S01.E08: Cairo

[Tara Ariano]

Kevin wonders if his grip on reality is slipping after falling into a difficult situation with Patti, the leader of the Guilty Remnant. Meanwhile, Meg loses her cool during another encounter with Matt; Jill wants Aimee to explain her relationship with Kevin; and Nora shows Laurie she won't back down.

[Armchair Critic]

Shut up Patti, I was ready to put a bag over her head to have her stop talking.

[Constantinople]

I understand why the GR doesn't talk.

 

They make more sense when they shut up than when they speak.

[sunflower]

I don't understand at all and for the first time I don't think I really want to.  Nora and Aimee make sense to me and Kevin, when he's not sleepwalking doing shit.  The whole GR mindset is fucking bananas.  Even if you believe the shit you believe, why push it on others?  I wanted Patti to be forced to go back, but instead she kills herself.  We'll never know why this happened, so why do I have to listen to these crazy GR fucks that remind me of the Others from Lost?  Is Meg kidding me getting upset at Matt pushing at her?  How do you like it, bitch?  These GRs are so unlikeable and what's going to happen? And also, fuck Jill.  Did she seriously choose her Mom over her Dad who actually stayed with her?  I'll finish out the season, but that might be it for me.  Of course, Hot Cop is ripped.  

Edited August 18, 2014 by sunflower

[benteen]

I've come this far so I'll watch the final two episodes.  Then I'm calling it quits as this show annoys the hell out of me and makes no sense.  The GR's philosophy is, to use a line by David Tennant from Broadchurch, a bunch of self-indulgent horse shit.  I think it's pretty clear what they're planning to do "tomorrow" and the fact that the town likely won't respond by burning them alive in the church is ridiculous.

 

Despite often annoying me, I've liked Jill.  But I agree, after tonight fuck her.  Kevin's got a lot of issues and it's probably best to stay away from him.  But to go back to the selfish, self-indulgent mother abandoned her (to an increasingly unstable father) is the last straw for me.

[xlibris]

So is the GR where you go when you just can't even?

 

They'll soon be as tired of Jill as everyone else.

 

I had to TiVo last week's episode, and I ended up watching that one and the new one back to back tonight. Skipping a week did a lot of good for me -- last week, I think I would have been infuriated about this new wrinkle with the senior Garvey's insanity-not-insanity and Kevin's mysterious blackouts, but now I just don't really care enough. I don't care about any of these people except Nora, and I'm guessing Carrie Coon will be on a better show eventually.

Edited August 18, 2014 by xlibris

[phillychick33]

Is Meg kidding me getting upset at Matt pushing at her?  How do you like it, bitch?  These GRs are so unlikeable and what's going to happen? And also, fuck Jill.  Did she seriously choose her Mom over her Dad who actually stayed with her?  I'll finish out the season, but that might be it for me.  Of course, Hot Cop is ripped.  

I was lmao when Meg started yelling "you're everywhere!!!"  How's it feel beeyotch??! ahaha The GRs are supremely unlikable!  Was waiting on Dean to finish what he started.. doubted Kevin did much (if any) of what brought Patti to the cabin.. think it was all Dean and him doing a major mind screw on Kevin.  Though Kevin does have some anger issues.. lol 

 

Ditto on Jill!  What a brat!!  Now she's where she belongs, with her crazy mother!!  Wasn't a fan of Aimee's but felt bad for the girl tonight.. 

 

Also lol @ your Hot cop comment.. agree :)

[xlibris]

I was lmao when Meg started yelling "you're everywhere!!!"

She yelled that at the GR in the pilot, too. What an unhappy person — and not very self-aware.

Edited August 18, 2014 by xlibris

[Straycat80]

I was just relieved someone...Jill....finally cut loose that constantly barking dog. I was getting a headache listening to it!

[shapeshifter]

...doubted Kevin did much (if any) of what brought Patti to the cabin.. think it was all Dean and him doing a major mind screw on Kevin....

Yeah, but Kevin still hasn't figured that out and still hasn't put together the tobacco chewing with the smoking. Or is it that he (Dean?) took up chewing because he is not a GR and is just another kind of sick?

Too bad Justin Theroux and Jennifer Anniston aren't likely to have babies, because they would have beautiful skin.

So was that explosives/fertilizer or bodies or ashes delivered? I'm guessing "Still on" means explosives, and Laurie's look when Jill showed up was because it's one thing to blow yourself up, it's another to blow up your kid who has no clue what's about to go down.

Nora has a box of trouble hidden under a bed. Heh.

