S02.E05: No Room At The Inn

[formerlyfreedom]

Rev. Matt Jamison takes his vegetative wife, Mary, outside Miracle to seek answers about her condition, but their lives take a dangerous detour when he is barred from returning to town. Racing to get her back into Miracle, he struggles to keep Mary safe from desperate tourists squatting just outside the town’s gates.

[ToastnBacon]

Excellent opening scene creating "Groundhog Day" with the repetition.

I despise this year's nasally folksy theme song more with each listen.

The freaks in the camp are worse than the chain smoking GR assholes, and John is an asshole.

Matt is a dumbass and I didn't enjoy spending this episode with him until his showdown with John.

What a badass move to take that dude's place in the stocks, stupid but badass.

The no one is laughing at God song was cool, but then they had to play another nasal folk song as the credits rolled.

This episode sucked compared to last week's episode.

When Kevin and Nora showed up, I was hoping it would get better, but the damn goats cut our time short with them

Edited November 2, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[Primetimer]

Some shocking things and people happened on a very religious-y Leftovers this week. Let us count them for you!

Read the story

[Turtle]

Matt has always annoyed me, and this was way too much Matt (especially there at the end!).  I can't pinpoint why he irritates me so much, though.  So, this was not my favorite episode.  The freaks at the camp didn't help - they didn't seem interesting, they just seemed like someone thought it'd be fun to put a bunch of weirdos there.  I am still so confused about the whole oar/ Brian situation. 

There are so many loose threads out there for this show, I can't imagine how they're ever going to answer everything or even make most of it make sense.  It'll be interesting to watch them try, though.​

[ToastnBacon]

Matt has always annoyed me, and this was way too much Matt (especially there at the end!).  I can't pinpoint why he irritates me so much, though.  So, this was not my favorite episode.  The freaks at the camp didn't help - they didn't seem interesting, they just seemed like someone thought it'd be fun to put a bunch of weirdos there. 

I never liked Matt much either, but he can have his moments.

I am still so confused about the whole oar/ Brian situation. 

Don't be confused. It was a throw away scene, just window dressing with no meaning.

There are so many loose threads out there for this show, I can't imagine how they're ever going to answer everything or even make most of it make sense.  It'll be interesting to watch them try, though.​

They won't try to make sense out of everything.

They are throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and not caring what sticks. It is the TV show, Lost, in so many ways.

[BrooklynRat]

I really hate the format of a entire episode centered on one character (unless that character is Kevin).  Honestly have no interest in Mary, or Matt, this season-- he was vaguely interesting last season "outing" the  flaws of the departed, but I find his and Mary's story line a snoozefest.  Focusing on one character is reminiscent of the Lost story-telling format and I think a big fail, since it alienates everyone in the audience not particularly interested in a given character. Seems to be a thing this season so I guess I can look forward to this happening again.  Kind of like the whole Laurie episode--ugh, for me it's as if the show just didn't air this week since I have zero interest in these characters.

 

They won't try to make sense out of everything.

They are throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and not caring what sticks. It is the TV show, Lost, in so many ways.

 

 

Another Lost-ism that will also likely occur a lot and exactly what I thought about the Brian/bat scene.

 

Unrelated, but it seems to me casually handing off your catatonic wife is a huge ask.  Who would lightly take on that burden, especially, when he found his wristband and was free to return home?  It seemed so unrealistic it took me out of the scene.

Edited November 2, 2015 by BrooklynRat

[Tim Thomason]

I guess I'm in the minority, as I really liked this year's Matt episode. I'm not sure how this Texas version of the Kowloon Walled City is allowed to exist outside of Jaden. Surely the Sheriff's Department or State Police would up enforcement and try to rein in some of the crazies. There are children there, for Christ's sake!

 

The Brian/oar thing of course didn't make any sense, but I imagine they were like Matt, trying to replicate a chain of events that had some miraculous aspect to it.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

Matt has always annoyed me, and this was way too much Matt (especially there at the end!). I can't pinpoint why he irritates me so much, though. So, this was not my favorite episode. The freaks at the camp didn't help - they didn't seem interesting, they just seemed like someone thought it'd be fun to put a bunch of weirdos there. I am still so confused about the whole oar/ Brian situation.
There are so many loose threads out there for this show, I can't imagine how they're ever going to answer everything or even make most of it make sense. It'll be interesting to watch them try, though.​

 

Matt has always annoyed too and I can't put my finger on exactly why that is. Whenever an episode is devoted solely to him (like S1 E4), it's just slightly too depressing (which is really saying something considering how depressing the show is in general). But like another poster said above, Matt had his moments.

 

I watched "The Others" a few days ago and Christopher Eccelstone is quite good in his tiny role in that. He was also quite an attractive man 14-15 years ago. I'll give him props for doing the full frontal nude scene. It wasn't something I necessarily wanted to see like Tom's full frontal scenes or Kevin jogging but I admire the fact that the actor agreed to it. Once again, your move Justin Theroux. All the other actors playing major male characters are doing it.

