t think a flood is coming, so he doesn’t care if Kevin go back under. And in Kevin’s conversation with Christopher Sunday (as the Australian Prime Minister), Kevin realizes that doesn’t believe any of it either.

And so this wild, cosmic ride that is The Leftovers is boiling down to something small: the relationship between Kevin and Nora. This gives some extra heft to the one lingering question, which is what’s going on with the flash-forward where Nora claims to not know Kevin. It’s difficult to speculate on how the finale will wrap up our story. But given the superior storytelling that has transpired over the course of this final season, I’m of the opinion that it will be exceedingly difficult for anything to mar what exists as one of best television shows of our time.
The series finale of The Leftovers airs next Sunday, June 4 at 9/8c on HBO.
Anisha Vichare
Related posts
Classics
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…