[Kris117]

 And also, fuck Jill.  Did she seriously choose her Mom over her Dad who actually stayed with her? 

 

 

Despite often annoying me, I've liked Jill.  But I agree, after tonight fuck her.  Kevin's got a lot of issues and it's probably best to stay away from him.  But to go back to the selfish, self-indulgent mother abandoned her (to an increasingly unstable father) is the last straw for me.

 

I kind of get Jill—she's at the age where a lot of young women push away their mothers as part of the growing up process. Jill's mother pushed away from her. How can you rebel against a parent who has already rebelled against you? Not that she's thinking that on any level, but I think it underpins her conscious feelings and actions. She's not thinking of her dad at all—she's just sticking herself right under her mother's nose, saying, "Try to ignore me and leave me behind now, Mother!" Jill makes me want to cry, between the times I want to lock her up and throw away the key. 

 

Poor Kevin. It's sad that he's still having his sleepwalking episodes even after the stopped taking the sleep medication. He needs to tape a note on every surface in the house, saying, "Sleepwalking Kevin, do not go anywhere with the dog-killer! He's bad news."

 

I also laughed when Megan started complaining about Matt getting in her face all the time. She won't shut up, but she's not listening to herself, either. Amy Brennerman really brought it there. And Laurie looks more haggard with each and every episode. 

 

I agree that the situation with Dean, Patti, and Kevin wasn't what Dean led him to believe. It seemed more like another staged "murder/martyrdom" like Gladys's. Patti had put things in order and she was prepared to be away when the explosives/whatever arrived. That doesn't seem like her. I hadn't made the connection between Dean's chewing tobacco and the GR's smoking, but thanks for pointing that out, because that's a good catch.  

 

Laurie looking over the books was also interesting, because I would love to know more about the GR's organization, just as Kevin does.

 

The sequence of the twins (Scott and Not Scott?) horsing around with the bulletproof vest reminded me so much of the twin kids from Bob's Burgers, Andy and Ollie Pesto.  They live in their own world, hovering around the periphery of the real world and other people. 

 

Nora has a box of trouble hidden under a bed. Heh.

 

I might buy that game just to stash private stuff in now. You know, all that stuff that if you died unexpectedly you wouldn't want your family to find. 

Of course, Hot Cop is ripped.  

 

Yes, he is, but for me it's those beautiful eyes. I could look at him for hours. 

[Kris117]

I think Alan Sepinwall hit on what's in those bundles: not explosives, but Loved One dolls representing everyone in the town who was taken. 

 

I'm assuming that the mysterious wrapped parcels that Laurie and the other GR members carried into Matt's church are Loved Ones dolls of the departed people of Mapleton, there to be dressed up in their old clothes as some kind of confrontational art installation. If I'm right, that means they stole all the family photos not to make a point, but because — as the fake Loved Ones commercial from a couple of weeks ago showed — the dolls can be made with the help of a single photograph.

[Armchair Critic]

I too thought it was those dolls, but didn't figure out for the whole town. Where are they getting their funding? That would be expensive.

[jcin617]

The sequence of the twins (Scott and Not Scott?)

Closed captioning identified his brother as Adam. Those two are a hoot.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I too thought it was those dolls, but didn't figure out for the whole town. Where are they getting their funding? That would be expensive.

 

The salesman at the DROP conference said that the replacement bodies were $40K for the high end version, but the base model was around $6K, so yeah it would be really expensive.

 

When Patti laid out all those clothes in the church, does that mean that when the Suddenly Departed disappeared that the only thing left was their clothing ?  If so, that adds an extra twist on what happened.

[seamusk]

This show is getting very intriguing.  I stupidly let myself be spoiled about the fact that Gladys was an inside job. Still, Patti's reveal was effective. Crazy cult lady that she may be.

 

I really resent the idea that you have to think about this tragedy all the time to honor it.  That's a stupid premise and a poor understanding of grief.  But I am enjoying the show.  I didn't realize quite how much I was looking forward to each episode. I agree that it started off poorly but I think it's finding it's footing pretty well.

[thuganomics85]

If Jill actually joins the GR, at least that would shut her up.  Jill is the worst.  I guess that's what happens when you are the child of a guy who has lost his damn mind, and a woman who would abandon her family to join a dumbass cult.  Still, I was actually glad when Aimee left, because even she deserves better.  But, the best was Nora handling her at the dinner table.  Go Nora!  Too bad Jill retaliating by breaking into your house, because she's an asshole!

