Kevin is the main protagonist of The Leftovers, and because of that it seems he should be the most developed character. Unfortunately, though we’re getting scraps of his past, with the infidelity getting top billing this week, he’s still so instrumental to moving the plot forward that he spends most of his time doing that instead of maturing as a character. Ideally, by the end of The Leftovers‘ first season, he’ll be fleshed out enough that we won’t need to still be uncovering bits and pieces about him week after week, but Kevin still feels like an unfinished product right now. There are also no obvious breakdowns for him in this episode, which suggests he may have himself more together than it appeared he did at first.
In terms of his romantic entanglements, I’m curious to see how his relationship with Nora continues. Both of them lost a lot in the Sudden Departure – we previously learned Kevin was with his mistress at the moment of the disappearances, which may explain why that infidelity was uncovered (perhaps she vanished and he was forced to report it), and of course Laurie has left him since, while Nora lost her whole family. However, seeing as The Leftovers enjoys revelling in misery and human weakness, I’m guessing that Kevin and Aimee might blur a few lines in episodes to come.
The Tommy/Christine plot is distanced from everything else that’s happening in Mapleton, which is a little frustrating, but if the idea that she’s carrying the antichrist continues to be explored in weeks to come, I’ll be interested to see what Tommy does. He’s far from stable, and he’s also rather aimless in his protection of Christine. If it turns out that Wayne’s up to something diabolical with the pregnancy plot, will he go back to the cult leader or continue to protect her?
In other Leftovers news, it’s interesting that Patti is being increasingly seen as more of a straight villain. She heartlessly bought Matt’s church out from under him last week, and masterminded a scheme to antagonize everyone in town during “B.J. And The A.C.” If the townspeople begin to clash more violently with the GR, as previews for episodes to come suggest, will she be humanized again, or does The Leftovers really need her to remain evil to keep viewers on Kevin’s side?
I liked “B.J. And The A.C.” Though there’s still a lot of glumness in Mapleton, I noticed some dark humor in this episode, which lightened the load for me as a viewer, and the plot developments were roundly interesting. It feels like a build-up to something more, though, with the GR carrying out its silent attack on the townspeople’s memory, and I’d imagine it’s the slowest, least exciting episode that we’ll see for the rest of the season. The GR are no longer just a nuisance – they’re an enemy army, and removing the photographs definitely crossed a line. I’m predicting a violent reaction, from the townspeople and maybe also from Kevin, now that Laurie has stated her intention to get him out of her life altogether. As for the episode’s main themes, when it comes to religion, the big takeaway seems to be, “Who cares?” By the end of the hour, every major character has twisted the knife in Christianity in some way, either by nicking B.J., tossing the doll into the woods, using the holiday to stage an attack or, in Tommy and Christine’s case, turning Christine into a Mother Mary figure.
What did you think of this installment? Have you warmed up to The Leftovers yet, or is the show’s dark and moody tone too much for you to swallow?