The Virgin Diaries: Episode 4

Written by: Ashley Crawley

Hi, my name is Ashley and I’m a virgin… of The Leftovers, that is. For those just stumbling onto my posts for The Living Reminders for the first time, here's the scoop. I only recently discovered The Leftovers phenomenon and have committed to catching on from the beginning – season one. Actually, let’s say catching “up”… because in Damon Lindelof land, there’s no guarantee one over catches on. And I like that.

If episode three left me feeling I could endlessly eat off The Leftovers buffet, this episode made me consider whether fasting could be a very real option.  Don't get me wrong - I'm on board, fully on board.  But this episode was just "eh" for me. I don't have unrealistic expectations that every episode will blow my socks off. Even my all-time favorite shows have "valley" episodes. This felt like one of those to me.

Let's relive this B.J. and A.C. roller coaster ride!

The good news is that throwing one of those episodes in midway through (here we are, episode 4 of 8) often indicates that we're about to be treated to some jaw-dropping content and story lines. Outlander fans, remember "The Search"? ***ducks to avoid a beating***

"B.J. and the A.C."  Immediately, I'm in go mode to decipher the initials.  Once the episode started, all I could assume was that BJ = Baby Jesus.  By the end of the episode, I kept saying this show was the "anti-Christmas"... heeeeey, that's an A.C.!  As is Anti-Christ, which in that case - damn, this show has some deep, dark undertones. 

Episode 4: B.J. and the A.C.

1. This opening scene… I feared we were watching that video expose from years ago that disgustingly revealed how McDonald’s chicken nuggets are allegedly made. I’ll spare you by not exposing you to the photo without opting in here.

2. Ok phew, they’re making dolls. Personal reveal: dolls creep me out. Doll heads, especially.

3. But this is the coolest lead-in sequence I’ve seen on TV in quite some time. Brilliantly executed.

4. Sweet baby Jesus! Or as my Modern Family-loving husband yelled, “Where’s the baby cheeses!?”

5. I feel like it’s been a couple posts since I’ve expressed my love for Ann Dowd as Patti. Often, I think she might have gone to the John Black school of eyebrow acting (for the random Days of Our Lives fan who might get that), but overall, she’s perfect for this role.

6. Patti’s “There is no family” elicited a “what the f*$k does that mean” out of Kevin… and me. Patti points to a picture of Laurie in explanation ***drops mic*** I feel like she owns a lot of those moments.

7. The ugly naked guy yelling “they’re all in white” is creepy, but likely shouldn’t be ignored. I have a general rule for film and TV characters, and, well, for life really. Pasty children spouting off ominous statements should warrant your attention (“I see dead people”). I’m adding this naked guy to that category.

8. When your town has lost hope in anything positive, I guess it’s all hands on deck for the missing baby Jesus. People need to cling to something, even if it’s just a distraction from their “new normal.” Also, Kevin's son is "missing."  Interesting parallel.

9. Christine is pregnant with Wayne’s baby!The baby Jesus is missing, but she’s having the prophet’s baby. ***head shake***

10. Not that I doubted Jill needs help, but talk about a cry for help – she stole the baby Jesus.

11. Remember the pilot episode where I thought I couldn’t be more disturbed about teen behavior from that party scene? I was wrong. This tops it.

12. “Everything that matters about you is inside.”

13. The GR ride the bus. Fantastic.

14. Laurie is on Kevin’s doorstep!!! Am I that much a sucker for love overcoming all that any time these two share space, I imagine we might get a reunion? Don’t answer that. I know you know. Of course you know. Don't tell me.

15. Tom isn’t his son? Did we know that? Also, this “Dear John” letter by proxy is brutal. To be clear, this whole scene is BRUTAL. And yet, it’s my favorite of the show thus far. Why? Because there hasn’t been a lot of lengthy multiple-character scenes of significance yet. It’s been mostly singular characters operating in a silo, with some stray dialogue (loose term given some of the key characters are silent) here and there. But this, this is significant and these two as the leads are dynamic.

16. I would have bet the farm these two were already divorced and she’d been part of the GR for a little less than the three years it’s been since the departure. Nope, still married. And, it’s only been 6 months?!

17. Lighter engraved “Don’t Forget Me” - Tugs. At. Heartstrings. And it’s down the drain. Ouch. What’s interesting to me here is that Jill comes off so angst-ridden and numb that you’d assume she’d have marked her mom as “dead” long ago for abandoning them. Yet here she breaks a bit, showing subdued hope and excitement at seeing her mom.

18. A shoeless cult with painted Captain America-esque bullseyes on their heads – where can I sign up?

19. There is a running constant of gold in this episode. I can’t help but feel it’s a subtle nod to biblical themes given the setting and timing of this episode. Biblically, gold can mean what we all know it to mean – wealth and power. But it is also used to signify resilience, something that can withstand fire (as gold can).

20. I love the Prius twins, and want Jill to hang out with them more. They seem like good apples. I’ve been meaning to say that.

21. Baby Jesus is back and safe. Looks like Chief Garvey gets his win! (loved that rationale from Mayor Lucy as to why Kevin should find a doll, and yet he couldn't bring himself to achieve the win by buying a new one. Interesting.)

22. Whoaaaaaaaa, the corpses are all in white, just like the dream ugly naked guy had. Also, I’ve heard of this scam he’s referencing before and it’s disturbing… families pay to have their loved ones cremated, only the company never follows through and instead gives them bogus ashen remains. Or people who donate their bodies to science, like this one.

23. The baby Jesus is safe, and yet no one cares. In the least. Kevin’s confused reaction, for all the awards.

24. Flirt. Flirt. Flirt. I’ve changed my tune on the Kevin-Laurie reunion. The energy between Kevin and Nora is electrifying. This is headed somewhere.

25. The GR is lurking outside the school. Something is off. The lurkers are the decoy. This is bad. This is bad. This is bad.

26. “There is no family.” Bah hum bug, these folks kill what magic of Christmas might have been left for the sad sack town that is Mapleton.

27. For consistency’s sake, the GR passenger vans should be white. I’m just sayin’.

28. 99 percent (completely made-up statistic) of shows offer up very special, feel-good holiday episodes to give fans the warm fuzzy eggnog vibe when they need it. Not this show. It’s the anti-Christmas. Thank goodness, because it wouldn’t be authentic.

29. If we’re charting the peaks and valleys of intrigue in this show, this one is a valley. It had me a little ho-hum, but I’m still powering onto episode five.

30. Nothing special to say here… I just hate prime numbers and couldn’t end on one.

Thanks for going on this ride with me again and feel free to relive previous episodes here:

• “Pilot
• “Penguin One, Us Zero”
• “Two Boats and a Helicopter”

Does this episode get a cheers or jeers for you, and what's your guess on the episode's title? 

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.