 

Ha, Meg/Liv Tyler's outrage over what Matt was doing was hilarious.  What a hypocrite.  Matt and Nora are really the only two people I actually root for on some level.

 

I heard the speculation over Gladys being an inside job, so it wasn't surprising, but I guess somewhat intriguing.  It does show just how devoted these people are to their dumbass believes.  And, now Patti just kills herself, after rambling on for what felt like hours to Kevin?  Sure, why not?  Was this all part of some elaborate plan?  Was Dean involved?  Maybe we'll get answers.  I'm guessing not.

 

I do think those mysterious bags the GR was getting are bodies of some kind.  I'm thinking that was what the clothes are for.  Maybe those dolls mentioned a few episodes' back.

 

Two episodes left!

[ottoDbusdriver]

Based on all his shirts that the Chief found in the woods, it wasn't his first trip to the cabin in the woods near Cairo.

 

I didn't get the significance of the boots around the campfire with the bucket in the middle.  Was that something the Chief setup or was that an indicator that 4 campers disappeared from there on Oct. 14th ?  What was the deal with the bucket in the middle of the cold campfire ashes ?

 

ETA:  I'm onboard with the Jill hate upthread.  Just leave Nora alone and shut the hell up already.

Edited August 18, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[Irritable]

I realized the delivery was those dolls, too, and then it clicked why they stole photos of the departed from peoples' homes.  I was absolutely DELIGHTED to finally have an answer to something!  One answer!  Hallelujah!!!!!

 

It was also an answer of sorts, Patti's explanation of why they don't speak, wear their own clothes, etc.; to strip themselves of everything that makes them who they were before the vanishing, so they could focus 100% on their goal, which was to remind those who dared to move on with their lives that they should instead be thinking constantly about the fact that the vanishing happened.  It doesn't necessarily make big sense, but it makes small sense, and I will take anything that even resembles sense when it comes to this show.

 

I did a bit of poking around online about the original story and re: where the GR get their money, I saw this somewhere: 

 

When someone joins the GR, if they are married they are told to divorce, and any money they get from the settlement is to be given to the organization. If the new member received benefit money for being immediate family to one of the departed, they are to give the GR that money. Basically, if you join the GR, you are to liquidate all assets you have and hand the money over to be dumped into the GR fund that pays for food, housing and all of their "assignments".

 

Of course, with the small tidbits of information they did feed me, I almost forgot to be pissed about how many new questions this episode created.  Dammit!

Edited August 18, 2014 by Irritable

[Milaxx]

Yeah I figured out it was the dolls. I really wanted to throw a shoe at the tv this week. The dogpile of stupid that is this show is endless. Add me to the list of finishing the season and checking out. It's not just that the show is trying so hard to be meaningful, it's the feeling that everyone seems to feel like they are making high art instead of this steaming turd that only gives dribbles and drabs of actual plot. When half you viewing audience can't figure out  something as simple as the doll delivery, there's something wrong. 

[shapeshifter]

I too thought it was those dolls, but didn't figure out for the whole town. Where are they getting their funding? That would be expensive.

I had considered it being the dolls and then figured it was too expensive to be.

Based on all his shirts that the Chief found in the woods, it wasn't his first trip to the cabin in the woods near Cairo....

So those are the missing 7 shirts? Was he kidnapped by DogKiller 7 times? Was he being drugged, and, if so, how?

 

...I didn't get the significance of the boots around the campfire with the bucket in the middle.  Was that something the Chief setup or was that an indicator that 4 campers disappeared from there on Oct. 14th ?  What was the deal with the bucket in the middle of the cold campfire ashes ?

Well, Smoky the Bear would approve.

I realized the delivery was those dolls, too, and then it clicked why they stole photos of the departed from peoples' homes. 

Didn't think of that. This show should've been a NetFlix all-at-once release.

[NorthstarATL]

Between Liv Tyler and Patti I longed for the episodes where the GR didn't speak! Hopefully Jill will adhere to the rules, because I can't stand her. I can't be bothered to look it up, by where is the show taking place that gun ownership is illegal? Was Nora a felon and therefore not allowed to possess one?

   Two things I thought about (briefly): the family photo shows a dog, and the game of Trouble, IIRC involves all your pieces going "home" first in order to win.

   I thought Jill was bringing Leftovers to the dog.

[gaPeach]

Count me in as one who will watch the next 2 episodes and not watch if they have a season two. 

 

I don't know if it is because I have not gotten into the show or if it is because it is over my head but most of the time I have no clue what is going on.  At least Patti's speech before she offed herself filled in some of the holes but not much. 