 

Also, I have to agree with Matt Debenham's PreviouslyTV article - Brett Butler killed it. I would totally watch an episode devoted just to that character's story.

[WhosThatGirl]

This show.. I have no idea what to expect from it anymore. 

Wait, I do. I only really enjoyed it when we focus on Kevin, Nora, Jill, and the baby to be honest. I didn't really like seeing Tom and Lori uncult themselves and I didn't like this episode because I don't care about Matt or Mary. I also wasn't fond of this season's first episode that was primary about John and his family, until Kevin and the gang showed up.

 

One part that made me sort of laugh was watching Kevin's face when after John told Matt what he needed to say with Mary when she started to show was when Matt asked"what happened to you to make you like this"? you could just see Kevin's face go, "oh, no. What is he doing?"

Edited November 2, 2015 by WhosThatGirl

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

I feel like one of this season's themes is consent, given what we saw with Tom & Meg as well as Matt & Mary's storyline.

[Tim Thomason]

Unrelated, but it seems to me casually handing off your catatonic wife is a huge ask.  Who would lightly take on that burden, especially, when he found his wristband and was free to return home?  It seemed so unrealistic it took me out of the scene.

 

His pregnant, catatonic wife. With a 90% miscarriage rate. Between the baby and now Mary, Jill has alot of caretaking to do in the next five episodes.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

One part that made me sort of laugh was watching Kevin's face when after John told Matt what he needed to say with Mary when she started to show was when Matt asked"what happened to you to make you like this"? you could just see Kevin's face go, "oh, no. What is he doing?"

Kevin's "WTF" faces this season are really making the show for me. In so many scenes I feel like he's having the same reaction to the stuff around him as the viewers are to what other characters are doing on the show.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

Also, I was pissed Matt left Mary with Nora as well. Nora has a lot on her plate already - the baby, Kevin, & his craziness. Plus Jill (although Jill seems to be a really big help as far as Lily goes).

And Matt didn't even ask Nora to discuss it with Kevin or ask the both of them together. I guess Matt knows Nora (& maybe Jill) will do most of the caregiving for Mary but still....how can you not ask both people in the family/couple if it's okay if they assume care for the pregnant disabled sister-in-law? Matt has to know that Kevin is a little off (from clues like being called to help him bury Patti's body last year) & is essentially the third kid Nora is caring for. Then again, maybe he didn't ask Kevin because he knows Kevin owes him for the whole helping him bury Patti thing.

So did Mary wake up for those three hours or did Matt dream it/was delusional and acted out the dream/delusion? What do y'all think? I prefer to think she woke up but I can see how maybe he cracked and couldn't tell the difference between reality and delusion/dreams one night. I'm hoping she did wake up and will wake up.

Edited November 2, 2015 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[WhosThatGirl]

I don't know if Mary actually did wake up of if Matt dreamed it and then acted upon the dream. Before this episode and the news that she was pregnant, I would have assumed she never really woke up. Matt had a dream or something that it happened. But now she's pregnant and I wish that she did wake up for three hours because otherwise, Matt is more messed up than I thought he was. 

 

I also think Kevin's faces are like the viewers. I think at times Kevin, Nora, and Jill express exactly what the viewers are thinking this season. 

Edited November 2, 2015 by WhosThatGirl

[BrooklynRat]

So did Mary wake up for those three hours or did Matt dream it/was delusional and acted out the dream/delusion? What do y'all think? I prefer to think she woke up but I can see how maybe he cracked and couldn't tell the difference between reality and delusion/dreams one night. I'm hoping she did wake up and will wake up.

Nope, I don't think so.  I think she woke up the way she did when he was knocked out on the ground. 

 

Another throwaway unexplained occurrence: when the guy in the visitor's center tells Matt, "she" (supposedly, Mary) says they have to get back home to protect the baby.  Are we just supposed to assume/accept that Mary's randomly communicating telepathically with strangers?

Edited November 2, 2015 by BrooklynRat

[ToastnBacon]

Also, I was pissed Matt left Mary with Nora as well. Nora has a lot on her plate already - the baby, Kevin, & his craziness. Plus Jill (although Jill seems to be a really big help as far as Lily goes).

And Matt didn't even ask Nora to discuss it with Kevin or ask the both of them together. I guess Matt knows Nora (& maybe Jill) will do most of the caregiving for Mary but still....how can you not ask both people in the family/couple if it's okay if they assume care for the pregnant disabled sister-in-law? Matt has to know that Kevin is a little off (from clues like being called to help him bury Patti's body last year) & is essentially the third kid Nora is caring for. Then again, maybe he didn't ask Kevin because he knows Kevin owes him for the whole helping him bury Patti thing.

So did Mary wake up for those three hours or did Matt dream it/was delusional and acted out the dream/delusion? What do y'all think? I prefer to think she woke up but I can see how maybe he cracked and couldn't tell the difference between reality and delusion/dreams one night. I'm hoping she did wake up and will wake up.

