S01.E01: Pilot

[KurlyGrl]

I couldn't help but think they could have at least picked a higher freaking building.

 

I thought the same exact thing.  Until they crashed into the car, I thought it was come college boy prank.  Like they were daring each other to jump off the roof onto something.  Like in that movie Project X where the kid jumps off the roof of the house into an inflatable bounce house and only broke a finger.  

[GaT]

It was sort of stated in the show, GaT and I haven't personally read the books and it does seem to be what the show is implying.  

 

When Mrs. Didn'tGiveARat's backside answered the door about Duffy (dead dog in the trunk), she indicated that Duffy disappeared the same day her husband did and that her husband was one of the Bye-Bye-Guys (the ...missing?  the disappeared?  what are we calling them?) , some character also talked about how the dogs became feral and went to live in a pack.  

 

There's one thing I noticed though, they didn't in anyway menace the Chief, they went straight for the stag.  Rushing right past the Chief.  So I don't know if they're meant to be a danger to people, or if they've reverted to some kind of primal, feral primitive state.  

 

Or if they blame the deer?  Because seriously, that's just about how clear the show wasn't about why the dogs had gone nuts.  I almost found it more telling that they looked directly past the Chief and ran down the stag in a pack.  I think -- although I could be dead wrong and it's early days -- that they might be suggesting that the dogs understood something about the disappearance that the people didn't.  

 

Hell, the way they ran past the Chief, I almost wondered if the dogs that saw someone vanish are meant to be treating all people as having vanished.  

 

Also, in the "I look for the dark humor" category (four seasons of Game of Thrones will do that to a person) -- when Tom had his little flashback to those kids jumping off the roof?  I couldn't help but think they could have at least picked a higher freaking building.  Oh my god.  I mean, go big, or go home, but that fall was more likely to land them in the Ortho Wing than the morgue. 

So it sort of sounds like nobody knows about the dogs LOL. I think they're trying to imply something about the chief being special because of the way the dogs are treating him. The first dog seemed friendly to him, & the pack of dogs didn't attack him, but ran past him to attack the creature who (possibly) screwed up the chief's kitchen. The chief may be the show's special snowflake. Yuck.

[BigBlueMastiff]

Ugghhh I want to like this show, but totally agree on being utterly confused, and I watched it a couple of times. First, hate Liv Tyler, her "acting" is like watching goldfish swim in a bowl. She has such little range, and the pouring and voice grate. Second, the mayor looked so much like Anita Hill, it was all I could think of in all of her scenes.

Was it me, or did it look like the chief was sexing Aimee in that flashback in the bar. Speaking of Amy, her character made me want to punch her I the mouth. The fake orgasm scene, and then she goes and fucks that guy, with a lame apology, WTF? Great friend, and who talks to your friend's dad the way she did, no one I went to high school with. It felt contrived, creepy and over the top. Also sick of angsty teenagers, where are the decent ones, oh yeah, the twins.

Likes: the twins, their dynamic is cool, and seems genuine; Justin Theroux.

Black cult leader is weird. I don't get the motivations of either cult, making both of them frustrating to watch. And the GR's silence and smoking is contrived and stupid, making them all annoying. If I were the chiefI would've shot Amy Brenneman, not the dog.

[Bosman]

Apparently the cult of mime forbids talking and personal hygiene. 

 

I wanted to like this show, but found it lacking. And it seemed to drag on forever. 

[benteen]

I enjoyed this show more than I thought.  Justin Theroux did a great job.  I think the general reaction was realistic.  Losing those they loved was bad enough but having no answers is brutal.  The world it would create, an angry world with few people holding themselves back, works.

 

Did love seeing Buddy Garrity pop up.  The fact that the guy driving him looked like Tim Riggins really made that scene work.

[RedheadZombie]

The difference (for me) between Lost and this, is I didn't feel the need to know everything in Lost - at least not until the last season.  I would watch in awe, and only later wonder what it was all about.  I loved most of the characters on Lost, and I felt it always had a certain amount of hope.  Pilots are difficult, but I think they did too much info dumping in this show.  It would be like in the first episode of Lost, we learned Locke was paralyzed before the crash, Hurley had won the lottery and it was a curse, and Sayid was an Iraqi torturer.

 

I'm still confused about the dogs.  When it was stated that the dog and owner disappeared at the same time, I thought that translated to - ok, maybe the man is coming back too.  Or, maybe the man is being kept somewhere near.  Instead, it seems that there's a huge pack of rampaging feral dogs that only the bald guy and now the chief can see.