 

I agree with the posters up thread that I really only like or can get behind Matt and Nora.  Good for Matt to give Liv Taylor the same shit they give everyone else.  I laughed when she said it was everywhere....hahahaha.  And what was with her writing down the time (or it looked that way) of when Nora left the house?   I hope they the GR

 

Is everyone in purgatory and the GR are angels there to make the non-believers aware so they can go to Heaven?  I don't know just me trying to figure this nonsense out.  I am sure it is much better in the book and reading it then what it has translated to on film.

[xlibris]

I like the theory that the GR and Dean are manipulating Kevin, but (1) we did see Kevin roughing up Patti in those flashbacks, and (2) all the flashbacks we've seen have been to actual events. Now that the show is beginning to answer some questions, I don't think it would change that particular rule.

 

Taking the fight to the GR also wouldn't be out of character for him if he were to become (even?) less inhibited. So if something's not right here, maybe that's an answer.

 

ETA: Who here said a few weeks ago that the cursing on this show feels gratuitous? I never bought all the f-bombs from Patti. Which is weird, because Ann Dowd did a good job bringing out her saltiness and flintiness, but all of her dialogue would have worked just as well clean, and probably even better.

Edited August 18, 2014 by xlibris

[phillychick33]

I agree with the posters up thread that I really only like or can get behind Matt and Nora.  Good for Matt to give Liv Taylor the same shit they give everyone else.  I laughed when she said it was everywhere....hahahaha.  And what was with her writing down the time (or it looked that way) of when Nora left the house?   I hope they the GR

 

Agree on Matt and Nora, they are my favorites in the show, but I'm rooting for Kevin too.  Mainly to make some sense of the mess that has become his life and work on fixing it.  Nora will help with that I'm sure.

 

The guy writing down times Nora leaves.. one of two possibles: GR is convinced she'll join them if they can wear her down (NOT!! lol) and want to make sure they're always in her face when she comes and goes.. Or: they need to know when she'll be out of the house to set up for their big Memorial Day reveal.  If Nora's family was home at the time they departed this is the most likley (I think) scenario.  Those creepy "dolls" are going to end up in her house. 

 

Just wanna' say... Other people (from this forum and elsewhere) have put together the stolen photos + room full of clothes + loved ones dolls = recreated Departed, etc.. so I'm not trying to take credit from the original posters!! :)  Good job on that!!  I had some inklings.. but wasn't quite all the way there.  But after viewing this week's episode, I'm starting to put some of the details together myself, and it's really making sense.  Especially when Meg said she "can't wait to see Nora's face" on Memorial Day.  Oh man I wanted to sock her at that point!!  With a brick!!! lol  So I'm pretty sure GR is going to decorate Nora's kitchen especially creepy (where she saw the flashbacks of them having breakfast), possibly down to the missing dog.  Or maybe use the backyard and the swingset like in the photo as the backdrop.

 

Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts and takes on the show.. really fun reading all your posts!  It helps to enhance the viewing experience and consider things in a different perspective... shame so many knock this show! 

Edited August 18, 2014 by phillychick33

[stillshimpy]

I actually started to wonder if Meg is a plant by the Feds.  We know that there is a Federal agency willing to wipe out cults from the Spooky-spooky phone call Kevin received and from Holy Wayne's Cult of Shot to Hell Hugs. 

 

 

 

Ha, Meg/Liv Tyler's outrage over what Matt was doing was hilarious.  What a hypocrite.

 

Mainly because of just that and the small smile of satisfaction when she got Laurie to react by belting Meg across the face.  Meg looked briefly satisfied by Laurie's reaction.  

 

 

 

Matt and Nora are really the only two people I actually root for on some level.

 

I can't really root for Matt.  I think Matt's mission just echoes the GR, he's trying to impose his interpretation of the events of the 14th on everyone.  He'll stoop to some really dirty tactics to try and accomplish that also.  Although it ultimately proved helpful to Nora that Matt destroyed her imagine of her own family, he was wrong to force that upon her, and not just because she's his sister.  It isn't Matt's right, god-given or otherwise, to determine for other people how they feel.  Plus, he is so set on doing so for his own selfish "If that was the Rapture, I shouldn't be here now and my wife really, really shouldn't have been crippled by it....therefore, my mission in life is to prove that this was not the Rapture of any kind."   He's really a lot like the GR only slightly less obnoxious and cloaked in an accepted belief system.  

 

I don't dislike him, by the way, I just don't see him as markedly different than any of the cults in what he's doing.  

