The Guilty Remnant in Kevin's World

Written By: Missy Ortiz

After this last Sunday's "A Most Powerful Adversary", we were all in mourning. Spoiler alert: We witnessed Kevin committing suicide with the help of his late mentor, Virgil, who then subsequently blew his head off. We've talked about Virgil. We've talked about Kevin dying, but have we talked about Patti and her intentions? Did Patti actually want Kevin to die? Why not? Let's not forget that Patti was the leader of The Guilty Remnant Mapleton chapter. Remember Gladys? Not to mention the GR's planning of the mass suicide fire? Patti is most definitely ready for battle. Are we forgetting about how the GR are a vital element in all of this and how their belief system works? 

Let's take a look and see why The Guilty Remnant could very much be Kevin's "Most Powerful Adversary":

The Guilty Remnant

For those who aren't familiar with what The Guilty Remnant are, the GR is an organization that was formed after The Sudden Departure, whose members are self-proclaimed to be "Living Reminders of God's Awesome Power". They aren't exactly Christian, but they smoke to proclaim their faith in God. They are so convinced that they're going to die soon anyway that they smoke because they do not believe that cigarettes will kill them before they are taken. They are guilty of not fully believing in God, hence why they were not chosen. They have been left behind to remind people of the awesome power of God, and God apparently used this power to make 2% of the world disappear. The GR somehow have conceived the idea that they are doing God's work. Being guilty in not acknowledging their faith to God, they want to be sure that they are worthy for the second departure.

Patti Levin was the leader of this organization in Mapleton, New York. She had several members recruited, participated in having beloved member, Gladys, murdered and then committed suicide herself in front of Chief Kevin Garvey. She also planned the placement of the "Loved Ones" replica dolls for the families of the departed on Memorial Day, as an evil reminder of The Sudden Departure. Patti has been a part of Kevin's life as soon as she brought in his lonely and estranged wife Laurie. There has always been a constant tension between the two. We've seen it in many episodes and situations where the two meet. 

Patti was and is still the master at getting under people's skin. Even if certain members of the GR didn't want to die or were afraid to, it was already too late. She knew how to push your buttons and lead you down the reaper's path. Kevin most certainly knew about all this and it has been justified before him. So what's to stop us from thinking that if Patti is a figment of Kevin's imagination and he is listening to her tell him to kill himself, that this doesn't originate from the beginning of it all? 

Laurie Garvey, former member of the GR...or is she? Laurie joined the Guilty Remnant because she was lost and Patti brought her in. Just like Gladys' puppy which Laurie wanted to adopt, she was instead adopted by The GR. In "Off Ramp", we have seen that Laurie attempted to leave the GR and started trying to get people away from that movement. Even fabricating the lie that Tommy had Holy Wayne's power to save people, she thought of anything to help them. This gives reason to believe that she could easily be lying to Kevin now. If she lied before, why wouldn't she be lying now? What if Laurie is still in the Guilty Remnant and is bringing more chaos to Miracle? If she really did care about Kevin, she could have gotten him help right away. She didn't really freak out when he said he was seeing Patti. Laurie could just be in on this. 

Meg Abbot still remains in The Guilty Remnant and from what we have seen, she has become the new leader. We have seen her powerful force on Tommy as a way to get Laurie's attention, but my, have the laws changed since then! What we know about Meg is that she was harassed into joining the GR and finally, willingly agreed to team up with them. She learned the rules, and quickly evolved into an admin, most likely filling the vacuum that Patti left behind. We've only seen her once this season threatening Tommy, but in the previews for the upcoming episodes, she reveals her pretty face yet again. It looks as though she has Tommy with him, and they could just be heading to Miracle. Was this the plan all along? Did Laurie guide them there or did Tommy follow her? 

Kevin Sr. We don't think he was a part of The GR but he did allegedly speak to someone who was not there, much like Kevin does with Patti. We know that he was diagnosed as a psychotic and lived in a mental facility. He tried reaching out to Kevin by telling him he was hearing voices, but Kevin never believed him. Do you remember that dream that Kevin had where he was locked up in there with his dad and Patti showed up? Kevin Sr. did associate with her in this "dream" sequence, and we know that the two have now come together somehow, some way. Does Kevin Sr. also talk to Patti or other members of The Guilty Remnant?  

Jill and Tommy have both been involved with The Guilty Remnant now. Heck, Kevin's whole family was! Jill tried to join the GR last season but wound up in the fire on Memorial Day. She wanted to be closer to her mom and most likely learned things along the way. She then returned with Kevin and now lives with him in Miracle. Did this escape her at all? Unlike Tommy, she hasn't been around any members of the GR lately, that we know of, except for Laurie. He certainly has though. Tom reunited with his mom and they devised a plan to destroy The Guilty Remnant. Now, Tom has found a way to leave his mom and by the looks of it, could be with Meg. Does Tommy know something about the GR that we aren't aware of yet? 

Kevin is guilty enough to be a part of The Guilty Remnant. We've seen him struggle with this since day one because well, firstly the fact that Laurie joined the group. His hatred towards them grew immensely over time, and this rivalry between him and Patti has very much so escalated. He has come into contact with the GR throughout several occasions. He witnessed the gruesome aftermath with the stoning of Gladys. He literally pulled his own daughter out of one of the GR's houses when it was aflame on Memorial Day. He knows what type of people these are, and this has stuck with him. If he has lost it, and he's imagining Patti...the fact that the GR commit suicide or are assisted in death for redemption has come full circle. Kevin might just be hallucinating Patti, like Laurie says he is. If that is the case, then he wants to kill himself a la Guilty Remnant style. Why not join them as well? 

The Guilty Remnant are not just some subplot of this story to throw us off, or add a little more drama. They are a huge part of everything that The Leftovers means. The GR have come to believe in something and are actually continuing to do their jobs even in the afterlife. It makes you wonder...do you think Gladys is Kevin Garvey Sr.'s adversary? Are they coming back with a message? Is this all even real? Remember, we have a psychological standpoint here, and then we also have ourselves a supernatural affair. Whose side will win? 

Be sure to read up on my previous article linking how psychology ties in here: The Leftovers: "Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity"

What are your thoughts on The Guilty Remnant playing a major role 

in regards to where we stand now?

Do you want more chat about The Leftovers? Get your fix by listening to The Living Reminders Podcast with detailed show discussion and amazing interviews with cast, crew, writers and directors of The Leftovers on HBO.