 

And the deer on the dog owner's lawn - I swear it was two different creatures stuck together, you could see the line of demarcation in the middle.  The front half looked either alive, or a stuffed deer, and the back half looked like a lawn deer ornament.  It was like a Twin Peaks moment.  And then it disappeared - presumably under it's own steam.  And how apathetic could that nasty woman be?  Who cares that the dog's dead??

[shapeshifter]

the Chief is just going to fall for this incredibly see-through 'her parents are totally going to be there' act? He's a cop for the love of all things cliched.

I may have to keep watching just so I can read you turns of phrase the next day, @stillshimpy.

Can someone explain to me about the dogs?...where are the poodles...

And your turns of phrase are worth it too, @GaT. I think "where are the poodles" is going to be the mantra for this show. LOL. We've got to get our comic relief here, I guess, 'cause it doesn't look like the show is going to give any.

one of the Bye-Bye-Guys (the ...missing? the disappeared? what are we calling them?)

Well, the opposite of leftovers in my fridge might be called "devoured," but that doesn't fit.

BTW, my mom was bemoaning that there is "nothing on" in the summer, and I wondered if they changed the series title to Leftovers when they learned they were demoted to summer scheduling.

Was it me, or did it look like the chief was sexing Aimee in that flashback in the bar.

I thought maybe he was imagining doing it with the lady at the bar, or maybe we were seeing her fantasy. Hard to say. Maybe thinking of his wife before she took up smoking. Edited June 30, 2014 by shapeshifter

[LakeGal]

I guess I expected more.  I don't think I will continue with this show.  I was a bit unimpressed.

[AuntiePam]

I thought the woman he was boinking was his wife -- it looked like she had Laurie's hair color. 

 

When he was asked "Didn't you go crazy?" (paraphrasing) and he answered "No, that was my dad" -- I assume he did have some kind of breakdown and that he's not recovered.  The pills by his bed, over-sleeping, the visions/dreams -- guy's stressed.

[walnutqueen]

I didn't like the dog thing - at all.  I am nearly convinced this will be another good premise gone bad, like Lost; except the characters didn't do much to capture my interest in this first episode.  I'll give it a chance, but not much of one.  (Still bitter?  Hell yeah.)

[Helena Dax]

I liked it. It's interesting to wonder what would happen in that situation and the story isn't afraid to explore the consequences. I read the book a year ago and I enjoyed it; I didn't know if it could work as a TV show, though. This first episode makes me feel hopeful about it. 

 

The people from that cult must reek, ugh.

[ShellSeeker]

I liked it. It's interesting to wonder what would happen in that situation and the story isn't afraid to explore the consequences. I read the book a year ago and I enjoyed it; I didn't know if it could work as a TV show, though. This first episode makes me feel hopeful about it. 

 

I liked it too. Strange, weird, premise. Since it's by Tom Perrotta I'm in for at least the first season. I loved the movie Election and Little Children was good too. And anything on HBO is worth checking out. The only HBO show I've ever really hated was John From Cincinnatti. Everything else I've either enjoyed and watched faithfully, or decided it wasn't my cup of tea but I could see why other people would like it. So I will give this a chance.

 

I agree with the poster that said going through something like this would not really be like losing a loved one to a terminal illness or an accident. In cases like that you know what happened, you can process it, and try to move on. In this situation, no one knows what the fuck happened. At all. One moment people were there, and the next moment they just vanished. It would make you question everything you thought you knew. With no real answers to what happened, all you can do is wonder, which would be enough to drive some people to the brink of insanity, and others plunging all the way into the abyss. I've seen/read interviews with people whose loved ones have disappeared or been abducted. Many of them say that even though they're pretty sure their loved ones are probably dead, it's the uncertainty that is so hard to live with, and that they pray for an answer, one way or another, so they can find some closure and move on. This show seems to be expressing that sentiment on a much larger scale.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Queasy-bo

[Pallas]

The dogs were explained as having witnessed their owners' disappearances.  I believe one of Jill's friends told her that people who witnessed disappearances might then struggle on and rationalize from there, but that dogs were more or less unconditional about this too: they went straight ahead into freaked out, and didn't look back.  

 

I buy it.  And I smiled at the implied reference and contrast to LOST's Vincent -- who survived everything Craphole Island could thrown at him and his for six years, multiple masters and several time shifts, yet never lost his equanimity. 

[Latverian Diplomat]

I buy it.  And I smiled at the implied reference and contrast to LOST's Vincent -- who survived everything Craphole Island could thrown at him and his for six years, multiple masters and several time shifts, yet never lost his equanimity. 

 

I buy the basic premise, but it seems like a lot of feral dogs in one place to me. It's been three years, and presumably the dog hunter has been after them for a while, (not to mention lawful animal control). I didn't have a problem, with the pack being restricted to larger breeds, it's tough out there, and smaller dogs are vulnerable to coyotes and other predators.

