Tom Perrota

Well, that was a neat trick.

Not the final reveal, no, that is something that (I hope) will become almost beside the point. But what I’m really talking about is the episode itself. That is something that I did not expect the show to pull off so well this late in the game.

Nine episodes after the fact, we are now getting who Tommy is and what he means to Kevin. We get what Jill has lost. And we see where Kevin’s head has been at, and where it might go, all in an absorbing, if necessarily stuffed hour. This flashback to flesh everyone out is absolutely invaluable as we head into the finale and the second season. It is also pivotal in continuing to explore Kevin’s hero’s journey, which has been smartly pushed to the forefront in the previous two episodes, and looks to be the definitive crux of a finally focused series.

The Leftovers, Season 1, Episode 7, “Solace for Tired Feet” Written by Damon Lindelof & Jacqueline Hoyt Directed by Mimi Leder Airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO There’s finally a flow happening with this show. In previous reviews, I have discussed the many problems of The Leftovers I won’t delineate now. Slowly, however, they …

The Leftovers, Season 1, Episode 6, “Guest” Written by Damon Lindelof & Kath Lingenfelter Directed by Carl Franklin Airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO “I’d like to remain Nora Durst,” Nora (Carrie Coon) says toward the beginning “Guest,” and that perfectly sums it up. She will get a divorce, but she doesn’t want to …

The Leftovers, Season 1, Episode 5, “Gladys” Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrota Directed by Mimi Leder Airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO Gladys, Gladys, you were so classless, intimidating the leftovers with sass and badass-ness. This is a song. This is a song I came up with, but do not necessarily feel …

The Leftovers, Season 1, Episode 4, “B.J. and the A.C.” Written by Damon Lindelof & Elizabeth Peterson Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter & Carl Franklin Airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO Starting off positively—and it’s a big one—no new mysteries were introduced this episode! At least, nothing of the paranormal, never-going-to-be-answered-adequately nature. What we …