Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Leftovers Season 2 Blu-Ray Review

Written by: Blake Larsen


The Leftovers on HBO was supposed to be Damon Lindelof's glorious return to television. It was dark, mysterious, and laser focused on it's characters. And if you're a Lindelof fan, you know all of these traits fall right into his wheel house.  And while there is an extreme and unreasonably loud minority who were disappointed in Lindelof's masterpiece of LOST, it was apparent that Damon had learned from his LOST experience.  Instead of keeping the spotlight of The Leftovers on it's highly tantalizing mystery of 2% of the world's population disappearing, both he and show co-creator/author of The Leftovers, Tom Perrotta, decided to willingly admit that they were NOT going to tell you why the departure happened or where the departed went.  It was an interesting choice, and it preemptively cut all of the old LOST naysayers right at the knees. Season one, although shrouded in some controversy about it's tone and storytelling structure, was, in this humble podcaster's opinion, excellent television.

So it's easy for me to say that if season one was excellent television, then it's second season was nothing short of transcendent.  Sure, there was a fair amount of tweaking done to season two in terms of characters, setting etc.,  but these were all changes that were unexpectedly positive, needed, and most importantly, well earned. In other words - it was a huge improvement and I think that not only was it the best show of 2015, but season two of The Leftovers stands firmly among the top five of any season of television I have ever watched. Click "read more" for a comprehensive review of The Leftovers Season two Blu-Ray.




THE SYNOPSIS


More than three years ago, 2% of the world's population inexplicably vanished - 140 million people, gone in an instant. No country, no state, no city was spared, except for one small town in eastern Texas.  Population: 9261.  Departures: Zero.  This is the setting for a tale of two families: The Garveys, who have moved to this special place, and whose lives were forever changed by the Departure, and the Murphys, a local family that seems to have been spared from an event that shook the rest of the world.  But even in the town of Miracle, you can't escape your past.

THE SEASON

A lot of people may think I am being overly dramatic when I say season two of The Leftovers, "stands firmly among the top five of any season of television I have ever watched."  Of course, it's easy to get caught up with the echo chamber of critics and go for the high praise roller coaster for the show as it's being aired.  But, a few months removed from the season two, I've had a chance to let it ruminate with me and I can honestly say that I stand even more confident in my "best season" assertion, and I am not the only one.

Changes were made to season 2 that were well needed.


As with all shows, setting is probably the MOST  important and oft under appreciated aspect of a production.  That does not mean  the season one setting of fictional town, Mapelton, NY was not good.  It was.  But, there was something special about Miracle, TX.  Yes, literally special, but, the eastern Texas town is also a setting that is rarely utilized in television. It created a whole other mysterious, ethereal feeling to the supernatural leaning experience of The Leftovers.  And if you doubt how important setting is, just ask LOST, or Breaking Bad, or even Bloodline for that matter.  Setting can be a character in and of itself.



Even the opening credits changed from season 1 to season 2.  Gone was the stringy and almost operatic tunes from Max Richter and in came the more self aware, flighty and downright honky tonk sounds of Iris Dement's "Let The Mystery Be."  A great nod to the fans,  the new sequence is Lindelof and co. literally telling you how they want you to experience the show.


Also in order was a decently sized cast changeup.  Of course, all the main players like the Garveys, Jamisons, Nora and even one Patti Levin remained.  But new and more engaging cast members like The Murphys (brilliantly played by Kevin Carroll, Regina King, Jovan Adepo, and Jasmine Savoy Brown) and Virgil (Stephen Williams) were added to the mix. This was also a risky move - especially after the season premiere cold opening of the cavewoman - because we were expected to invest an entirely different family we had never met before.  But while the cavewoman opening was so bonkers that it actually worked, the Garveys and Murphys were interwoven to perfection.

The structure of the story was also tweaked.  Instead of focusing on every character for each episode, Lindelof and co. realized that their story worked most effectively in character specific episodes. So we were treated to episodes each week that were specifically targeted on one or two characters of the overall ensemble.




As such,  the viewers were allowed to experience the story through the character's eyes and emotions, as opposed to having to worry about story contrivances, or pushing the plot forward. Many heralded the Nora centric episode, "Guest," as the best episode of season 1.  I think it would be fair to say we were given a season full of episodes like "Guest" in season 2,  which culminated in the unbelievable, trippy, and groundbreaking Kevin-centric, "International Assassin."

Another radical standout to season two is the triumphant return of Max Richter's slightly altered score. Yes, the main themes all remain - but it's tiny tweaks like a slide guitar version of "The Departure" theme that blew my mind.  

