The Leftovers - Season 2 Premiere Recap
The Leftovers is back. Sort of. Version 2.0, the reboot. After running through all the material in the book this series was based on for season 1, season 2 was inevitably going to be completely different. And writer Damon Lindelof and company wasted no time throwing us into the fire as the new Leftovers began in prehistoric time before focusing on entirely new characters for 45 minutes. Season 1 was very much either a “love it or hate it” type of show. Now as we’ve weeded out the people who hated it, it seems like the creators will once again be testing the people who loved it. Its clear this is going to be an entirely different show.
I dont have all that much to say on this episode because A) we just dont know enough about the Murphy family at this point to really dig deep into whats going on, and B) I’m confused as fuck. So I’ll just give you some of my thoughts on what we saw last night.
The episode was called “Axis Mundi,” which is the idea that there are certain places, or a single place, where heaven and earth connect. Obviously the implication is that Jarden, Texas AKA Miracle is that spot. More specifically, the springs where the cave woman from the opening scene died as she tried to travel to safety for her baby.
That entire opening scene in prehistoric times was wild. We see some pregnant cave woman chick who has he world rocked when theres an earthquake that cuts her off from everyone else in her life. Cut out from the safety of her life in the cave. My first thought was that this event was similar to the Departure. In the blink of an eye the world you know completely gone. The people you loved taken away. Like Nora Durst losing her whole family. And yet despite that, Cavewoman Mama keeps on keepin on. Baking in the sun and scrambling for survival. Eating eggs raw from birds nests. Eventually while defending her baby from danger, a goddam rattlesnake bites her. As death looms imminent, she sees the smoke in the distance and stumbles as far as she can towards help before dying at the feet of another cavewoman who takes the baby to safety. I kind of viewed this as a Jeff Goldblum Jurassic Park “Life, uh, finds a way” Moment. Whether its the cavewoman who’s been hit with an earthquake and a snake bite stumbling her way towards the smoke, or the Garvey family who’s been rocked with The Departure and trying to start over in Miracle, no matter what life throws at you, you try to survive. Trying to travel to where you believe your family will be safe. Miracle is that smoke in the distance. Whether its prehistoric time as a cavewoman after a life altering earthquake or the Garveys after the Departure, its about trying to survive.
Obviously theres more to this cavewoman than just symbolism. At least thats what they’re leading us to believe. The earthquakes that take place there. The connection between the cavewoman, Evie Murphy and the springs is apparent. The water playing a prominent role in it all. We see the Murphy son trying to sell vials of Miracle Water like he’s goddam Russell Wilson. Evie swimming in the springs with her friends and sneaking swigs of it from the bottle. Either that water is powerful or the people of Miracle believe it is:
Its like Lindelof and company want us to believe there is something very tangibly important about this spot. There is something physically different about this town. Or, again, people are being led to believe it is. The Murphy’s, particularly the Patriarch John, seem very protective. Very cautious about the newcomers. We dont know exactly what goes on in Miracle yet, but we know theres a lot more than meets the eye. The people and the town arent what they appear on the surface.
Here’s what has me concerned. This is LOST all over again with the little clues and secrets and mysteries. Why did that dude slit a goats throat in the middle of the goddam diner? Why did nobody care? Why was the mom doing sign language with Evie? Why did the mom go into the woods and open up a box with a baby bird that I think we all assumed used to be dead? Whos the dude on the pillar int he middle of town? What the fuck was that cricket? What was that glass case protecting the cracks in the street? Does Eddie Winslow really have psychic powers? Why the FUCK was that woman watering her lawn in a wedding gown????? Do you know how many of those questions will be answered by Lindelof? Approximately zero. This is the same thing all over again. Miracle, Texas is The Island. And there are mysteries and shit all over the place. The Cavewoman in the springs felt exactly like that Mother Nature glowing orb river thing at the end of LOST. I’m waiting for a fucking Polar Bear to show up next and its complete. Its fine if these questions are never answered, I’ve learned my lesson. But I just hope Lindelof has too. Hope he knows where this show is going because last time he absolutely did not. Season 1 was a show that very clearly used a mysterious rapture to be the catalyst for human suffering and fight for survival. Some people wanted to answer “why” or “how” or “where” when in reality it was just more about the human aspect of things. I’m not sure what Season 2 intends to be after this premiere. I dont mind symbolism and foreshadowing and easter eggs and little connections throughout a TV. As a matter of fact, I love all that. I just dont want to see them snowball on this show and take over the way they did with Lost.