Sorry, but I don't think you are going to find out if Mary woke up or not.

If Mary does wake up it will only be after someone turns a donkey wheel at the bottom of a cave that makes the Island move through time.

[represent]

 

So did Mary wake up for those three hours or did Matt dream it/was delusional and acted out the dream/delusion? What do y'all think? I prefer to think she woke up but I can see how maybe he cracked and couldn't tell the difference between reality and delusion/dreams one night. I'm hoping she did wake up and will wake up.

I'm thinking he did rape her in a state of delusion like the one he had when he was carjacked. But I think he went crazy/delusional, because that was the feeling I got just watching his routine at the beginning of the show. I knew he was going to start to flip out and he finally did and tried to force her to just look at him.

 

Yeah I think he did, and that's why he's left the way he is at the end of the episode. He's left in a state of humiliation and cruel punishment. A state of punishment in which he volunteers for because subconsciously he knows/feels he deserves it.

 

I didn't think I would like the episode, because I'm mainly interested in the Murphy's and the Kevin with his family, but it was a good episode. I liked it so much more than the one with Tommy and Laurie, that one, I found myself changing the channel. I just couldn't focus, I was bored. The only scene I liked was when the publisher called it and she realized that she was not really in control or dealing with what happened to her, and she just responded by  trying to choke a bitch. But otherwise that was the worst episode so far. Sorry Amy Brenneman cause I like her, she's a good actress.  

Edited November 2, 2015 by represent

[Hava]

I agree that Matt's episodes are just so much more depressing than the others. His episode last season was one  of my favorites, but it is just so difficult watching come upon one obstacle after another. The structure of this episode was so similar to the one last season. With things going his way, and then it all falling to pieces. 

 

I liked it up to the last scene, which just seemed crazy for crazy's sake. Like, who are these campers and why haven't the authorities stepped in to stop them from putting someone in that torture contraption. Just too weird for me. 

[Cardie]

Poor Matt wants so much to believe in God and do right by others and never manages to do anything other than fall victim to violent, exploitative people and get pushed to the edge of violent, crazy actions himself.

For those looking for definitive answers to mysteries large and small, the entire message of the show, and especially this season, is that we can never know. The Sudden Departure is a metaphor for every loss humans experience every day. We want to know why and there is no shortage of religions and philosophies to offer explanations or nihilistic assertions that there is no meaning. And we'll never know in this life if some of them are right or not. Lindelof isn't an atheist and hints that there may be something beyond our certainties that bestows some sort of meaning and operates outside pure reason and empiricism. (That was the endgame of Lost; they just buggered that up by attempting to offer empirical explanations and so came up with donkey wheels and glowing light caves that needed to have a drain-stopper.) He's wiser this time and is having a bit of a go at all of us by showing how desperate--and absurd--people get when they won't just "let the mystery go."

One reaction humans have long had to disasters is to assume that they are a form of divine punishment. They then punish themselves or choose a scapegoat to punish in order to appease the supposedly angry gods. The show even has literal sacrificial goats aplenty. That explains the shenanigans at the camp. The red-haired man must have committed some offense against Brian and he and his mom have decided that only getting whacked repeatedly by someone acting in Brian's stead will fix things.

So, Patti is either a ghost or a hallucination, Mary woke up or she didn't. We can't know anymore than we know why the tornado or flood spares the home of one prayerful family and destroys the home of one equally devout.

[Armchair Critic]

This show is so fucking depressing, I need to stop watching it before bedtime

[Hootis]

I've figured it out. This show is Damon Lindelof's revenge upon us for not liking Lost's ending.

For each episode he throws darts or rolls dice or employs trained manatees with idea balloons. A little interpretation and massaging and voila! Show.

The reason I started watching was Theroux, and he's getting lost in the menagerie.

[BetyBee]

I found this episode to be thought provoking.  I am impressed by Matt's love for Mary and how he never gives up.  The loneliness he is feeling at the present absence of his wife is palpable.  The repetitiveness of being a caretaker was touching enough, but then when we learned that he was exactly repeating events of the day she awoke, it was painful to watch.  I loved when Matt threw the wristband at John.  John is horrible and I too, would like to know why.  On a lighter note, what must the ride back have been like for Kevin and John?  Awkward!  I guess Kevin just rolls over at John's power.  Interesting.  

 

Final thoughts: I do believe that Mary woke up that night. I think this baby is likely to be born, but who knows?  I knew the moment we saw the stockade that Matt would be the next occupant.  I fear for him in that camp of crazies, but it is what it is.  Bret Butler was really, really good in her role.  