 

Speaking of "what ____ is doing" , Patti seemed there to be martyred also.  Good to know Gladys was an inside job, although the show played fair with that by not having her killers speak (which seemed a giant clue to me).  I've long wondered if the GR was intent on erasing themselves in some kind of bid to bring everyone back.  If they think the only way to rectify the events of the 14th is to get everyone to stop trying to act like that didn't just break reality as they knew it.  Sort of doesn't change the fact that that would be a stupid goal, but they have to think what they are doing is worth something to want to do it.   

 

Boy I won't miss Patti.  I just wish Dog Shooter could have gone with her.  Also, poor freaking Kevin and his ever multiplying madness.  

 

Finally I actually don't dislike Jill.  If I knew a real person who had lived through an event like the 14th, their families relatively unscathed -- and at a developing age like 13 -- I would expect all of the kids to be really pretty messed up.  Don't you remember being a teen and your parents so often came off like hypocrites who existed to tell you what to do, although they appeared to be full of it, because their own lives were so often complete messes?  You grow up and most people realize, "Wow, my parents actually gave me some good advice, I probably should have listened a bit more....and all the hypocrisy was more about how insanely complicated most situations involving people are....it's hard to pare life down to simple sentences without leaving big gaps in between", but at the time?  Wow, parents seem like they are full of crap.  

 

Then something that NONE of them can explain happens and that feeling would be multiplied at a rate I can't even calculate.  So that "what's it all for?" feeling teens come by fairly naturally would be exaggerated.  But for Jill, it gets even more screwed up because in the aftermath of that world-fucker, her mother chose to leave her.  Their family apparently didn't lose anyone, but Laurie just freaking chose to do that terrible thing that wrecked the little kid world for Jill and all kids * , to her own kids:  She chose to stop existing for them.  

 

Yeah, I don't dislike Jill, but I do feel incredibly sorry for her.  I can't even imagine the pain of having your mom act like you were dead...to your face.  To become a town pariah and worse still, to not really have any damned notion as to why.  Talk about causing Trust issues.  

 

* part of the reason that teens and early adolescents can be just so damned charming (in that ironic way) is that, particularly for kids of a solid middle class system, as little kids you'd have sort of a sense of security and a belief in a lot of things.  Some things not attached to reality, like "Winnie the Pooh is real!" or whatever the case may be.  Growing up is just a long march through shedding that belief in impossible things and also the loss of a belief in your parents as being, if not super human, at least super capable. Nearly everyone has that world-damaging moment when your dad gets fired, or your mom gets sick or whatever it is that challenges your feeling of safety within the world.  That world-breaking moment when it starts to become apparent that , hey, no matter how well-intentioned your parents were when they taught you to share and be kind; the world doesn't really play by those rules.  

Edited August 18, 2014 by stillshimpy

[Enigma X]

So, the GR are about remembering the event and Wayne is about forgetting the event. I know that may be more basic than what is actually going on but that is what struck me while watching this episode.

[shapeshifter]

I can't be bothered to look it up, by where is the show taking place that gun ownership is illegal? Was Nora a felon and therefore not allowed to possess one?

Two things I thought about (briefly): the family photo shows a dog, and the game of Trouble, IIRC involves all your pieces going "home" first in order to win.

I thought Jill was bringing Leftovers to the dog.

Thanks for the info about the game of Trouble. I wondered about that.

Was Jill thinking of shooting herself? It seemed like it.

Was there some comment about guns being illegal, @NorthstarATL ? I missed that. They're in Mapleton, NY, but post-event gun laws could have changed. Dog Killer has 'em and uses 'em.

Nora mentioned she had a dog named Bubba at dinner. Then we see Jill using the doggie door to break into Nora's house. Does everyone in their town who owns a dog have a doggie door? Or would Jill have done the ol' break a window next to the door lock if need be?

Jill made a point of correcting Aimee when Aimee said Nora was sitting in Jill's mom's chair at the dinner table. So who was sitting in Mom's chair? Jill? Aimee?

Edited August 18, 2014 by shapeshifter

[Milaxx]

I too thought it was those dolls, but didn't figure out for the whole town. Where are they getting their funding? That would be expensive.

 

I had considered it being the dolls and then figured it was too expensive to be.

 

Seeing as they had no problem buying the church I didn't find it odd. You get a few members who have lost loved ones and filed for benefits willing to give up everything to wear white and smoke cigarettes and you have a cult with lots of money. 

[stillshimpy]

 I guess I've just been assuming that someone like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or the dread Koch brothers lost someone on the 14th and that the GR is being bankrolled by that entity.  

