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The Leftovers Season 1: “Penguin One, Us Zero”

by Cian Gaffney
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I am unsure of how to review The Leftovers. This hesitation comes as a result of not really being sure what The Leftovers actually is. Does it have a plot? Is the mystery of central importance? Is it about the characters, as writer and producer Damon Lindelof has stressed? Or is it more of a Treme day-in-the-life style show about how a community reacts to a life-changing event? At this point, it is still unclear. What is clear, however, is that Lindelof is still fond of his flashback and symbolism format from the Lost era. It is with these obscure and initially promising, but eventually on-the-nose symbols that I will make an attempt to dissect this episode.

 

Bagels

As far as we know, Kevin hasn’t personally lost anyone close to the “event”. What we do know is that the Garvey family (which we can assume was once close and loving) is disjointed and estranged; a tortured husband, a G.R. wife, a “rebellious” daughter, a misunderstood son. Given the scene structure, the Garvey family should be the emotional crux of the show, but the writers’ penchant for mystery for the sake of mystery lets them down. Despite Lost‘s obsession with unresolved mystery, it had compelling characters we could attach ourselves to and empathize with. Unfortunately, in The Leftovers, it seems the characters themselves are the mystery. This wouldn’t be (as) problematic if there was a general plot to follow, but in this show, the characters are all we have. We will never have an explanation about what happened to make 2% of the world’s population disappear, so we can’t use that as our focal point. The characters are all we have, and yet we know so little about them.

Of all the symbols in “Penguin One, Us Zero”, ironically I appreciated the bagels the most. In a world where perception of normality has shifted colossally, in a way none of us could understand, bagels simply vanishing may be no big deal. Millions of people disappeared, why not a few tasty bagels? Kevin obsesses over the bagels for the majority of the episode, bringing into question his sanity. However, in the end, our doubts seem unfounded. Or do they?

The bald dog-shooter is an enigma. Most of the signs we have point to the fact that he’s a figment of Kevin’s imagination (which again brings the bagels into question…did they actually disappear and Kevin is just imagining that he found them as a coping mechanism?). Jill’s friend Aimee makes no sign of acknowledging our bald friend, and Jill takes the beers. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Kevin could have been standing alone with the door open, handing the beers to Jill himself…yet, Jill later asks “Who was that?”. It’s all very strange, and difficult to gauge if there is any feasible end result waiting. If the shooter isn’t imaginary, on the other hand, we are being intentionally visually misdirected – a cheap way to grab the audience’s attention.

 

Trees

leftovers19__1404681839_109.77.198.173I like Meg. She’s a character I want to invest in. Her story this week, although better than in the pilot, is as perplexing as Kevin’s. Why does she feel the need to join the Guilty Remnant? What was the tree-felling a liberating moment of catharsis from? Who is she?! This is the biggest puzzle; if we are to invest in these characters – as recommended by the showrunners – then surely it’s not an unreasonable request that we should understand who they are?

The symbolism of the tree was slightly on-the-nose to begin with, but handled clumsily when the character herself tells the audience its purpose within the episode. As an aside, do the Guilty Remnant have a tenet against using technology (texting each other etc.), or are they just paper-wasting assholes? I mean…the internet does exist (and Laurie uses it), as Aimee so decently tells us in the café, on observing the priest handing out flyers. Which brings us to the gun.

 

Guns

I had hoped for something more grounded to happen in Jill’s story this week than the terribly handled “teen angst” party in the pilot. Instead, what we got was another adventure with the twin creeps-who-aren’t-creeps. I’m interested in these two guys, and I wish they were more than just background furniture for Jill and Aimee to bounce off.

Again, Jill’s experiences in this episode didn’t amount to much except the possibility of internal attitude shifts, which we are excluded from as an audience. The gun served as a hook not only for Jill, but seemingly for the show in general. Such things as death and suicide become trivial in the wake of such a horrendous event occurring. At least in death, there is closure. There is no closure for the characters in The Leftovers, and so far, there is no closure for us, the audience.

 

Phones

Apparently the S.W.A.T. around Mapleton can’t launch a successful raid on a ranch populated by a makeshift security force and young Asian girls. What’s more, they let four people (that we know of) escape. Tom has the ability to become one of the best characters in the show. There’s something very strange going on with Holy Wayne, and Tom is in the perfect position to allow a number of interesting developments to occur. He is loyal and brave, but deeply conflicted. Even Wayne, this larger-than-life Asian-fetishist Messianic figure tells him he’s the only person he can’t figure out. He senses the internal conflict within Tom, and attempts to eradicate it in his usual manner – by hugging the afflicted. When Tom recoils, he uses a different method. In breaking Tom’s phone, the one paper-thin tie he had with his family – the presumed source of his struggles – is severed. The smiley face on the replacement he is given by Wayne corresponds to the passive-aggressive undertones between the two. I hope this plotline goes somewhere, as Wayne seems to be much more than what we have been led to believe so far.