[ToastnBacon]

Poor Matt wants so much to believe in God and do right by others and never manages to do anything other than fall victim to violent, exploitative people and get pushed to the edge of violent, crazy actions himself.For those looking for definitive answers to mysteries large and small, the entire message of the show, and especially this season, is that we can never know. The Sudden Departure is a metaphor for every loss humans experience every day. We want to know why and there is no shortage of religions and philosophies to offer explanations or nihilistic assertions that there is no meaning. And we'll never know in this life if some of them are right or not. Lindelof isn't an atheist and hints that there may be something beyond our certainties that bestows some sort of meaning and operates outside pure reason and empiricism. (That was the endgame of Lost; they just buggered that up by attempting to offer empirical explanations and so came up with donkey wheels and glowing light caves that needed to have a drain-stopper.) He's wiser this time and is having a bit of a go at all of us by showing how desperate--and absurd--people get when they won't just "let the mystery go."One reaction humans have long had to disasters is to assume that they are a form of divine punishment. They then punish themselves or choose a scapegoat to punish in order to appease the supposedly angry gods. The show even has literal sacrificial goats aplenty. That explains the shenanigans at the camp. The red-haired man must have committed some offense against Brian and he and his mom have decided that only getting whacked repeatedly by someone acting in Brian's stead will fix things.So, Patti is either a ghost or a hallucination, Mary woke up or she didn't. We can't know anymore than we know why the tornado or flood spares the home of one prayerful family and destroys the home of one equally devout.

Awesome post!

As much as I hate the nasally folksy theme song, it is telling us not to get too wrapped up in the mystery.

[shapeshifter]

I knew the moment we saw the stockade that Matt would be the next occupant.

Yes. And was that about the same time we see a goat being led by a string as it crosses paths with Matt pushing Mary in the wheel chair? Even amongst the circus-like atmosphere of the camp, that goat looked significant--like the harbinger it was. No surprise that the guy who mugged Matt for his wristband wound up dead in a car crash because of (as Mary says) "those [f]in' goats."

I didn't question that Mary woke up until reading here. Now I do think she might not have. Still, they tried to have a baby for 10 years and now the "Miracle." That's what they'll name it if it survives, right?

Having pregnant Mary in a vegetative state creates an interesting conundrum for John and his witch hunt.

Oh, and her name, "Mary," as in the pregnant Virgin Mary. When Matt was amazed at the conception I momentarily wanted/expected him to say they had not had sex--but that would have implied someone really did take advantage of her.

[Save Yourself]

Yes. And was that about the same time we see a goat being led by a string as it crosses paths with Matt pushing Mary in the wheel chair? Even amongst the circus-like atmosphere of the camp, that goat looked significant--like the harbinger it was. No surprise that the guy who mugged Matt for his wristband wound up dead in a car crash because of (as Mary says) "those [f]in' goats."

 

I don't have the previous episodes so I can't check but I think the man leading the goat was the same man who sacrificed a goat in the diner an episode or two ago.

Having pregnant Mary in a vegetative state creates an interesting conundrum for John and his witch hunt.

Oh, and her name, "Mary," as in the pregnant Virgin Mary. When Matt was amazed at the conception I momentarily wanted/expected him to say they had not had sex--but that would have implied someone really did take advantage of her.

 

I did a bit of an eyeroll when I remembered her name is Mary - I thought Matt was going to think it was the Second Coming.

[ToastnBacon]

Here is that song that played at the end of last night's episode, Regina Spektor's "Laughing with".

I like the singer's voice a lot, and her delivery of these lyrics is amazing if you consider how many words and syllables there are in a couple of those lines.

I am an atheist, and I usually get annoyed when someone tells me that there are no atheists in foxholes.

However, I'm not so sure that is the message of this song.

This song, and the Leftovers, make me ponder how sweet, and yet how pathetic humans can be about matters of spirituality and praying to God.

I really don't know what to make of this song, or the Leftovers. But I do like how both make me feel in brief moments.

Making sense of this show is a bit like trying to make sense of a muddled dream. When I awake in the morning after having such a dream, the only thing I know for certain is there were good and bad parts to it.

Edited November 3, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[loki567]

Nora continues to be my favorite character with her extreme practically to all the show's craziness. Which in turn, almost makes her the craziest person on the show but I still love her. 

[Cardie]

I did a bit of an eyeroll when I remembered her name is Mary - I thought Matt was going to think it was the Second Coming.

 

Given the title "No Room at the Inn," Matt wouldn't be the only one.

My own personal take is that there are unseen spiritual forces operating in the Leftovers universe; some people can see and hear them, they are however in the minority. But the show is about uncertainty (as well as grief and loss) and is never going to give either the characters or the audience a definitive answer. Some who do get access will believe, will make a leap of faith as do Kevin's dad and Matt. Others, like Kevin, will view the visions as insanity. Meanwhile, people without access will continue to do all sorts of crazy and destructive things because they cannot tolerate not knowing.