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like even in the world without a giant,  inexplicable reality-bending event, there's a lot of funding for people to get up to some truly peculiar stuff.  It wouldn't even take some billionaire with a departed person being sold on whatever the hell the GR think they are doing, it would just take some fabulously wealthy person trying to capitalize on the 14th by encouraging a further weakening of a societal structure.  

 

Why anyone would want that?  I have no clue, but honestly, I don't understand the motivations of large groups of people on a fairly regular basis, so I'm used to that "Huh?" sensation in real-life too  

[jcin617]

I really resent the idea that you have to think about this tragedy all the time to honor it.  That's a stupid premise and a poor understanding of grief.

That, and I kept wanting Kevin to ask Patti -- to what end?   What is it you are hoping to accomplish?   That folks get stuck fixating on something that has no explanation for the rest of their lives?     What would be the purpose of that?    It has no explanation (as Patti said, it doesn't matter) and dwelling on it forever isn't bringing them back.  And it's not like "moving on" from the event means the departed are going to be forgotten - so I have no idea what their goal is.

 

I mean, it seems like from what Patti was implying that she wants everyone to basically have a collective melt-down ("they just need a little push") and kill the GR to.... I guess somehow make themselves martyrs?   I dunno.

Edited August 18, 2014 by jcin617

[Constantinople]

Am I the only one who thinks of Kent Dorfman whenever someone refers to Dorfman? I'm thinking he moved to area to be closer to his grandchildren after retiring as a sensitivity trainer in Cleveland.

I'm also not sure if I'll continue watching this show next season.

The Garveys are monotonous. Since Kevin isn't Tom's biological father, I figure Tom is probably the least whacked out of the family since he only got batshit crazy genes from Laurie. On the flip side, that means Jill is or will be hopelessly nuts.

So, the GR are about remembering the event and Wayne is about forgetting the event. I know that may be more basic than what is actually going on but that is what struck me while watching this episode.

 

Is Wayne's cult about forgetting, or about not being wracked by guilty, worry, etc?

 

In any case, the theory of Wayne's cult makes some sense.  The GR's theory doesn't appear to make sense since I don't think anyone has really forgotten the events of October 14th, they're just not obsessing about it 24/7 while sitting around in white bathrobes, chain smoking.

[NorthstarATL]

 

They're in Mapleton, NY, but post-event gun laws could have changed. Dog Killer has 'em and uses 'em.

I was thinking that Jill's whole reaction to Nora's having a gun in her purse was fairly accusatory and only seemed in any small way appropriate if having one was illegal. Ditto Nora's answer, which should have been "none of your business" if she had a legal right to carry.

 

Jill made a point of correcting Aimee when Aimee said Nora was sitting in Jill's mom's chair at the dinner table. So who was sitting in Mom's chair? Jill? Aimee?

I got the impression that Jill was saying that her mother no longer had a chair there in that she had cut herself out of their lives, and they were no longer holding out hope of a return. (Of course, later she would find her mom's chair behind a desk at the GR.)

 

It wouldn't even take some billionaire with a departed person being sold on whatever the hell the GR think they are doing, it would just take some fabulously wealthy person trying to capitalize on the 14th by encouraging a further weakening of a societal structure.

Big Tobacco undoubtedly.

[hammaboo]

All this episode did was make me more interested in Aimee.  Did she lose her whole family too?

 

That and prove how juvenile Jill's thinking is - "If you feel better, you would have gotten rid of the gun."  How does that make sense?  Just because she isn't carrying it anymore doesn't mean she would necessarily get rid of it.

[Primetimer]

The Leftovers goes into the deep, dark woods. How dark does it go? And does it have a map?

Read the story

[Latverian Diplomat]

I was thinking that Jill's whole reaction to Nora's having a gun in her purse was fairly accusatory and only seemed in any small way appropriate if having one was illegal. Ditto Nora's answer, which should have been "none of your business" if she had a legal right to carry.

 

Well, Jill was looking for flaws to shoot down Nora in her father's eyes. Concealed carry in New York state usually requires a permit from the local chief of police. I doubt that Nora bothered with that, and Kevin does seems surprised by it. So had Nora had it with her, that would have been awkward dinner with said Chief. But honestly, I think you are overthinking it. Many people would find carrying a pistol around in a sleepy town like Mapleton to be weird, and even unsafe. 