 

Also, the stag didn't look winded or particularly frightened, it would seem to me that it could have escaped. This did not seem like the end of a long rundown. Lastly, why wouldn't the dogs scatter at the first shot, even if they are super hungry.

 

This concludes tonight's episode of "Overthinking It!" :-)

[Pallas]

I buy the basic premise, but it seems like a lot of feral dogs in one place to me. It's been three years, and presumably the dog hunter has been after them for a while, (not to mention lawful animal control).

 

This is true.  Especially with the equation, one feral dog = eyewitness to one or more disappearance, of only 2% of population.  Then again, maybe the eyewitness dogs are in communication with all their brethren, and have influenced non-witnesses to abandon the Leftover humans and join the pack.  The canine equivalent of the white-clad Grim Weepers.  

 

Also, the stag didn't look winded or particularly frightened, it would seem to me that it could have escaped. This did not seem like the end of a long rundown. 

 

Also true.  That was one deliberate deer.  

[scrb]

Amy Brenneman looks too old to be JT's wife.

 

The daughter's friend looked too old to be a teen.

 

Is that suppose to be the chief's tattoos or the actor's tattoo?  So unlikely for a cop much less a chief of police to be tatted up like that.

[penelope79]

The reason why I watched this is because Damon Lindelof is one of the authors (apparently, there's almost no LOST love here but I was and will always be a huge fan of that show and yes, even a satisfied one... unbelievable, right? :D). That said... it didn't convince me. I will watch a few episodes more though, because as other posters have already stated, pilots are not easy at all, hence I will postpone my judgement. But for now, I feel like it lacks something to catch my attention enough to watch a full season. I liked the Chief, but not enough to root for him and all the other characters do not intrigue me, at the moment.

And, most of all, I feel confused.

 

I, too, don't understand what's the point of the GR and think they're really annoying. I realized Amy Brenneman's character was Justin Theroux's wife (sorry, I can't remember the names yet) when he crashed the glass of their family portrait and I saw a quick glimpse of a light brown haired woman, so I kept wondering why she wasn't at home with her husband and kids and was instead smoking with the GR folks... and then that little flashback occured of the Chief having sex with a woman when IT happened who, as far as I remember, didn't look like his wife and I said to myself: "Ok, maybe it does have something to do with her leaving her family." Although, for the life of me, I really can't get why she abandoned her children too.

Also, why and how do they target certain people (like Liv Tyler)?

Yes, the whole GR seems a lot confusing.

 

The same goes for the other cult: the guru guy (his name was Wayne, IIRC) looks like he lost a son but he communicates with him in dreams where he tells him things about to happen, which is some kind of a high concenpt... and yet, he seems to have a thing for Asian girls in bikini (they were all Asian)? Sacred and profane? Again, confused about this one too.

 

And don't get me started with the dogs. When the woman said to the Chief that the dog disappeared when her husband did, my first thought was that the dog disappeared too but he came back "damaged". But that was before all those feral dogs, so I don't know now.

 

Also, I agree that it would need a bit of comic-relif: all drama shows have it (even shows like LOST or Game Of Thrones, but I could go on), otherwise they would just be too much depressing.

 

I love animals with all my heart, but am I the only one who saw the deer in a negative light? Granted, my reason is called HANNIBAL, but still.

 

Anyway, I'll wait till episode 3 and if I still feel like this, I'm afraid I'll quit.

Edited July 1, 2014 by penelope79

[Nihilum]

Man, screw you LIndelof, you are not roping me in with this same shit again. I decided to give it a shot to see if he'd improved, but he's up to the same cryptic, "mysterious" tropes he failed to deliver on before. I'll wait till the season is over and spoil it to see if anything ever actually pays off.

[sadiegirl]

I am starting to think that every actress in Hollywood has a clause in her contract that someone has to comment on how pretty she is.  I can understand one white wearing person saying to another 'oh, she's pretty' but when you've taken a vow of silence and have to use pen and paper for everything, you pulling out the pen and paper only to comment on LIv's looks seems ridiculous.  When that is your only means of communication, wouldn't you save it for important stuff?  That was just one ridiculous thing that happened.

 

I want to like the show but I'm not sure.  Too many unanswered questions.  And I feel three years in the future is too long.  I want to know how the cults started and what their beliefs are.  Maybe we'll find out eventually, but absolutely nothing was made clear (to me, anyway) and that left me feeling lost and not very interested.  We shall see if I stick with it.