[pandora spocks]

I don't know how Murphy can pass judgment on Matt when he's an arsonist.  Even though he suffered a personal loss, that doesn't give him a pass on being a colossal asshole.  The inhabitants of that whack-a-doodle trailer park looked like all the stereotypes of Walmart shoppers multiplied by 1000.  Brett Butler needs her own show on HBO but please ditch her mouth-breathing son.

 

Through the whole episode, I would alternate "what the fuck" with "that's crazy."  Thanks, HBO for giving equal time to the dong.  Since Spartacus is no longer on Starz, someone needed to pick up the slack.

[Psherryred1]

Yucck!! I was fresh from the Hallmark channel when my husband "forced" me to watch this garbage. It's true. They throw everything to the wall to see what will stick. I suppose maybe it's a safety measure because the writers may not know what "sticks," so they are playing it safe! I asked my hubby if they were all high writing the script. I watch it one year and it's in New York and then it moves to Texas. Where will it be next year? Maybe they will shoot it to the moon. What a waste of talent.

[represent]

 

Even though he suffered a personal loss, that doesn't give him a pass on being a colossal asshole.

But that was Matt's point, this guy was an assshole before his loss, before his wife loss her hearing, before he loss his daughter.

 

I mean, I definitely knew he was a nasty one, when he took that pie over to Kevin and his family. 

 

He was afraid to eat it, thought it might have been poisoned, yet he takes it over to offer to other human beings who have done nothing to him and just moved into the neighborhood?

 

And he knows they have an infant!

 

I was like, OK, that's just nasty.

 

Can someone explain what it is with him and his supporters in that town? Is it that they don't want to believe in miracles? So he goes around trying to control the narrative and anyone who is saying things like Matt or like his childhood friend whose home he burned down? So he tries to shut them down  by any means necessary. 

 

And if this is the case, why is he trying to do this? Why does he feel the need to control the narrative?

Edited November 2, 2015 by represent

[Adusk81]

What you all and I hate about Matt is the whole everything gets worse and worse for him by his own action and stupidity. Kinda like what happens in every Ben Stiller movie except it's not funny. Oh no wait, it's the same. He s nails on a chalkboard pathetic to watch and always on the verge of tears and mental collapse. It's not interesting and it's annoying as all hell. I really wish he was not a part of this season at all. And John's over the top ignorant self righteousness is wearing thin too. Other than that, love this season. More naked dudes please.

[represent]

Wait a minute, I'm having another flashback to a piece of season one that I watched. 

 

Now was there a scene, with Matt in bed with someone other than his wife, I think it was Laurie? Was he having an affair at one time or maybe he was just having a "wet dream" or something about what he wanted to happen with her?

 

I know I saw a scene with him in bed with someone other than his wife, but  I never stuck around long enough to figure out if he had an affair or it was just wishful fantasizing on his part.

[ToastnBacon]

Yucck!! I was fresh from the Hallmark channel when my husband "forced" me to watch this garbage. It's true. They throw everything to the wall to see what will stick. I suppose maybe it's a safety measure because the writers may not know what "sticks," so they are playing it safe! I asked my hubby if they were all high writing the script. I watch it one year and it's in New York and then it moves to Texas. Where will it be next year? Maybe they will shoot it to the moon. What a waste of talent.

LOL

If you spend a lot of time on the Halmark Channel, I can understand that reaction.

Although I said the same thing about the writers throwing a lot of stuff at the wall to see what sticks, I think there is some very good stuff on this show.

I'm more of a disgruntled fan of Lost when I speak ill of the writing.

This show is haunting me week to week, and I think that is usually an indicator of a show being thought provoking.

[WhosThatGirl]

Can someone explain what it is with him and his supporters in that town? Is it that they don't want to believe in miracles? So he goes around trying to control the narrative and anyone who is saying things like Matt or like his childhood friend whose home he burned down? So he tries to shut them down  by any means necessary.

And if this is the case, why is he trying to do this? Why does he feel the need to control the narrative?

 

My only guess is that he doesn't believe in miracles/god/things of that nature. Perhaps things we still don't know about have caused him to think this way, but also he seems to be surrounded by bad luck, his wife's hearing, his daughter now being lost. I just feel like he's probably always been a non-believer and now this undeniable tragedy came in the form of people randomly disappearing and his town is the only town in which no one did and now, all these people are flocking towards it. Complete with campers like this is a coachella like event, he just doesn't get it. Because bad things are still happening, they just seem like smaller things compared to the lost of a person for no reason. And now all these people are flocking towards his town and it's becoming a circus and I can see why he wants to change the narrative. 

[ToastnBacon]

My only guess is that he doesn't believe in miracles/god/things of that nature. Perhaps things we still don't know about have caused him to think this way, but also he seems to be surrounded by bad luck, his wife's hearing, his daughter now being lost. I just feel like he's probably always been a non-believer and now this undeniable tragedy came in the form of people randomly disappearing and his town is the only town in which no one did and now, all these people are flocking towards it. Complete with campers like this is a coachella like event, he just doesn't get it. Because bad things are still happening, they just seem like smaller things compared to the lost of a person for no reason. And now all these people are flocking towards his town and it's becoming a circus and I can see why he wants to change the narrative.