 

After that, the break in seemed to be about Nora lying about it, but IIRC, she didn't lie, she said I used to carry it, and I don't anymore. Jill implies that Nora said she "got rid of it" but Nora never commits to that. Still, Jill seems to think that breaking into the house and finding the gun packed away catches Nora in a lie. Teenagers are exceptional at scouring the details of adult statements, looking for the slightest discrepancy, but even this seemed extreme for such a small detail. 

Edited August 18, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[LadyJaney]

These GRs are so unlikeable

They seriously are.  I can't stand them.  I'm not sure if we are supposed to see them as some sort of martyr or "symbol of what is right" because I don't.  They are smug, obnoxious, and they make no sense.  I think i despise Laurie the most.  The turned her back on her children for one thing.  For another, I hate her glassy-eyed, mouth agape smirk.  I just ant to smake her silly every time she pulls some of her shenannigans.  Ugh, Jill.  You are really leaving your dad to go back to her??

 

The part that made no sense to me especially was Jill's obsession with Nora having a gun.  OK, a little weird that she carried one around in her purse, but no so weird considering that her whole family disappeared from her.  Sure, she probably was afraid being alone and not knowing what happened.  But then she saw she didn't carry it anymore.  Feasible, she feels safer.  She's dating a cop for heaven's sake.  So what was up with her checking the house for a gun??  Odds were that if she didn't carry one on her, that she still owned it.  Plenty of people keep a gun in their home.  I didn't understand why it was so necessary for Jill to search her home to see if she had one and look all upset when she found one.  After what happened with all the people who vanished, I'm guessing a lot of home-owners got themselves guns.  Especially with the creepy GR's breaking in and stealing clothes and photos. 

 

There is a lot of stuff that makes no sense and a lot I don't care about.  However, I do want to know what's going on with Kevin.  He's about the only one I'm still invested in.  I like Nora alright too.

[jaybushman]

I didn't read Dean's "I fucking tried" comment on the way out the door as being directed at Patti. I read it as him talking to the same invisible people that Kevin Garvey, Sr. talks to - with the same profanity.<br /><br />Garvey Sr. did say "they" sent some one to help Kevin.

[NorthstarATL]

Well, Jill was looking for flaws to shoot down Nora in her father's eyes. Concealed carry in New York state usually requires a permit from the local chief of police. I doubt that Nora bothered with that, and Kevin does seems surprised by it. So had Nora had it with her, that would have been awkward dinner with said Chief. But honestly, I think you are overthinking it. Many people would find carrying a pistol around in a sleepy town like Mapleton to be weird, and even unsafe. 

 

After that, the break in seemed to be about Nora lying about it, but IIRC, she didn't lie, she said I used to carry it, and I don't anymore. Jill implies that Nora said she "got rid of it" but Nora never commits to that. Still, Jill seems to think that breaking into the house and finding the gun packed away catches Nora in a lie. Teenagers are scouring the details of adult statements, looking for the slightest discrepancy, but even this seemed extreme for such a small detail. 

I see what you did you did there with "Shoot down". Seriously, though, I see your point. I just hated Nora encouraging Jill's bad behavior. She was not breaking the law, and Jill needed to STFU..IMO. (Having lived in sleepy towns and big cities, BTW, it's usually the sleepy towns where you find that folks do lawfully carry, whereas the cities generally restrict gun toting to the criminals, allowing them the advantage.)

      Another thought. With the GR stationed outside Nora's home, how was the break-in undetected? Or were the kids just certain that the GR wouldn't talk?

[Latverian Diplomat]

She yelled that at the GR in the pilot, too. What an unhappy person — and not very self-aware.

At least we finally got Megan's motivation for joining the GR. 

 

Her mom died the day before. Imagine having the saddest days of your life while everyone else is obsessing over this bizarre and tragic thing that happened to so many other people. Devastating and isolating.

 

That's actually the kind of story I was expecting this show to explore. Instead, it gets one throwaway line, and we get tons of time given to high-functioning sleepwalkers, mysterious dog hunters, and pregnant teenagers on the run from government death squads. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

I see what you did you did there with "Shoot down". Seriously, though, I see your point. I just hated Nora encouraging Jill's bad behavior. She was not breaking the law, and Jill needed to STFU..IMO. (Having lived in sleepy towns and big cities, BTW, it's usually the sleepy towns where you find that folks do lawfully carry, whereas the cities generally restrict gun toting to the criminals, allowing them the advantage.)

      Another thought. With the GR stationed outside Nora's home, how was the break-in undetected? Or were the kids just certain that the GR wouldn't talk?