[mntnsrck79]

I'm sure I would be devastated if I lost a loved ones like that, but three years seems like more than enough time to process what happened and move on, even if no one really understands why it happened. Instead, almost all the characters are acting really raw about it, like the "rapture" happened last week. It would have been interesting to see characters who managed to get their act together instead of focusing on a bunch of whiny, self-indulgent woe-is-me types.

 

This was my biggest issue with the pilot as well.  Obviously opinions vary about what the natural reaction to this kind of event would be, but I think that is just proof that individual reactions would really vary.  Sure, some people would still be totally depressed and in just a pit of self-destructive wallowing 3 years later, but some people would move on, be strong, actively seek answers, etc.  I think it's extremely unrealistic that every single person in society would have ended up like these people.  I just felt like this show was SO melodramatic and self-important.

 

As has been stated by others, that cult was laughably ridiculous.  I mean, really with the smoking?  That sounds like a detail written by a 10 year old.  They also seemed like total assholes with their sign at the ceremony thing.  I saw the wife in the cult thing coming a mile away too, to the point that I'm still not even sure if that was supposed to be a surprising reveal at the end.

 

I was most interested in the storylines with the son and daughter (I'm in the minority, but I always enjoy rebellious teenager stories).  The son screaming in the pool was by far the most poignant and interesting moment to me.  

 

I was a huge Lost fan, even at the end, because I love a good mystery, even if I don't get all of the answers neatly presented to me.  The mystery elements of this show are interesting, but I basically hate 90% of the characters and the writing in general, so I don't think I'll keep watching.  I may read some recaps just to see where the mystery goes, but this was truly kind of painful for me to watch.

[stillshimpy]

So guys, about the deer, and bear with me here because we are dealing with a show that features 2% of the global population vanishing -- so the point is in this show, in this reality absolutely bizarre surreal stuff happens as part of the premise -- and I don't get the sense that deer was an actual deer.   

 

Plus, Pallas, you will have no doubt noted this: but that Stag/Buck had a decent rack on him ....and the antlers still were fuzzy.  That really caught both of our attentions here.  When he's backlit, he's got impressive antlers and they were covered in fuzz still.  It was very strange.  

 

I think that's part of the reason the dogs tore it to shreds.  I'm not saying "Oh hey, a Spirit Animal!"  but Justin Theroux's character asked it "Were you in my house last night?"  and....seemed like it was.  Also seemed like it was there looking completely like a stuffed, taxidermy deer on Mrs Rat'sBackside's lawn.  Then it vanished, seemingly entirely.  

 

It also didn't do anything deer like, like the run the hell away from the not very subtle onslaught of savage dogs, who ran right the hell past the people.  

 

I don't think that the Stag was necessarily a Stag as much as it might be representative of whatever took the people (because they went somewhere and may have been taken), hence the "We saw our people go Poof and now we are PISSED OFF PUPPIES pack" tearing to actual shreds, vs. killing it.  

 

 

 

I am starting to think that every actress in Hollywood has a clause in her contract that someone has to comment on how pretty she is.  I can understand one white wearing person saying to another 'oh, she's pretty' but when you've taken a vow of silence and have to use pen and paper for everything, you pulling out the pen and paper only to comment on LIv's looks seems ridiculous.

 

I kind of have to agree, because it was the contrivance of people who have clearly taken a vow of silence and who have some sort of "don't waste your breath" as their mantra bothering to note it, that made it stick out a mile.  Having said that?  As soon as Liv Tyler appeared onscreen, I commented on how beautiful she is to my husband, by saying, "It is always so difficult to believe she's Steven Tyler's daughter, she's gorgeous" and he replied "I know, what must her mother have looked like to balance out that genetic input?"  

 

So she is striking enough to some -- at least to us and I do know beauty will be in the eye of the beholder etc -- to have it be noteworthy and believable as such.  It's just that ....they've taken a vow of silence and ....it's sort of obvious that Liv Tyler is damned pretty (to a lot of people, me included) that it seemed a little ridiculous that they used their very limited communications to state the....to many....obvious. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by stillshimpy

[pasdetrois]

I liked the first episode. Reminded me a bit of the French Revenant series, except this was breakneck speed compared to the French series.

 

But the constant smoking drove me nuts - why couldn't they be constantly dancing or reading or eating or praying or something. 

 

I thought some of the acting was very good. I don't get Justin Theroux, but so far he's great in this.

 

I agree with the orange make-up. The woman who didn't care that her dog was killed looked like she was wearing old Max Factor pancake foundation, as did Amy Brenneman and a few others.

 

What is it with the stags? Hannibal, and now this.

