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The Leftovers


monkeygirl
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I'm halfway through the 2nd episode. Not sure yet, but the initial hook is amazingly effective. The first paragraph in imdb has an error:

 

"Revolves around mysterious disappearances, world-wide, and specifically follows a group of people who are left behind in the suburban community of Mapleton. They must begin to rebuild their lives after the loss of more than 100 people."

 

It's not 100 people-I think it's 100 million-supposedly 2% of Earth's population. It probably refers just to the loss in this town, though, right?

 

The concept's intruiguing to me, but I'm afraid I'll focus more on the why than the what happens next. Reminiscent of Lost (duh), Walking Dead, X-Files to me. More impressions when I figure out how to use the spoiler hiding thing.

 

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/

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Damon Lindeloff = automatic "no thanks"

Yep!

 

But against my better judgment I've been watching this. I still don't really know anything about anything about (intentional double type there) this show. The biggest problem is that I know I should be caring about some of these characters but they aren't all that compelling. The show hasn't given me reason to care for the characters yet. Not a one. That's bad news. The single best thing about LOST was the characters and their back story and really getting to know them. This... doesn't even have that.

 

It's just an hour out of my night, when I wouldn't normally be doing anything else so I'll keep watching as long as my patience allows, in hopes that there is some payoff.

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The show hasn't given me reason to care for the characters yet.

And this. But I'm digging the white smokers.

 

I'm going to approach this with a Twin Peaks attitude; stay more amused by the watching than caring about a resolution. I'm guessing we never will know what happened. But yeah-make with the quirky, interesting, compelling characters.

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I thought tonight was the best episode of the three so far. The reverend got a little fleshing out plus we got the forward movement of the white smoker people storyline with them ending up in the church. I'm generally not very critical of shows/movies/books. I like to read/watch for entertainment. But it does kind of bother me that I am still not sure what we're working towards. I don't think the show is about the "why" of what happened, so I couldn't care less about that, but I'm going to need more about something eventually.

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I'll probably binge watch the first three episodes this week.

 

Just to clarify my point above, since Lindy is attached to this I already know that we're never gonna get a real answer for why 2% of the population disappeared. Which is fine if you realize that fact before you even start watching the shit. The problem i had with Lost was I wasn't aware it was going to be a 6 year snipe hunt. Had I known that I'd have just relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Because the characters were fun.

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I'm getting dangerously addicted to this show. It's easily the most depressing hour of my week and to end my weekend with this show the night before I go back to the 9-5 is suicidal at best.

 

But I can't stop being intrigued and anxiously awaiting the next episode.

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Lindelof says. "But I do think there's something cool and freeing about embracing a show that doesn't stop to explain itself and sort of wallows in its own ambiguity. Considering that the chief criticism of Lost was its lack of mystery resolution, when I read Tom's book, I was sort of like, 'I'll sign up for another round of that please.'"

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It's not unanswering a mystery that's a problem. I am fine with posing a mystery and taking your time with it. The problem is, Lindeloff, and his cronies, shoot themselves in the foot because they play it out poorly.

 

In Twin Peaks, every episode answered one question, but offered up two more. You felt like the characters, therefor vis a vis us the audience, were getting somewhere.

 

With Lost, the characters would ask questions, and get no answers, so the audience then has those questions too, and they don't get answered, or are answered to little too late.

 

In Prometheus, Lindeloff actively decided to not connect the story too much to the Aliens as we knew them-- but still leads us to thinking he will by recycling all the mythos, tropes and iconography that goes with them.

 

And in most everything he writes shit that just makes no sense. He's a hack, and I don't use that term lightly. He, Orci and Kurtzman are the absolute worst writers in Hollywood and have the market cornered on pretty much everything.

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It's not unanswering a mystery that's a problem. I am fine with posing a mystery and taking your time with it. The problem is, Lindeloff, and his cronies, shoot themselves in the foot because they play it out poorly.

 

In Twin Peaks, every episode answered one question, but offered up two more. You felt like the characters, therefor vis a vis us the audience, were getting somewhere.

 

With Lost, the characters would ask questions, and get no answers, so the audience then has those questions too, and they don't get answered, or are answered to little too late.

Ahh! See, I didn't stick around Lost long enough to get that.

 

And so far, even the characters on Lost were more charismatic than this group<Twin Peaks'.

 

In Prometheus, Lindeloff actively decided to not connect the story too much to the Aliens as we knew them-- but still leads us to thinking he will by recycling all the mythos, tropes and iconography that goes with them.

I know, but it's so pretty!

 

And in most everything he writes **** that just makes no sense. He's a hack, and I don't use that term lightly. He, Orci and Kurtzman are the absolute worst writers in Hollywood and have the market cornered on pretty much everything.

Now I want to pay more attention.
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I watched all three in a row and really liked them. Extremely well done (if a trifle too melodramatic at times) horror. It reminds me a little bit of a pre-apocalyptic Canadian movie called Last Night in that it too seems to be about people who think they've managed to reconcile themselves to a supernormal event but in actuality are no closer to stability than anyone else.

 

Could care less about the Paterson Joseph cult leader and the teen girl stuff (except for that great scene with the feds idly deciding to go in and crack skulls, that was good) because they've got a way more interesting cult leader and way more interesting teen girl stuff happening in the town proper. Stick with the town! Get the son back to the town!

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I got halfway through the second ep of Leftovers and just had to stop. I'll try it again later.

 

For the life of me, though, I don't get the Lost hate. My favorite TV show of all time.

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Lost was really clever at times, and had some amazing moments, but the ass-pullery of the last season killed it for me. That and years of characters asking questions and cutting to commercial before the answer came.

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I just didn't mind Lost not tying up all the loose ends like most people did. They left a lot on the table, but I think they answered all the big ones. It was all about the characters in the end, and I thought it was very well done.

 

That said I can see where some thought it was a bit sappy.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I really don't know why every discussion of every lindelof project has to get trolled by bitter armchair writers that are still upset that their lost theories didn't pan out. This is a very good show so far. It will get awards and be around for a while. You folks won't like it. You have a chip on your shoulder and the well is poisoned. I would say please feel free to watch and discuss something else, but you will be around like you were for the last 5 seasons of lost that you knew you didn't like yet continued to watch and complain about to anyone who would listen.

 

Lindelof is brought into movies as a script doctor, when something about the film isn't working. Take Prometheus for example. It is Scott's baby. Look up the terrible plot elements that didn't make the movie, like Jesus being a space alien. You have no idea how bad that film would have been without his involvement. How terrible was the original ending of world war z? The studio seemed to think he improved the movie. He keeps getting hired by people that have their money on the line and are actually witnessing the creative process. I'd trust them over someone who's still upset about the smoke monster.

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