Good synopsis from Reddit... In "A Most Powerful Adversary," Patti couldn't tell Kevin why she was with him, and now I think we know why: because he was the one who wanted her there, not the other way around. I think Kevin's whole arc this season has been about how hard it can be to let go of things/relationships that we know are bad for us. Kevin wasn't ready to let go of Patti. Matt helped him bury her, but Kevin dug her back up. The ATFEC agent asks Kevin if he wants to 'blow his life up' when he turns himself in to the authorities. He says, 'No,' but still he can't let go of Patti. He asks Nora and Jill if they want to get out of Mapleton, but of course he brings Patti right along. And once he's in Miracle, we see what lengths he willing to try to get rid of her and yet even after killing himself he still has trouble leaving her at the bottom of the well. And we see Patti has trouble moving on too. She isn't able to move on. She's stuck at the bottom of the well. And for the first time she asks Kevin for help. He jumps to the bottom and she tells him the story that allows them both to move on: She tells him the story of Neil, of her own trouble letting go of an unhealthy relationship. She's scared. So is Kevin. Finally her words and his actions allow them to part.
Agree from an entertainment perspective it was pretty meh. Just looking for the nuggets of silver lining now.
Speaking of, that staircase Kevin walks down in the hotel looks like the exact same one JGL walks on talking about paradoxes in Inception.
A few other random thoughts... Neil says half the people run around doing crazy shit like being an assassin. I wonder if that half is going through their own trial or exorcism. We see Mary in the episode. To the best of my knowledge she is the only character that we know that is shown in the episode who we don't know as being dead. Perhaps a clue to her state. Couldn't help thinking about the well as being a well of souls and Jarden's number being related Interesting reference to loved ones being buried in a cave and trying to dig them out I was very confused by Virgil's role in this. I thought he was supposed to be a guide, but he was anything but in the outcome, so does that just mean he killed himself to end things? It certainly can't be a Christianity redemption as suicide is not allowed to the best of my knowledge. I liked the Holy Wayne Deja Vu comments about the last time they met in the bathroom http://i.imgur.com/3pUp5FQ.webm
Stoleon from reddit, the car Kevin drove while he was dead is the same car Evie and friends drove when the disappeared.
I guess what I didn't like about the episode was that it felt very predictable. Lots of symbolism and subtly but overall Kevin slays his dragon and rises from the earth, just as many predicted. So anti climatic for me, but still held my attention. My favorite part was Michaels "holy shit" reaction at the end
After a lot of thought I think Im pretty disappointed with the episode. Many times the thing I love about a show is taking its overall theme and thinking about the direction I would go with the writing. When the writing goes too far against my own concepts and themes, I dislike it. Definitely a me problem. Its also why I REALLY get into some shows though bc they are always in line with what I like about the idea of the show. (Breaking Bad, The Wire, Mad Men, etc.) Diving into the spiritual world was never the point for me in this show. If anything I think that lets the characters off the hook. If you can go to a spirit world and fight your personal demons and then come back, then the departing event is no longer as maddening and terrifying. Dealing with the unknown was an incredibly smart story arch for each character. The cave woman scene at the beginning of this season was pure brilliance in clearly illustrating what the leftover people were dealing with in terms of the unknown. Now we have magic black men sending the main character to a purgatory like scenario where things go completely ape shit and the episode drowns us in heavy handed symbolism.
So was Michael just going to bury him and not tell anyone what happened? I think that is going to be more interesting.
His grandfather told him what would happen, which is why he had his lawn chair and snacks set up to watch
Did you expect them to kill off the main character? I kind of see what you mean but I would take this ep in more of a progression of the character more than some suspenseful story with a plot twist. It was a scenario that needed to play out so that Kevin could progress as a character. I think what's more intriguing is to see if it actually worked or not. For all we know Patti will show right back up.
I didn't hate the episode as much as others. It was at least a better purgatory-esque story than the Kevin Fenerty Soprano's arc. By the way, easiest Final Jeopardy! question ever? Even my wife knew it.
Hate is too strong for me. It just went exactly the way I expected. Maybe I'm just used to more action this season. That ep woulda fit in well with last seasons vibe ...
