Written By: Chris Hartwell
In order to sustain a television show, new characters must be introduced, old characters must change, and fresh conflicts must be sown. With "Orange Sticker", as The Leftovers necessarily evolves, it simultaneously avoids feeling like a forced-TV-drama in the character department, while at the same time, falls prey to a number of weak plot devices and contrivances.
It is no easy task introducing a character like John Murphy, someone whose job it is to complicate the narrative, throw a wrench in the equation, and act as an obstacle, without making that individual unreasonable, melodramatic, or downright annoying. Lindelof and Spezialy have masterfully navigated those waters this week.
Unfortunately, they didn't have as much success in complicating the rest of the plot. When conflicts consistently reveal themselves as nothing more than misunderstandings in disguise, a show runs the risk of becoming cheap, disengaging, and lost. With this week's episode, it felt as if the writers were treading water, needing to draw out story beats longer than was natural, realistic, or fresh.
This doesn't keep The Leftovers from remaining one of the best shows on television, one which continues to fascinate and engage me.
Join me as I take a closer look at Episode 4, "Orange Sticker"!
Did you continue to engage with the characters this episode? Did you find their conflicts cheap, disengaging, or unnatural?
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