I'll go along with your analysis, but I would add that there is a practical reason to downplay the talk of miracles for the residents of the town.

Their town has been turned into a circus and many probably want things to return to a simpler time. I would think some of those townspeople who do believe in miracles, would want to downplay it, and root out phony claims and fraudsters.

That might be the reason the town gives John so much leeway in being the enforcer.

I'm sure they are reaping benefits from the sensational aspect of being departure free, but they have also lost a lot too.

[ToastnBacon]

Matt... ....he was vaguely interesting last season "outing" the  flaws of the departed,....

I had forgot about that!

Wow!

He actually has a lot in common with John, and now I'm looking forward to the talk he is going to have with him once he is out of the stocks.

 

[Jael]

I didn't watch last season, but the recap claims that Christopher Eccelston's Matt accent is BETTER than it used to be? I find it nearly intolerable as is. What IS that.

 

I enjoy skipping around from story to story, having things unfold in unpredictable ways, but by the time we get to the end of the season it will be unsatisfying if absolutely nothing coheres.

[WearyTraveler]

Poor Matt wants so much to believe in God and do right by others and never manages to do anything other than fall victim to violent, exploitative people and get pushed to the edge of violent, crazy actions himself.

For those looking for definitive answers to mysteries large and small, the entire message of the show, and especially this season, is that we can never know. The Sudden Departure is a metaphor for every loss humans experience every day. We want to know why and there is no shortage of religions and philosophies to offer explanations or nihilistic assertions that there is no meaning. And we'll never know in this life if some of them are right or not. Lindelof isn't an atheist and hints that there may be something beyond our certainties that bestows some sort of meaning and operates outside pure reason and empiricism. (That was the endgame of Lost; they just buggered that up by attempting to offer empirical explanations and so came up with donkey wheels and glowing light caves that needed to have a drain-stopper.) He's wiser this time and is having a bit of a go at all of us by showing how desperate--and absurd--people get when they won't just "let the mystery go."

One reaction humans have long had to disasters is to assume that they are a form of divine punishment. They then punish themselves or choose a scapegoat to punish in order to appease the supposedly angry gods. The show even has literal sacrificial goats aplenty. That explains the shenanigans at the camp. The red-haired man must have committed some offense against Brian and he and his mom have decided that only getting whacked repeatedly by someone acting in Brian's stead will fix things.

So, Patti is either a ghost or a hallucination, Mary woke up or she didn't. We can't know anymore than we know why the tornado or flood spares the home of one prayerful family and destroys the home of one equally devout.

 

The show is Schroedinger's cat!

 

Given the title "No Room at the Inn," Matt wouldn't be the only one.

My own personal take is that there are unseen spiritual forces operating in the Leftovers universe; some people can see and hear them, they are however in the minority. But the show is about uncertainty (as well as grief and loss) and is never going to give either the characters or the audience a definitive answer. Some who do get access will believe, will make a leap of faith as do Kevin's dad and Matt. Others, like Kevin, will view the visions as insanity. Meanwhile, people without access will continue to do all sorts of crazy and destructive things because they cannot tolerate not knowing.

 

I agree with your analysis here, and I think that Damon was more for always giving Lost a supernatural explanation but several things happened that prevented that.  I have no way of knowing if my theory is true, and this is a topic to discuss this episode of The Leftovers, so, I'll not go into it.  What I will say, though is that I don't think this show is as unfocused as Lost seemed to me at times (and I loved Lost, I thought the character study was quite effective, even if I didn't much like the crazy science).  I think this show has a very clear direction and is quite tight with its themes.

 

I know the episode title is probably meant to remind us of Mary and Joseph, but I thought Matt's physical and emotional journey here had some very strong parallels with Jonah's (from the bible).  He even walked into the dark "belly" of the "big fish", and was expelled in a gush of water, ending up in the camp grounds (Nineveh?) and doing the repentance himself.

 

This episode made me think a lot and I have a ton of ideas swirling in my head.  I don't know if I'll get around to posting all of them (busy time at work), but I liked that this show has me pondering stuff.  Good times!

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

Wait a minute, I'm having another flashback to a piece of season one that I watched.

Now was there a scene, with Matt in bed with someone other than his wife, I think it was Laurie? Was he having an affair at one time or maybe he was just having a "wet dream" or something about what he wanted to happen with her?

I know I saw a scene with him in bed with someone other than his wife, but I never stuck around long enough to figure out if he had an affair or it was just wishful fantasizing on his part.

Wait....what? I don't remember this happening at all. But I did binge watch the entire first season in one night (and there might have been a bottle of wine involved....). Am I forgetting this? If it did happen, does anyone know which episode from last season it was? I'd like to go back on OnDemand and re-watch. Edited November 4, 2015 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[WearyTraveler]

Wait....what? I don't remember this happening at all. But I did binge watch the entire first season in one night (and there might have been a bottle of wine involved....). Am I forgetting this? If it did happen, does anyone know which episode form last season it was? I'd like to go back on OnDemand and re-watch.