 

I probably shouldn't try to figure out the purpose of the white-clothed GRs, but maybe they are there to torment the "bad" people who didn't get taken up to heaven (assuming those that were taken were "good" people - I haven't read the book).

 

Loved seeing Congressman "Buddy Garrity" once again.

Edited July 1, 2014 by pasdetrois

[stillshimpy]

assuming those that were taken were "good" people - I haven't read the book).

 

Nope, we actually do know from the series that part of the giant mindscrew that was the mass-vanishing is that it was demonstrably NOT good people.  At the commemorative statue unveiling someone with flyers was yodeling about a woman who had beaten her children, etc. etc.  and apparently there are no religious ties .....which is why those numbers across the globe are sort of important it wasn't any one group's believers.  So apparently pieces of human refuse and saints alike went away.  Oh by the way that statue was so incredibly awful, I hope the rabid group of pigeons that must be lurking somewhere, go for it next week.  It's rare for a statue to achieve both trite and insanely offensive at the same time.   

 

Also, to me it looked like Liv Tyler's character was covering a black eye in about half her shots.  Right eye, bruise underneath.  So maybe that was part of the reason she was being targeted.  She was so anxious to pretend that things were still the same she was planning a wedding....and judging by her face in that restaurant scene, I thought she was battered. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by stillshimpy

[RadiantAerynSun]

 

I liked the first episode. Reminded me a bit of the French Revenant series, except this was breakneck speed compared to the French series.

 

I was excited about this show but like some so far it seems a little lacking. Maybe it's because as quoted above, I was expecting something like "The Returned" (which is available on Netflix) which was SOOOOO well done. I am still optimistic though and will tune in again next week.

 

Sure is a lot of stag imagery going on lately on TV though (Hannibal, this show, True Detective, Game of Thrones to some extent...)

 

I'm not sure if the explanation given that the dogs simply witnessed their people disappear and then snapped is supposed to be taken as gospel though... that may just be the characters' own theory but I have a feeling there's more to it than that. I also have to agree that the stag seemed a bit surreal and I wonder if it is actually a "real" stag.

 

And I second the call for more dark humor!!! A necessity in any dark themed show IMO.

[larapu2000]

I found it incredibly distracting that Marceline Hugot was basically playing Kathy Geiss again (non-speaking).  Only a much, much, much, much less funny  version of Kathy Geiss.  The White People Smoking Cult would be much more interesting if they used magic markers and unicorn stickers to express their thoughts.

[stillshimpy]

Oooooh, one thing, before I forget again: There was a dog -- and it looked like some form of 'doodle (Labradoodle, Goldendoodle) at that commemorative ceremony.  So we have located a Poodle derivative, GaT. 

 

So clearly, some people still just have pets, which is part of the reason the Chief went to Rat'sBackside Humble abode and even worse makeup.  Not all dogs just went bonkers.  

 

The only time I liked the teenaged characters was when the Chief's daughter went outside and had the encounter with the relatively sane ping-pong players.  They just had such a human response to the dog and it was sort of one of the few poignant moments in the show, just these three teenagers, quietly burying the dog, like you would with a pet.  It made for such a nice contrast from the worst party I've ever seen.  Choke? CHOKE?  Oh come on.  Yes, I do know about "gasping" and auto-erotic asphyxiation, but they seemed to be trying a little too hard with that one too.  

Edited July 1, 2014 by stillshimpy

[canter]

one of the Bye-Bye-Guys (the ...missing? the disappeared? what are we calling them?)

The First Helping?

[annlaw78]

 

Did love seeing Buddy Garrity pop up.  The fact that the guy driving him looked like Tim Riggins really made that scene work.

I know Tim Riggins, and that guy, sir, is no Tim Riggins!  But wouldn't it be great if Peter Berg somehow brought Taylor Kitsch into the fold? 

 

 

This was my biggest issue with the pilot as well.  Obviously opinions vary about what the natural reaction to this kind of event would be, but I think that is just proof that individual reactions would really vary.  Sure, some people would still be totally depressed and in just a pit of self-destructive wallowing 3 years later, but some people would move on, be strong, actively seek answers, etc.  I think it's extremely unrealistic that every single person in society would have ended up like these people.  I just felt like this show was SO melodramatic and self-important.

I think the biggest reason everyone is in a funk is concern over whether this can happen again, randomly, and to others they love or themselves. It seems like the teens have become even more nihilistic than your average, everyday miserable teenager (someone please tell me that terrible, self-worth-lacking spin-the-bottle app doesn't already exist!).

 

 

Didn't like the mayor.  For a small town politician, she said "fuck" at least three times in the first episode.  She also ignored the chief's request to not hold their stupid rally.