The main problem I have with this show is that I want to like it – I really do – but with nothing more than a vague, basic premise and stenciled-in characters to go by, there’s not much to invest in. Granted, we have only seen two episodes so far, but at the same time, those two episodes comprise a whopping 20% of the season. This is not a request for instant gratification; I love slow burns like Boardwalk Empire as much as the next guy. The tone is a difficult one to grasp – is the show a character study of depressed, strangely-inhuman human beings coping in the wake of the unexplained? Are we supposed to laugh at Jill and Aimee’s dumb antics? Was Jill chopping down the tree meant to serve as a moment of triumph? It’s just so confusing, and not because of its density. It’s confusing because we, as an audience, are left in the dark for no reason other than being at the mercy of the showrunners. This is a detriment to the premise, plot, and characters. It really is a dilemma; for the most part, I like the characters, I like the premise, and I like the style. But there’s nothing of substance for these three aspects to contribute to. As much as I want to like The Leftovers, the writers need to show something more.

Here’s a preview for next week’s episode, “Two Boats and a Helicopter”:

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10 comments

Ed Marquis July 14, 2014 - 2:00 pm

I was very intrigued by the trailers and was really looking forward to this series, however, I’ve been greatly disappointed in it, so far. Not only is it difficult to follow, but it’s not really very interesting and the characters aren’t likeable to me. I find that I’m not feeling sympathetic to any of the characters, and that’s a problem. I’d really like to enjoy this show, and I’m not ready to give up yet, but so far, getting through each episode has felt like a chore.

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Jef Dinsmore July 10, 2014 - 7:15 pm

Simply, the show is worth watching if you value an examination of loss, grief, anger, confusion and any other heart-felt emotion that may surface when an event occurs that upsets the balance of your life.

TREME did it with a natural disaster and THE LEFTOVERS is now attempting to do it with an undefined calamity that still manages to raise the same level of emotions.

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Cian Gaffney July 13, 2014 - 7:37 am

I value those things, but haven’t felt any of them so far. I think a lot of it is down to Lindelof’s habit of playing coy with his characters, which may work in other shows like Lost for a while…but when the show relies precisely on the characters and knowing exactly how they are coping, withholding just doesn’t work. I keep putting the blame on Lindelof, but I haven’t read the book, so the author might be the one to blame.

The key word in your comment is “attempting”. So far in The Leftovers, there isn’t a shred of what Treme was able to bring to the table in the same amount of episodes. Granted, Treme has the advantage of being based on a real, horribly traumatic event, but in terms of fictional characters and their emotions/interactions, it triumphs.

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Corey Carnes July 9, 2014 - 10:08 pm

Lindelof knows we as viewers won’t stand for another “Lost” scenario. We have no desire to get all build up and no release. He has had his “mistake” as it were and this time I feel like it has to have been mapped out from start to finish. It may be delayed a bit as they go along if it becomes popular but it has an ending, I would bet anything on it.

Now, for the reason of this post. I know they have to have a “force” that took all these people. I doubt it’s trees like “The Happening” or Aliens/God like everyone will expect. I think it will be something interestingly shocking. I would assume it is some military experiment gone wrong or a simple cosmic event that is previously unheard of in our small 10,000 year experience in this universe. Who knows what is out there in the deep dark heart of space that we have never seen or heard of. It is completely possible that something eats a portion of all sentient life every X million years and we just haven’t been here long enough to know of it before. I doubt that’s it, but I am just saying it is along the lines of what I would expect.

I would bet that the event of people disappearing will happen again. It is obviously not the rapture, as anyone with any biblical knowledge knows doesn’t happen till the end of the seals/bowls/trumpets cycle. It is the 7th trumpet. I think the words are “Those of Christ are called home” or something ambiguous like that. Which takes place after 1/3 of the world is axed a few dozen times and the battle of Armageddon is fought. So, it’s not that. I don’t think anyone involved in the show would do such poor research. Oh, and if you’re reading this and believe those of Christ will be called up, before the shit hits the fan. You’re not reading your bible closely, cause it does not say that anywhere. It was some preacher who said, “Well, God wouldn’t let his children be here for all that bad stuff, so these few passages that I will take out of context will prove the rapture!” Then he kept telling people when it would happen and was obviously wrong a bunch and then 7th day adventists.

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Cian Gaffney July 10, 2014 - 2:24 am

I like your thinking, but the point I made above is that we’re definitively not getting any explanation. There apparently isn’t one in the book, and there isn’t going to be one in the show. Which raises the question; with everything else lacking in substance, what is this show even worth watching for?