But as good as Richter was, the use of alternative versions of pop songs like "You're The One That I Want", "Where Is My Mind?", "Never Gonna Give You Up," and "Homeward Bound" was masterful.  They conveyed the exact tone for what the show needed to achieve, and left you singing these songs even weeks after the episode aired.

These changes, while numerous, were not trite or forced.  They were all organic in a sense that it seemed like the natural progression of where a story like The Leftovers would take itself.



Granted, the show is still The Leftovers so it's going to be dour, intense, confounding, and even sad at times.  And,  yes, like season 1 there are still plenty of questions left for interpretation, and Lindelof has no intention in telling you the rules of the show, or how to watch it.  (although he does come fairly close in choosing the aforementioned "Let They Mystery Be" as the new theme.)  Suffice it to say, a police procedural, or medical drama this is not.

The Leftovers took what it learned from season one and built upon it with great ease.   For example, those expecting answers to the opening mysteries like why there are goat sacrifices, why there's a lady dressed in a wedding dress watering her front lawn, why Patti has returned, and others, will all be satisfied.


More importantly, as it relates to the over all mysteries, and story,the Garveys, the Murphys and how they each relate to each other is handled with adept precision. Kevin's journey to discover himself, and decipher his undoubtedly questionable sanity in season 2 is the main, gripping arch.  While the other plotlines of Kevin's creation of a new family with Nora, The Murphy's struggle to find balance with their demons,  the plight of the Jamison's, and how Laurie Garvey, Tom Garvey, and The Guilty Remnant all fit in to what's happening in Miracle, TX, were all tied up in a way that that gives the main arch gravitas and weight that one would not expect.


But, I'm forgetting Liv Tyler's Meg Abbot, right?!  Nope.  The less I say about her, the better.  Because you need to discover Meg's role in this for yourself.  All I will mention about her is that Liv Tyler is scary.  Scary in a way I never imagined her.  Scary in a way that you will never be able to watch the famous Animal Crackers scene from "Armageddon" the same way again.

Never. Ever. Again.

She nearly steals the show.

And you will witness a truly textured, and fully developed devil woman character in Meg Abbot.

In the end, season two is a huge improvement on season one.  And, to be honest, that's high praise considering the pedigree from which it came - that being one of the top 5 best shows of 2014.

 It's hard to find a flaw in season two.  If I had to be honest, I could make an argument that I wanted more Nora.  But, it'd be an argument built on straw legs and full of half measures.

This season never lagged.  Each episode was expertly written, tightly edited, beautifully shot, and never suffered from filler.  The proposed mysteries were solved, but were allowed the room to breathe as the answers came at a well needed trickle, and the characters were all given the opportunities to resolve their personal arch.

From broken washing machines, to Patti Levin's saran wrap, to baby carrots, to ancient wells, and drunken karaoke, (yes I know how absurd it all sounds) the momentum of the narrative NEVER let up.  I daresay it even reminded me a touch of LOST.  This unrelenting narrative force and how every seemingly innocuous detail was brought back to the forefront (so much that it was plainly clear that every facet had been planned out in advance) is what made season 2 a near perfect season of television.

Not bound by the established text of The Leftovers book this season, Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta have brought the masterpiece goods in season two and the performances by Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Ann Dowd Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Margaret Qualley, Chris Zylka, Janel Maloney, Regina King, Kevin Carroll, Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Steven Williams, Darius McCrary, matched the writing in every way.  But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the spectacular work of Mimi Leder and Craig Zobel as directors and also Todd McMullen for his superb work as Cinematographer.

THE BLU RAY 



Technical Information:
  • Format:  Dolby, English 5.1 DTS Surround Sound, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English
  • Subtitles:  English  SDH, French, Spanish
  • Region: Region A/1
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Studio: HBO Home Video 
  • DVD Release Date: February 9, 2016
  • Blu-ray Price: $44.96 SRP
To my slight disappointment - there are no extras with the Blu Ray copy of season 2.  We are treated to only 2 discs that are comprised of the ten episodes that make up the season.

Disc One:
  1. Axis Mundi
  2. A Matter of Geography
  3. Off Ramp
  4. Orange Sticker
  5. No Room At The Inn
Disc Two
  1. Lens
  2. A Most Powerful Adversary
  3. International Assassin
  4. Ten Thirteen
  5. I Live Here Now

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Blu Ray edition is simple and to the point.  I wish there were a little more extras from the cast, crew, and production.  Perhaps even a commentary track.  But, ultimately, what matters most for the common viewer is the story and season two of The Leftovers has that in spades.  What's best? We're even getting a season three and I think we have yet to see the best of what Damon Lindelof has to offer in The Leftovers.

Own The Leftovers season 2 on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD February 9, 2016




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.


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