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LIVE at 11:15 pm ET / 8:15 pm PT on Sunday, June 29th, Josh Wigler and Antonio Mazzaro recap the premiere of HBO’s “The Leftovers”. Join us LIVE after the show to ask your questions about tonight’s show.
Josh Wigler and Antonio Mazzaro recap the premiere of HBO’s “The Leftovers” – The mysterious new thriller from Damon Lindelof
One of the co-creators of Lost, Damon Lindelof, makes a triumphant return here with The Leftovers. Although based on a book by Tom Perrotta, Josh is coming to this as a fan of Damon Lindelof and what HBO does. Antonio is drawn into this for the same reason and because of the positive ratings the show is getting.
Josh comments on how The Leftovers has a different tone compared to the other shows he’s presently watching. It’s a little bit moody and slower. The music is incredible and he’s interested in giving it a shot. Antonio thinks the show is good and it’s more of a slow burn. He further explains the premise of the show.
Unlike Lost which was a mystery-driven show where you won’t know what happened to the characters who disappeared, Josh thinks The Leftovers may not follow the same route. The question is not “What happened?” but “What happens next?” The show focuses on the Garvey family. The scenes are more about how are people going on with living their lives. It’s more of what’s happening in this very moment as a result of the things that happened before.
What Josh likes most about the show is the fact that people just disappear and vanish without a trace and a discernable reason and even including celebrities like Pope Benedict and Anthony Bourdain to name a few. The Garvey family didn’t actually lose anyone but they are worlds apart, which makes it more interesting. Other interesting stuff include the cigarettes and the cult carrying a sign telling to not waste your breath.
Josh thinks that the characters themselves actually form the mystery of the show. Bits of information also show that the it’s fairly recent. The sudden disappearance happened three years ago and Guilty Remnant has only been around for a year. It’s also a mystery how Laurie got into joining the cult.
Antonio thinks they are targeting people and that the scenes are having an impact on people. You basically don’t know who’s targeting them or what their goals are. Josh and Antonio then make a comparison between The Leftovers and Friday Night Lights. Antonio also mentions about a lot of weird things happening in the show.
Josh finds the character of Wayne to be very interesting. He feels that more than the Guilty Remnant, there might be a militarized component to this and Wayne may be up to no good. Antonio says you get the impression that this is happening worldwide and to random people.
Josh is fascinated by the tiny information gotten from small, quick waves of flashbacks. Antonio wonders if the show is going on full with flashbacks which has really worked well as with other shows.
Josh and Antonio also talk about the party scene in the show and they think it’s just crazy. Additionally, they basically could not count the number of F-bombs dropped in the show.
Josh hopes there would be some lightness added to the show being bleak and dark. Josh pretty knows that Damon Lindelof can play dark and light as well. Otherwise, it would be a hard show to watch on a Sunday night and to have to go to work the next day. So he thinks that’s the only thing that’s missing. They are talking about possible characters who might be able to bring a lighter feel or mood to the show.
Josh says there isn’t any character that he is drawn into for now but Kevin is someone whose brain he wants to pick and whose view of the world he’s interested in.
The show ends with a gunfire with Kevin shooting a pack of dogs. Antonio thinks of it as more of a surrealism instead of the actual gunfire or the action going on. They also talk about the mystery behind the character Liv Tyler is playing and how it may be another focal story on the show. Finally, the hosts are talking about which celebrities they hope to be left behind.
To cap it off, Josh thinks it’s an interesting show. There definitely is more room for improvement. But they are definitely watching the next episodes.
The Leftovers: Series Premiere Recap[/caption]