"Shoot down", was unintentional but the subconscious is a funny thing I actually think Nora handled it perfectly, meeting hostility with honesty and courtesy. She was also right to advise Kevin not to make a big deal of it. Not to stray into politics, but I grew up in a small town and knew scads of people who never owned a gun or did and took gun safety very seriously. They would have viewed what Nora was doing (carrying an un-holstered pistol, loose in her purse) as weird and careless. But it's not about what you or I would think about it, it's quite in character for both Jill and Kevin to find that a puzzling or even alarming thing for Nora to be doing.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[Guest]

At least we finally got Megan's motivation for joining the GR.

But was that her motivation? I ask only because I still have no idea what in god's name they stand for. How did Meg know what they stood for -- all they ever did was stalk her. It's not like we saw her researching the group on the Internet which, I would think, would be super easy to do. Or asking someone about them. And Jill. What's her motivation? Her BFF was mean to her? She didn't like her dad's new girlfriend who she saw had carried a gun once but doesn't anymore?

Is there something in Justin Theroux's contract that stipulates his hotness should be called to attention? I don't recall any of my friends having hot dads (and I sure didn't) and I would like to think, even if I did know some "hot dads," they would have still been considered "gross" because they were old.

Two more episodes and I am done with you awful show!

[Constantinople]

But was that her motivation? I ask only because I still have no idea what in god's name they stand for. How did Meg know what they stood for -- all they ever did was stalk her. It's not like we saw her researching the group on the Internet which, I would think, would be super easy to do. Or asking someone about them. And Jill. What's her motivation?

 

B&E.

 

Speaking of Jill & the GR, she seems to be the youngest person there by far.

 

Does the GR have some sort of minimum age requirement (not that I'd expect to find out from the show)?

[Jamoche]

The salesman at the DROP conference said that the replacement bodies were $40K for the high end version, but the base model was around $6K, so yeah it would be really expensive.

 

Really? They should talk to this lady in Japan, then - she could give them some tips.

[NorthstarATL]

 

Does the GR have some sort of minimum age requirement (not that I'd expect to find out from the show)?

I think you have to be 18 to smoke.

[LadyJaney]

I don't recall any of my friends having hot dads (and I sure didn't) and I would like to think, even if I did know some "hot dads," they would have still been considered "gross" because they were old.

That whole part of the storyline reminds me a lot of the movie American Beauty.  Jill and Aimee remind me of the characters Jane and Angela (right down to the J & A names for them).  Especially Aimee.  She reminds me a bit of Mena Suvari back then and the character Angela's lusty, sex-implied crush thing on Jane's father Lester (played by Kevin Spacey).  Every time they have scenes in the home like that, it reminds me of that movie big-time. 

 

Just a curiosity thing, are Kevin's tattoos really Justin T's or put on for the show?  I like them, I'm just curious.

Edited August 18, 2014 by LadyJaney

[Latverian Diplomat]

But was that her motivation? I ask only because I still have no idea what in god's name they stand for. How did Meg know what they stood for -- all they ever did was stalk her. 

 To be more precise, I think it explains why Meg was so unhappy and looking for something else. That's the kind of troubled person who would be drawn in by some kind of attention like the stalking. And I don't think Meg really understands the GR, that's why she keeps breaking protocol.

[xlibris]

Since Kevin isn't Tom's biological father, I figure Tom is probably the least whacked out of the family since he only got batshit crazy genes from Laurie.

If he wasn't shouting "FUCK!!!" every time we saw him, he might even pass for normal. 

 

In any case, the theory of Wayne's cult makes some sense.  The GR's theory doesn't appear to make sense since I don't think anyone has really forgotten the events of October 14th, they're just not obsessing about it 24/7 while sitting around in white bathrobes, chain smoking.

The mere fact that there are 10/14 cults all over America would seem to disprove the GR's theory.

 

On that subject, why is there only one cult in Mapleton? It's a pretty radical lifestyle change if you're not down with their program. What if you're only disaffected enough to paint a bullseye on your forehead?

Edited August 18, 2014 by xlibris

[A Boston Gal]

MD = Memorial Day ?

[ottoDbusdriver]

On that subject, why is there only one cult in Mapleton? It's a pretty radical lifestyle change if you're not down with their program. What if you're only disaffected enough to paint a bullseye on your forehead?

 

 

In the pilot episode, there were a couple of people at the Departed Memorial service with the same bullseye on their foreheads that Tom and Christine were wearing for a few episodes while traveling

-- they are called the Barefoot People in the book

.  So, yes, there appears to be more than one post-Oct. 14 cult in Mapleton.