Yeah, the language in this show is pretty over-the-top, unless we're to believe a consequence of the Whatever That Happened is society is much more permissive about dropping f- and c-bombs all over the place, including in school. 

 

 

Yeah for me it's the exact opposite.  Once i found out we're not going to get any answers about the event i immediately checked out.

I am dying to learn more about the "Brandenberg Carousel," or whatever it was called on the news playing in the background.  This is what annoys me about most disaster movies/shows: I would much rather watch a show with the "experts" puzzling this through, than having to watch some family melodrama set against this backdrop, or have the massive global crisis reduced to one family, one small town, etc.  Most of the time I end up wanting the "adorable" (whiny) and "teen" (insufferable, ear-budded, and still whiny) kids to be dispatched with, along with the nagging, useless spouse. 

 

 

During the first scene when Amy Brenneman woke up I thought maybe one of the things the cult did was use self-tanning cream. But the cop and his son were both orange too. Maybe I'm crazy but it bugged me throughout the show.

I just loved that there's an entire cult that essentially follows Patsy Stone's wake-up regimen.  Where's the Stoli bottle?

 

 

Big giant A+ for the music.

What is the song playing during the beginning of the parade?  It also played during the promos I saw.

 

The flashbacks are confusing to me, and I'm always having to rewind and rewatch -- to the point where, if you know your audience can watch on On-Demand or DVR and slo-mo through every still (remember all the "eagle-eye" stills from True Detective that had people swearing Hart's family was somehow involved with the crime?), quick cuts are rather pointless.  When I rewound the "didn't the chief go crazy?" flashback, I thought the man we saw going crazy had a different body/no tattoos and balding hair -- leading me to believe it was his father who went crazy.  I didn't catch who was with Garvin in bed in that flashback, but I'm betting it was someone who disappeared -- not his wife. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by annlaw78

[Guest]

As has been stated by others, that cult was laughably ridiculous.  I mean, really with the smoking?  That sounds like a detail written by a 10 year old.  They also seemed like total assholes with their sign at the ceremony thing.  I saw the wife in the cult thing coming a mile away too, to the point that I'm still not even sure if that was supposed to be a surprising reveal at the end.

Well, given all the smoking, it's not likely that cult will be around too long. Hope they have good group health insurance.

 

Also? The whole battle scene at the ceremony was ridiculous. I mean, we live in a world where the Westboro Baptist Church shows up and regularly protests at soldiers' funerals and other high-profile funerals, and usually a brigade of normal citizens organize and show up and peacefully shield those assholes from everyone's sights. One might think the Chief of police would think about doing something like that before a riot ensued since, after all, he more or less knew they were coming. 

 

I don't know with this show. It's a pilot and I'm willing to stick it out for a few more episodes. But it really feels like it's one of those shows where I watch it because there's nothing else better on.

 

Does anyone know if this is a single-series show? Because, dang. After True Detective, I really don't feel like committing YEARS to something to figure out how it all ends. 

[Shermie]

Yeah, I thought the big rioty fight at the statue unveiling was over the top. Why would regular citizens be so pissed off, to the point of violence, to a bunch of peaceful oddballs? Sure, a few might shout or throw a coke bottle, but the whole crowd erupts in violence over nothing? Don't buy it.

I didn't think the pack of dogs was that large. And of course, there are still going to be people with regular pet dogs. 2% is one in 50 people disappearing. Assume half the citizens are dog owners, so half the disappeared had a dog. Many dog owners these days own two or more dogs, and odds are that half the dogs were with their owner when he/she disappeared. So if the town had 100 Disappeared and half had dogs, and half of those were with their dog at the time? That's 25 befuddled/feral dogs. And lone dogs will find each other, they are natural pack animals.

[GaT]

Also, to me it looked like Liv Tyler's character was covering a black eye in about half her shots.  Right eye, bruise underneath.  So maybe that was part of the reason she was being targeted.  She was so anxious to pretend that things were still the same she was planning a wedding....and judging by her face in that restaurant scene, I thought she was battered. 

Hmm, I never thought of that. The first time she was on screen my first thought was that Liv Tyler didn't age well, but you may be right & that was supposed to be bruising she was covering up. Hopefully if that's the case, we'll find out soon.

[KurlyGrl]

 

didn't catch who was with Garvin in bed in that flashback, but I'm betting it was someone who disappeared -- not his wife.

 

 

Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting.  Here he is banging some chick (cheating on his wife, I’m sure) and POOF!! she’s gone, mid thrust, just like that.

 

 

 

One might think the Chief of police would think about doing something like that before a riot ensued since, after all, he more or less knew they were coming.

