No, I am not talking about turkey sandwiches we'll all be enjoying in a week. One of the weirdest new series that snuck onto our television screens in 2014 was The Leftovers on HBO. The series is an adaption of the novel by Tom Perrotta and focuses on a small town in New York State in the aftermath of a Rapture-like event. It was not the Rapture. This is not Left Behind. Nobody knows why or how hundreds of millions of the Earth's population vanished, but they did and they're trying to cope with it. There was intrigue. There was family drama. There were twins who looked like Matt Damon. There were gratuitous shots of Justin Theroux jogging. There were magical hugs. Something for everyone. It's a weird, disturbing series masquerading as a bland suburban drama. Which, incidentally, is what Tom Perrotta does best. Don't believe me? Read Little Children or watch Election. HBO's adaption of The Leftovers raised more questions than it could ever possibly answer. It was kind of freeing. You just sort of had to accept that there were some things that could and would not be explained, and just go for a ride. The first season of the show reached the end of the novel in plot, however, The Leftovers has been renewed for Season 2. Here are some things that I would like to know when the show returns. [UPDATE: Deadline reports that The Leftovers will return Oct. 4.]
Where did everybody go?
That's the obvious question, of course. Spoiler Alert: If you read the book, you know that we're never going to find out. The mystery is kind of the point, you know? The HBO series has the chance to expand upon that and give us some kind of idea. As long as it's not the Sideways World, Lindelof! (Just kidding — I'm one of the handful of people who really loved the last season and finale of Lost.)
Kevin Garvey Sr. is either completely bonkers, communicating with the dead, or communicating with the Departed. I need to find out more about that as well.
Will The Garveys Get Back Together?
Not necessarily as one happy family, but as a unit. I thought for sure that Jill was going to join the Guilty Remnant for real. In her ragtag group of friends, she's the one most concerned about the Sudden Departure. She has an affinity for cancer sticks. She misses her mother. So, color me shocked when the two Garveys riding off in the sunset together were Laurie and Tommy. I wasn't expecting it, but I love this a lot. Maybe they'll compare notes on the cults they joined. Another thing we need to know is more about Tom's father. We know he still visits him and that angers Kevin. Did he abandon Laurie, or worse — was her son the product of rape? I'm getting a little weary of "rape as character development" from television shows, especially on HBO, but this is an interesting angle.
Did Aimee and Kevin Really Sleep Together?
My roommate and I were suspicious of their relationship up until the moment where Aimee "admitted it" to Jill. Now we don't believe there was anything going on between them.
Will Kevin figure out how effed up Nora is?
Of course, after all she's been through, I don't blame her in the slightest. Still, she's unstable, she has a lot of secrets and I'm not sure that she and the equally unstable Kevin Garvey are best for each other. Nora did presumably find Wayne and Christine's baby, which gave her the hope she needs to stay in town. Is she going to be okay, or at least better than before?
What about Holy Wayne's Disciples?
So Wayne died in the season finale. However, he still has a bunch of devotees, brides and kids out there that don't seem to know too much about each other, only Wayne. Is this group planning on organizing? The fallout is sure to be interesting.
How did the Guilty Remnant come about?
We get it, they want us to remember. However, I still need to know how they crafted their aesthetic. Who decided that they all needed to be on vocal rest? Are they smoking to look cool, and if so, why are they dressed all in white? These are all very specific choices and I demand answers.
What was that about deer?
In the last few episodes, we were introduced to a new mystery — the deer that kept breaking into buildings the day before everyone vanished. Speaking of...
Whose dogs are they?
Are they our dogs? You sure about that?
Images: Paul Schiraldi/HBO; Giphy (7); robstenement/Tumblr
