Theres nothing warm or welcoming about it, nor is there meant to be. Where the networks True Detective occasionally broke its dolefulness with the slyest, philosophically artful wink at an audience riveted by its mystery, The Leftovers grafts more unhappiness onto unhappiness. Where Game of Thrones revels in even its most gruesome developments, it exists safely within the bounds of fantasy, so slay away. The Leftovers mainly acts as a means to deliver the worst news about human nature.
Yet, despite the downer language of this review, the show delivers on an exceedingly intriguing premise, with some of the most beguilingly morose performances delivered this year. Its a strange but good wallow.
Its hard for a viewer to know what to do with all this excess grief, even if its quite beautifully offered. People watch television for all sorts of reasons, but Im not sure they watch it to only feel worse.