 

 

Well, he DID tell the Mayor it was not a good idea to even have the parade in the first place, but of course, since there are not enough cliché’s in this show, she did not listen.  

 

And I guess the reason he was so fanatical about his daughter NOT being at the ceremony (and of course she shows up anyway, because, you know, the whole cliché thing) was because the mom was in the cult and the kids do not know this??

 

You know, I may watch the whole season anyway, just so I can have something to snark on the next day. LOL!!

[annlaw78]

 

Why would regular citizens be so pissed off, to the point of violence, to a bunch of peaceful oddballs? Sure, a few might shout or throw a coke bottle, but the whole crowd erupts in violence over nothing? Don't buy it.

It seems like this group routine targets non-members for some reason, and silently stalks them until they cave in and join them.  I'd be pissed off by that behavior, too.  If they want to stay holed up in their weird compound and smoke themselves to death, fine.  But I think they have more of a noxious presence in the community than that, and, for reasons currently unbeknownst to us, have this target-and-stalk agenda. 

[shapeshifter]

I'm wondering if it's just that the writers were all really bad at math and meant to have it be 20%.

[MrPissyPuppy]

 

As soon as Liv Tyler appeared onscreen, I commented on how beautiful she is to my husband, by saying, "It is always so difficult to believe she's Steven Tyler's daughter, she's gorgeous" and he replied "I know, what must her mother have looked like to balance out that genetic input?"

 

Her mom is Bebe Buell - famous for being a model and a groupie.  

 

I'm not sure about this show.  Starting off killing a dog isn't the way to get on my good side.  But it did keep my interest, so ...  

[GaT]

 

 

didn't catch who was with Garvin in bed in that flashback, but I'm betting it was someone who disappeared -- not his wife.

 

Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting.  Here he is banging some chick (cheating on his wife, I’m sure) and POOF!! she’s gone, mid thrust, just like that.

Talk about sexual disfunction. I would think something like that would have a serious negative effect on your sex life, but with 2% of the population disappearing, it must have happened to someone like that, & I really, really, really hope we get that story. If that's what happened, it would make more sense for the chief to join the cult, not his wife. Unless, she had just caught him screwing someone else & then they disappeared, that would probably screw (no pun intended) with her mind. And maybe that's what all the cigarette smoking is about!

[Lannister23]

I really loved the pilot for this. 

 

It did what a pilot should do and set up the world and introduced the characters nicely. Most interesting part is definitely the GR cult and what their deal is and why Lorie joined them. Hoping we see some flashbacks to explain the events in which the characters got to where they are over the last 3 years.

 

I think the reason the show drew me in, is the ambiguity of what actually happened during the 'rapture'.  It's a refreshing take on the whole post apocalyptic genre, seeing the characters dealing with lose of loved ones and how they manage their grief when they have no answers to hold on to.

 

Cannot wait for episode two and the rest of the season. 

[Constantinople]

The Duke of Norfolk looks to be a nut job, but I've really liked him in other roles.  Is he really the only person in town who's figured out the people weren't taken for being good?

The bartender made a crack about Gary Busey being one of the chosen ones.

I suspect a number of people have concluded that people weren't taken for being good. Perhaps they're just tired of the Duke's schtick.

 

 

I absolutely HATE the daughter’s friend Aimee.  Stereotypical “teenaged slut” who has the hots for best friend’s dad.

You say that as if were a bad thing.

Besides, it seems as if half of the posters have the hots for her best friend's dad.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The bartender made a crack about Gary Busey being one of the chosen ones.

 

Some of the other celebrities shown on the tv in the bar that had departed on Oct. 14:

-- Pope Benedict XVI

-- Condoleeza Rice

-- Jennifer Lopez

-- Anthony Bourdain

-- Salman Rushdie

-- Bonnie Raitt

-- Shaquille O'Neal

 

And, of course, Gary Fucking Busey.

[Constantinople]

I'm surprised the Marlboro Cult doesn't use sign language given that they don't appear to object to communication, only to speaking.

And given how expensive cigarettes are, I'd think they'd have a very large potential recruiting base. Free cigarettes for life and all you have to do is put on a white jump suit or pair of pajamas.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Constantinople

[shapeshifter]

Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting.  Here he is banging some chick (cheating on his wife, I’m sure) and POOF!! she’s gone, mid thrust, just like that.

Some of the other celebrities shown on the tv in the bar that had departed on Oct. 14:

-- Pope Benedict XVI

-- Condoleeza Rice

-- Jennifer Lopez

-- Anthony Bourdain

-- Salman Rushdie

-- Bonnie Raitt

-- Shaquille O'Neal

 

And, of course, Gary Fucking Busey.

