Meanwhile, Jill continues to mope. About her parents’ divorce? Her friends all sucking? Her dad maybe being crazy? Take your pick. She’s not interesting this episode, so I won’t dwell on her. Aimee in various states of undress, though? That’s interesting – and no, not just because of that. What’s her game? Does she want Kevin? Is she intentionally tempting him? Or are we just seeing Aimee through Kevin’s eyes, as a sexual object? It’s hard to tell, but Kevin is a confirmed cheater who also recently eyed Nora and even Meg as potential lovers. (Cue Joel McHale from Community.) So it’s likely he sees Aimee as a lot more than an adopted daughter. And he is “hot cop,” remember. No amount of Jill being his daughter can conceal that fact from Aimee.
Laurie also has a rough time this week. She discovers Gladys’ body, which takes a toll on her health, and she’s confronted by her own mortality when the doctor she sees following a panic attack asks her about her smoking habits. However, she seems convinced by Patti that what she’s doing with the GR is valuable or at least better than the alternative. There’s some talk of the GR not feeling, being numbed by the smoking and silent solidarity, but I’d wager there’s more to the cult’s big-picture scheme than reminding people that life sucks and dulling their instincts in order to cope themselves.
Take this sound-bite: “There can’t be any doubt, Laurie, because doubt is fire. Fire is gonna burn you up, until you are an ash.” Those words, spoken by Patti to Laurie during their “day off” to reaffirm Laurie’s devotion to the GR cause, sum up “Gladys” very well. The title character was all about conviction – during the same sort of day-off deal, she never cracked, never spoke a word despite Patti testing her – and so is this episode.
The GR’s continued conviction that what they are doing is right, even if it could cost them their lives; Matt’s conviction that he can bring them back to the land of the living; Dean’s conviction that the dogs must die and end-times are near; and especially Kevin’s essential conviction that he’s sane and using his authority for good – all of these beliefs are the backbone of “Gladys,” and possibly of The Leftovers as a whole. In a world without any religious clarity, the one truth that these characters have for themselves is the one they create. Does that mean Kevin could be crazy still? I’d say that most of the characters on this show have more than a few screws loose. But if individual convictions are what is driving everyone, who determines sane and insane?
Side note: maybe it’s Kevin and Matt’s individual self-doubt that caused those burning dreams – if what Patti said matters in terms of the bigger theme, which it surely does (what dialogue doesn’t on The Leftovers?), self-doubt is the only thing that can truly consume a person until they’re less human than they once were. Also cool to note – Jill was literally playing with fire when Kevin came into her science class to alert her to the killing, and the GR actively remind themselves of the element by smoking.
Maybe I should like The Leftovers because I find myself asking many of the same questions Lindelof and co. are clearly trying to get at. But I’m really not a fan. It’s dour without fail, and there’s a way to deliver grim, thought-provoking story without an overload of straight-up misery. The Leftovers hasn’t yet found that. This week was particularly awful in that respect. Gladys’ murder is brutally, ruthlessly depicted on screen – and it’s a gut-punch that really revolts. But there’s nothing to be gained from watching this poor woman suffer so horrifically. The show just puts the images out there, as if punishing us for continuing to watch it. There’s no greater meaning, and when you have stuff as terrible as that on a show as enigmatic as The Leftovers, there absolutely needs to be some greater meaning.
There are really few rewards for watching this series. The acting is one. Justin Theroux continues to impress as Kevin, while Christopher Eccleston is nailing every note of his on-edge reverend. Amy Brenneman and Ann Dowd are also doing great and surprisingly nuanced work as Laurie and Patti, while Margaret Qualley and Emily Meade are making the most of small roles to give Jill and Aimee actual personalities.
The direction, in this episode by Mimi Leder, is also terrific. One shot of the GR armed with flashlights combing the woods for any sign of Gladys has a distinctly Spielberg-ian vibe, but the entire episode is packed with cool angles and eerie visuals. Those two facets of The Leftovers, more than its overly glum, brutal and mystery-heavy storyline, are what will keep me from being dragged into next week’s episode kicking and screaming – the show may not be particularly good TV right now, but it’s at least an intriguing one for the eyes.