Guess it didn't catch me off guard cause I knew he was dreaming. Then we're told he's an assassin and Patti is his target, so more killing was obvious. All I'm getting at is the episode went down like many predicted ITT and elsewhere. Kept waiting for a moment and I don't feel like it really came ...
Another poster mentioned it, but I don't understand wtf the point of Virgil was. He was supposed to be some guide but failed miserably. Gave him bad advice on killing Patti then drank the water and couldn't remember who he was anymore? Why did they seem to be building up to some showdown between Kevin and Patti? Before he killed himself, she yells at him not to do it. Then Virgil says she'll be playing tricks to get him to fail. But instead, once he realizes she's actually the little girl, she goes totally willingly. Even at the bottom of the well, she was scared but seemed to understand the way things needed to go. One of the great things about the show has been how the characters and viewers alike have to try and figure out if supernatural things are really going on, or if it's just in their heads. This episode seemed to go all-in which I'm not a fan of. I've seen people suggest it could have just been some hallucinogenic drug and it rally WAS just in Kevin's head, but the dude was buried alive. Pretty sure you're only surviving a few minutes of that, even less if you're already unconscious. All the commenters on Sepinwall's review are gushing about how great the episode was, but I don't get it at all. That shit made no sense and was super disappointing.
to rebuild his relationship with his dad or to show that his dad wasn't crazy and actually did know things...? idk but that's my take on it
That was one of the most fun hours of TV I've watched in a long time. Not sure how anyone could hate it.
I had a feeling this would happen but the more I think about that episode the more I really loved it. I think my initial reaction was somehow swayed by my feelings that an episode like that could serve to kill a show that is already potentially on the chopping block. I think even if the show were to end this season it achieved a lot.
Interesting theory from Reddit... kevin has been to the hotel before... Kevin grabbed the rope and cinder block and Virgil told him he needed a guide. But he ran off. Which means that when he started drowning, he probably made it to the hotel and picked the cop outfit, and probably screwed up ( the black hood) cause he didn't have a guide to tell him what he needed to do. I think Assassin Kevin passed drowning Kevin in the hotel hallway.
I like the theory except in the end Kevin didn't need a guide. Virgil didn't do shit for him, his dad did.
Saw the twist coming but another great episode. Never thought Meg would become an interesting character or that a Meg-centric episode could actually be good. I really hope the writers and actors get nominated for this season.
Another great episode. I love how for a show that doesn't promise us answers, we get answers to all of the little things and it all comes together. Best example being confirmation that he doesn't believe he has holy Wayne powers and it was a fraud. One of my favorite things about the writing is the way that when a character experiences something they try to make us experience it too. Best example from this episode is not telling us what her mom said.
The standoff between Matt and Meg was phenomenal. It was like god versus the devil. Also what do you suppose Meg meant by trying to get him pregnant?
Good interview with Lindelof about the episode http://variety.com/2015/tv/features/leftovers-evie-alive-episode-209-damon-lindelof-1201649433/
A few things I love about this interview... his awareness of how the audience reacts to his shows and trying to still write a great story while being collaborative with the audience in the sense that he is going to try to please them - good example is treatment of the GR this season compared to last (we need them for the story but they need to evolve to something we can tolerate as viewers) the idea that he needed a backbone for the season Nods to things we picked up on like the girls mocking the Miracle song the nod to reddit and crowd sourcing the outcomes of cliffhangers or mysteries and how they need to be smart about story telling so that they can still have a twist that is fair (I think this is where shows like Homeland fail) but not easily figured out by "an incredible creative algorithm" intentionally having kevin dragged out of the room so that we are ok with the fact that we know we are not having one put over on us by a fake death
Just saw this and did not make the connection until I read it... Meg's cricket phone ring (or text) and the possibility that there was a phone in the house that was ringing the day that John was looking for the "crickets"
Taking that a step further (I do not remember the size of the box), but what if there is a phone in there with the cricket ring and that is what sets shit off next episode?
so is the prevailing theory that the girls try to hang themselves from the bridge ( the three ropes in the Kevin bridge sequence last week)?