Damon Lindelof Talks About The Leftovers with Variety
The Leftovers had a big episode last night, and writer Damon Lindelof has something to say about it.
The Leftovers is one of those shows that needed time to grow. The first season wasn’t bad, but it was missing something. Perhaps a greater sense of direction. Luckily, season two was able to find its way and has hugely improved upon season one. Whether or not there will be a third season of The Leftovers has yet to be seen, but there’s plenty to talk about for now.
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In an interview with Variety, writer Damon Lindelof talked about the finale and the series as a whole. Much of the interview comes with a seriously heavy spoiler warning, so consider yourself sufficiently warned. Lindelof comes off as excited to talk about The Leftovers and is rather verbose in general. He’s also open to the fact that season one just wasn’t as good. When talking about the cultish Guilty Remnant, he admits that they weren’t so compelling in season one:
"“You’re not wrong. Nope, you’re right. Hopefully I feel like we presented the Guilty Remnant in a more compelling way through Meg’s perspective, because she questions them. In fact, she challenges the parts of the Guilty Remnant…There have to be people inside those religions questioning and challenging and offering new doctrine.”"
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The Guilty Remnant were a good hook in season one, but were ultimately on the more tedious side. The Leftovers might be Damon Lindelof’s comeback, as his reputation as a writer has suffered since working on Lost. There is still potential here for The Leftovers to go off the rails much like Lost (or Prometheus) did, but it’s been strong so far.
The interview also goes into Damon Lindelof’s many influences, including the excellent film Picnic at Hanging Rock. It’s a solid read if you’re caught up with The Leftovers, but also be warned that Lindelof has a lot to say.
Next: The third season of The Leftovers is up in the air.
About everything.