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Corey Carnes July 10, 2014 - 8:01 am

First, thanks for taking the time to reply and complimenting my thinking.

I will not watch another Lindelof program if this thing goes off the rails as spectacularly as “Lost” did. I don’t mind at all if a show wants to make a statement like, “Why?” as the question the characters are asking and that’s all that matters. It makes for a very artistic and socially smart program. It just doesn’t satisfy the audience and if it were anyone else, I would say that is fine. Though with it being a person who let down a nation of television viewers. He doesn’t get to do that to us twice and hold our time and interest hostage again.

I appreciate a smart and fresh show. Something that breaks the mold of what to expect. Something like Game of Thrones or Walking Dead. Shows that take the main characters and axe them without discrimination. That makes the show truly invigorating and interesting to watch. As, like on most shows, you’re not pondering on how they will die, but how they will survive their ordeal. It saps the drama out of it to have the main protagonist be invincible. Even with Walking Dead you know that Rick won’t likely die and neither will Daryl. Due to his popularity with the fans, which I think makes him the prime target. Because the show will lose its edge if you have those types of characters. The ones who are untouchables standing in a sea of ready made corpses.

I bring that up because this show has a lot of potential to be something new. Even with those tropes. It just can’t be a mundane drama throughout with an interesting setting and leave a huge blanket of “What’s going on?” left intact at the end of the series.

If they don’t have a satisfying answer. I don’t think Lindelof will have a career at the end. It is sad too, because he is an amazing writer. He just can’t keep pulling the bait and switch with his show’s fans. It isn’t fair to the audience and we are likely to vote with our remotes.

I mean, if you see a show on that you know is created or written by him, that has a huge “WTF!” as its hook. Will you say, like I likely would, “Well, I don’t wanna get invested in that. Let’s see what everyone says at the end and then MAYBE I’ll buy the series on DVD. If it’s not a complete lazy turd with no explanations and no answers to the questions we tune in each week to find out.

I may be speaking for you, but I think you would react like myself. You said it best with, “With everything else lacking in substance, what is this show even worth watching for?”

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Cian Gaffney July 13, 2014 - 7:39 am

It’s fine, I agree with you. I’m simply not enjoying the show so far, but what’s killing me is that I have a strong urge to like it, which can’t be fulfilled (yet). I’m holding out hope against my best instincts for the rest of the season.

I’ve enjoyed reading your comments; I hope you stick around here and offer your thoughts on the remaining episodes!

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Jef Dinsmore July 7, 2014 - 1:55 pm

Are we supposed to ponder over this show this hard? It took me a while to wrap my mind around it and it finally clicked for me when I looked
back at the episode’s title, “Penguin One, Us Zero.” Some shows title their
episodes for a reason. At first seeing that title a while ago I thought, “Hell,
Lindelof and his damn fixation with cold-climate critters. Their better not be
a penguin waddling about.” The only one present was the inflatable one in the therapist’s office. The purpose linked to that object was for the release of
aggression by clients.

Ah, so the episode is about the release of aggression, it falls into place now. So, to follow our writer’s thoughts Kevin Garvey’s release was the bagel machine; Meg’s release was the tree, Jill’s release was reckless delinquency, though her heart is never really into it. Nora Durst’s even seems to seek release via her “departure benefits” process, and the “dog-killer” takes
it out on wayward canines. As for Tom, there was violent aggression all over the place and the only sense of relief from it comes from Holy Wayne.

To break it down in a few sentences is difficult. Officer Garvey’s situation is already explained. He feared that even his bagels had disappeared and pent up that worry until he aggressively released on the machine to reveal
their presence. If he would have just thought it through first.

Meg is in the pledge house of G. R.; they are a non-aggressive sort. They didn’t put up a fight at the 10/14 Memorial, did they? In order to be accepted into the G. R. you need to purge your aggressive feelings over the
Departure. Taking an ax to a tree is obviously one way of doing that and Meg completes that act by episode’s end.

Everyone else finds their “penguin” or punching bag to take out their frustrations whether it is absorbed in a time-consuming job or occupying your time in reckless abandon; at least it is a release valve.

Holy Wayne appears to be the charismatic sort to actually be, for some unexplained reason, the “penguin” for a number of people who need
the aggression hugged out of them. Tom doesn’t accept that embrace so he
screams underwater and pounds steering wheels instead.

I could be way off in this, but after some thought that is what I came up with. Other thoughts?

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Cian Gaffney July 8, 2014 - 9:54 am

Jef, that’s extremely insightful and makes complete sense.

At the same time, I do wonder if it was the intent at all, or if we are simply trying to put the pieces together when in fact there is no bigger picture to see.

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