We know that this was a dream simply because Laurie is definitely not dead (she’s actually the first character seen in this episode, tearing down posters with Gladys’ face that read ‘Save Them,’ put up by Matt Jamison’s congregation), but Kevin fulfills at least part of it in real life, wandering out to capture a dog, getting bitten in the process and chaining it up outside. The dream raises an intriguing possibility, though – are dogs symbols of the Guilty Remnant? Do the members of the GR in Dean’s truck bed mean that the actual evil that Kevin Sr. and Dean want Kevin to take up arms against is a very human one? That’s certainly my takeaway. If Kevin is actually being tasked with mowing them down, however, his position as police chief and his newfound recruitment for whatever forces are driving his father and Dean put him on a total collision course with himself.
On the matter of the GR, the organization seems determined not to make Gladys, who suffered one of the most sickeningly brutal deaths in TV history just two weeks ago, a public martyr. Whatever they might feel about her death, if anything at all, is being kept tightly under wraps. When Matt Jamison’s congregation takes it upon themselves to plaster Gladys’ face all over town on posters reading ‘Save Them,’ none of the GR are amused. Instead, they launch an ad campaign of their own to counter it, scrawling on the posters to make their messages read, ‘Don’t Save Them.’
This organization has been trying to get under the skin of townspeople since its inception, and they clearly want to fan the flames instead of draw sympathy. Pissing people off is what the GR does best, after all – remember their grand theft photo around Christmas? The GR wants to provoke, wants to incite violence and anger – that’s how they stay relevant and keep the Sudden Departure alive in the minds of Mapleton’s residents. There’s also the matter of their name – what are the Guilty Remnant guilty of, if anything? I’d wager that they feel they have sinned simply because whatever higher power there is did not choose to Rapture them – therefore, they’re taking a vow of silence as penance. If this holds true, the GR’s real purpose is punishing the other leftovers (also guilty, in their eyes) by inflicting misery upon them and generally making their life a living hell. So far, so good, I guess – and with Gladys’ killers still out there, the GR is likely about to take some serious losses for sticking to their glum agenda.
Luckily, not every townsperson rebukes the GR with a fatal onslaught of rocks. Nora, whose relationship with Kevin has progressed to the point where they make love in this episode (and to think I almost forgot this show was on HBO), opts to spray them off her front lawn with a garden hose. After all the shit she went through last week in “Guest,” it’s encouraging to see Nora taking control of her life and her happiness like that. Strangely, despite her having lost the most during the Sudden Departure, Nora may at this point be the least screwed up person in Mapleton – perhaps her influence will be a good thing for Kevin.
