The Leftovers Series Premiere Review: “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)

However, as Kevin’s car departs, another one arrives. It’s Meg, in a taxi. “I was wondering if I could stay here, maybe for just a couple of nights,” she says. Evidently the stress of her upcoming wedding, combined with the GR’s pressure, got to her. Then Patti, shockingly, speaks up, with a warm and kind voice. “You can stay here for as long as you want to, sweetheart. My name’s Patti, what’s yours?” As if she doesn’t already know. Patti introduces Meg to Laurie, who’ll be showing her around. As Laurie guides her away from the road, Patti calls after them, “Meg? You and I won’t speak again.” Looks like we’re back to the silent treatment. The question is, how can Lindelof build these GR characters if they never speak? It’ll be a challenge, for sure. I’m starting to get a sense for the group’s modus operandi, however – they target weak, troubled individuals and tempt them, like spiders waiting for curious flies at the center of an invisible web.

Jill finally comes home and stops on her way up the stairs. She sees a picture of their family, with her mother’s face smashed. She carefully picks the glass out to look at her face. Once the glass is gone, she starts to cry at the sight of her once-perfect, forever-shattered family.

Back at the compound, following his disturbing encounter with Wayne, Tom goes for a swim. He seems cool as he strips off (to reveal whip marks on his back – self-flagellation or a sign of Wayne’s possession?) and dives in, but once he’s at the bottom of the pool, he finally lets out all his pain, misery and confusion in one silent, underwater scream. It’s an eerie shot beautifully captured by episode director Peter Berg. While he’s down there, he doesn’t hear Kevin call, for the second time this episode.

In a scene reminiscent of the dream sequence from earlier, Kevin’s driving when he fails to get through to Tom. Up ahead, he spots a deer and gets out of the car to approach it. Like he approached the dog earlier, he cautiously walks up to the deer. “You in my house last night?” He asks, almost as if expecting an answer. Suddenly, the sound of baying dogs can be heard, and Kevin turns around to see a pack of dogs bearing down on them. I thought Kevin might be cooked for a second, but the dogs just want the deer, who turns to run far too late. They jump on it, ripping and tearing, and Kevin hears the same noises of an animal in its death throes that he heard in the dream.

Quietly, the bald man, who was following the dogs in his truck, walks up behind Kevin to watch the killing. “They’re not our dogs,” he says. “What?” asks Kevin. “You said they were our dogs,” he reminds him. “They’re not. Not anymore.” It’s a surreal moment for the Chief, who asks, “Am I awake?” As dramatic music (Reignwolf’s “Are You Satisfied”) kicks in, the bald man chuckles and cocks his rifle, saying, “You are now, Chief.” He asks Kevin if he’s got a gun, which he does. “Then what’re you waiting for?” the bald man asks, firing off his first shot then wading in. Kevin draws his weapon, aims and fires into the pack as well.

On that note, the episode cuts to black.