 

No, that didn't happen, that I recall.  The one who was in bed with a woman other than his wife was Kevin, not Matt.  Perhaps the OP has their names confused.

[A Boston Gal]

I know there've been a lot of complaints about this episode -too Matt-centric- but I have to admit: I burst into tears as the frightened little boy shakily offered the wristband to Matt. I knew in that moment Matt was not going to leave him there.

[What Fresh Hell]

I really like Matt episodes. I've enjoyed them all so far this season but admit the show seems to be sliding into Lost territory. Matt's story reminds me of John Locke's story with his dad. John had the same kinds of misfortunes when trying hard to be a helpful, good person who wants to do the right thing.

[BooBear]

One part that made me sort of laugh was watching Kevin's face when after John told Matt what he needed to say with Mary when she started to show was when Matt asked"what happened to you to make you like this"? you could just see Kevin's face go, "oh, no. What is he doing?"

I don't like Matt either (just something about him like he is mentally slow or something) but I turned on at the end and saw Kevin's HUH face and just had to laugh. I think I like watching Kevin's story so much because he seems so genuinely put upon.  I do agree that this show is veering toward Lost tricks, with the one character POV all about the same time.  Now... lets get on with this year's plot ok?

[Helena Dax]

In a world full of people with depressing lives, Matt's the number one. And  I'm very ambivalent about him. Sometimes,  I just can't stand him. It's like he's got  a sign over his head asking for a kick in the butt. Martyrdom really suits him, no wonder he ended up in the stocks. I don't think he wanted to atone for that rape,  though, because imo, he's  really sure she was awake. Maybe it was an hallucination, we'll probably never know, but to him,  it was completely real. He  took that guy's place probably because he thought God would like his pain  and sacrifice.

 

I also think that  other guy was in the stocks on purpose, that he was a penitent and he had to be there until someone took his place. I mean, everything in that camp seems to be about religion or faith; they wouldn't be there otherwise.  And  that would explain why the police wasn't  doing  anything to stop it.

 

Nora's awesome. Cold, but awesome. 

[numbnut]

I despise this year's nasally folksy theme song more with each listen.

 

It's almost as annoying as "The Affair" theme song, which I skip past every time.

 

Matt is a dumbass and I didn't enjoy spending this episode with him until his showdown with John. ... When Kevin and Nora showed up, I was hoping it would get better

 

Same here. A Matt standalone ep made me sigh heavily after the slow-dragging standalone Morgan ep on TWD. I'm only watching for Kevin, Nora and John's storylines at this point. Still waiting on Meg's situation.

 

I don't know if Mary actually did wake up of if Matt dreamed it and then acted upon the dream. Before this episode and the news that she was pregnant, I would have assumed she never really woke up. Matt had a dream or something that it happened. But now she's pregnant and I wish that she did wake up for three hours because otherwise, Matt is more messed up than I thought he was.

 

I'm thinking that he raped her. At first I didn't understand why he closed the laptop cam when he was upset, but now I think that he felt guilty about the rape when saw the image of himself with his catatonic wife in bed.

Edited November 3, 2015 by numbnut

[WearyTraveler]

I don't think he wanted to atone for that rape,  though, because imo, he's  really sure she was awake. Maybe it was an hallucination, we'll probably never know, but to him,  it was completely real. He  took that guy's place probably because he thought God would like his pain  and sacrifice.

 

Being in the camp that thinks that something supernatural is going on (or as Cardie put it, unseen spiritual forces), I'm leaning toward consensual sex.  Mary woke up and it happened as Matt said it did.  So, I also don't think he was atoning for that.

 

But I do think he was atoning for having said "Yes" to John the first time John asked him to lie and for putting himself first before the little boy; for thinking for a few seconds of taking that wristband that belonged to him, instead of letting the boy, who needed it more, have it.  He's atoning for his "selfishness", for taking Mary out of town when it wasn't really necessary.  I think in his mind, this all started because he was selfishly trying to get her to wake up again, for him, not for her; and in his mind, he took her out the safety of the town because he didn't have enough faith to be patient and await God's will.

 

It's a very Old Testament way of thinking. Lindelof was born Jewish but converted to Catholicism later on.  Both religions share the Old Testament as a core belief, so, IMO, that's probably why some of his characters seem to have the biblical archetype of the Old Testament.

[shapeshifter]

My only guess is that he [John] doesn't believe in miracles/god/things of that nature. Perhaps things we still don't know about have caused him to think this way, but also he seems to be surrounded by bad luck, his wife's hearing, his daughter now being lost. I just feel like he's probably always been a non-believer and now this undeniable tragedy came in the form of people randomly disappearing and his town is the only town in which no one did and now, all these people are flocking towards it.

I'm guessing the opposite of this is the case, that John was religious until something happened to destroy his faith. Matt, who is the embodiment of faith, asks John, "What happened to you?" John told Kevin in a previous episode that the reson he was in prison for 7(?) years was for attempted murder. Maybe John tried to kill a charlatan faith healer? IDK.

I know the episode title is probably meant to remind us of Mary and Joseph, but I thought Matt's physical and emotional journey here had some very strong parallels with Jonah's (from the bible). He even walked into the dark "belly" of the "big fish", and was expelled in a gush of water, ending up in the camp grounds (Nineveh?) and doing the repentance himself.

Like Jonah, Matt initially does not want to call the town leader (John) on his sins (Matt agrees to deny the miracle that his wife awoke from her state) but then later returns to the town after going through the belly-of-the-fish experience to confront John.

But more to the point, Matt tells the lady living in a "house" covered with framed images and art (what's up with that? an inside-out house?) under a large wooden cross that his favorite book of the bible is Job. Like Job, Matt has everything taken away from him, he is ridiculed by his so-called friends, and though his wife does not literally tell him to curse God and die, her total lack of responsiveness almost implies that message. So I think we are to see Matt primarily as the embodiment of Job, but I agree he is also a Jonah type of character.

Matt's story reminds me of [Lost's] John Locke's story with his dad. John had the same kinds of misfortunes when trying hard to be a helpful, good person who wants to do the right thing.

True. I'll leave it to scholar's of the historical John Locke (the noted philosopher) to draw any other parallels that might clarify Matt's character further.

Being in the camp that thinks that something supernatural is going on (or as Cardie put it, unseen spiritual forces), I'm leaning toward consensual sex. Mary woke up and it happened as Matt said it did. So, I also don't think he was atoning for that.

But I do think he was atoning for having said "Yes" to John the first time John asked him to lie and for putting himself first before the little boy; for thinking for a few seconds of taking that wristband that belonged to him, instead of letting the boy, who needed it more, have it. He's atoning for his "selfishness", for taking Mary out of town when it wasn't really necessary. I think in his mind, this all started because he was selfishly trying to get her to wake up again, for him, not for her; and in his mind, he took her out the safety of the town because he didn't have enough faith to be patient and await God's will.

It's a very Old Testament way of thinking. Lindelof was born Jewish but converted to Catholicism later on. Both religions share the Old Testament as a core belief, so, IMO, that's probably why some of his characters seem to have the biblical archetype of the Old Testament.

These ideas make sense to me, and I like them better, so I hope you are correct. Edited November 3, 2015 by shapeshifter

[Lady Iris]

Sorry, but I don't think you are going to find out if Mary woke up or not.

If Mary does wake up it will only be after someone turns a donkey wheel at the bottom of a cave that makes the Island move through time.

HEE! Donkey wheel. Those were some good times on Lost.

 

I've figured it out. This show is Damon Lindelof's revenge upon us for not liking Lost's ending.

For each episode he throws darts or rolls dice or employs trained manatees with idea balloons. A little interpretation and massaging and voila! Show.

The reason I started watching was Theroux, and he's getting lost in the menagerie.

I liked how Lost ended so why am I being punished? And amen about Theroux. Hottie McHotterson.

 

The end of this ep I said out loud to myself. "WTF was that?" Sorted things out and realized Matt was off to punish himself but really? You have a vegatative wife who requires round the clock care and you're off to the pillory for however long it takes some other moron to come along and take your place? What a nincompoop.

 

I know myself, I'm gonna stay with this show til the bitter end but I can only pray it wont be too bitter.

[islandgal140]

I watched "The Others" a few days ago and Christopher Eccelstone is quite good in his tiny role in that. He was also quite an attractive man 14-15 years ago. I'll give him props for doing the full frontal nude scene. It wasn't something I necessarily wanted to see like Tom's full frontal scenes or Kevin jogging but I admire the fact that the actor agreed to it. Once again, your move Justin Theroux. All the other actors playing major male characters are doing it.

 

Also, I have to agree with Matt Debenham's PreviouslyTV article - Brett Butler killed it. I would totally watch an episode devoted just to that character's story.

 

I am just glad to see that my 'Free the peen' movement is gaining momentum. 

 

Holy shitballs! I kept thinking that Brian's oar crone looked familiar but I couldn't place her but damned if it ain't Brett Butler. Feel like I just got hit lightly with an oar. 

 

It's almost as annoying as "The Affair" theme song, which I skip past every time.

 

 

 Oh dear Gawd yes!!!

 

Feel like I am at a bit of a loss since I never watched Lost and reading these comments I don't think I ever will. 

 

I don't mind Matt but this was rather a large dose of him. I loved his devotion to Mary at the beginning which what brought me to be incredibly annoyed with him at the end. Why leave such a burden on someone else with their own responsibilities just to go stand in a stockade with your junk swinging in the breeze?  Seems selfish.