Theory: The Disappered/Vanished/Clean Plate Club were taken because they were causing the Leftovers to "sin" in some way. I'm just not sure how the last 2 on that list would fit this model.

[BooBear]

I don't know. I was looking forward to this show, but I was really disappointed. It reminded me of Under the Dome, only not quite as bad. There is no real center to the show yet.

 

I also didn't like it. But I saw a few people comment they were confused... I was too but I think it was because I just found the reactions of the characters as something that wouldn't happnen. Since we just had a real life type thing in 911 (but I would argue worse) I found most of the reactions to be lame and something I just couldn't buy after seeing what happens in real life.  What happened after 911 is that most of humanity was stunned and for the most part, became kind to their fellow humans. I remember in the weeks afterwards how many times some stunned soul just let me have their train seat. What happened in terms of getting on with out lives...well that too, we are totally back on with our lives and I was back to work the next day then. For months afterwards there were scares that it could happen again with nucular bombs or chemical weapons and yet, as far as I remember, there wasn't an epedemic of hedonism among teenagers.  So to have such extreme reactions to the entire main character's family.. confuses me. Especially when we haven't seen that his family lost anyone.

 

Something else that confuses me... no one seems to be thinking they could return. Unlike 911 no one knows if they are dead. I would think there would be a substantial group that would be waiting for their loved ones to return.

 

I don't know if I am up for any more of this.

[Constantinople]

The Duke of Norfolk looks to be a nut job, but I've really liked him in other roles.  Is he really the only person in town who's figured out the people weren't taken for being good?

 

In my original response I forgot to mention that during the meeting to prepare for the parade, someone said that his brother-in-law was one of those taken and that his brother-in-law was a dipshit.

[shapeshifter]

I also didn't like it. But I saw a few people comment they were confused... I was too but I think it was because I just found the reactions of the characters as something that wouldn't happnen. Since we just had a real life type thing in 911 (but I would argue worse) I found most of the reactions to be lame and something I just couldn't buy after seeing what happens in real life.  What happened after 911 is that most of humanity was stunned and for the most part, became kind to their fellow humans. I remember in the weeks afterwards how many times some stunned soul just let me have their train seat. What happened in terms of getting on with out lives...well that too, we are totally back on with our lives and I was back to work the next day then. For months afterwards there were scares that it could happen again with nucular bombs or chemical weapons and yet, as far as I remember, there wasn't an epedemic of hedonism among teenagers.  So to have such extreme reactions to the entire main character's family.. confuses me. Especially when we haven't seen that his family lost anyone.

Thank you. This is certainly not the only show that portrays this Bizarro, upside down reaction to tragedy or apocalypse, but it seems to take it to an extreme. Maybe that's the point?

[stillshimpy]

Clean Plate Club

 

I really like that one.  

 

Again, it just isn't comparable to something like 911 because we can answer all the questions that went into making it: How did it happen?  Terrorists.  Why did it happen?  Extremely complicated, but at its roots questions about foreign policy are at play.  Can we keep it from happening again?  We can certainly try and here's how.  

 

This Event, not even one of those questions can be answered  It isn't like a "we lost a bunch of people" event, because none of the essential questions that go into healing can be answered.  it stops and starts with "We don't fucking know, but we've decided to keep soldiering on."   It's kind of like the entire world got turned into the Bermuda Triangle.  

 

And again, when you don't know why something happened, you can't predict when and if it will happen again, which is pretty key.  There's no reason to believe it won't. In fact I think it would take a solid year to just stop expecting that every.single.day. 

Edited July 2, 2014 by stillshimpy

[annlaw78]

 

And again, when you don't know why something happened, you can't predict when and if it will happen again, which is pretty key.  There's no reason to believe it won't. In fact I think it would take a solid year to just stop expecting that every.single.day.

Totally agree.  I think this would be a major disruptive event, and would continue to be for some time.  Much of "civil" society is based upon the idea that you're likely going to live your 85 years, and you have a set amount of time to do what you need to do, and your more wild/irresponsible inclinations are tampered by that feeling you need to pay your mortgage, save for retirement, get good grades to get into college, etc.  Obviously anything can happen -- an accident, disease, etc. -- to upend those plans, but in all likelihood, the actuarial tables are on your side.  Why go to work, or do anything, if tomorrow you could be next?

And, the whole physical impossibility of what happened is truly shocking, too, and smack of the supernatural, something that would freak out most people.  It's not a virus an act that killed and left bodies.  The bodies are just, gone.  In an instant.  Freaky!

[Blakeston]

Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting.  Here he is banging some chick (cheating on his wife, I’m sure) and POOF!! she’s gone, mid thrust, just like that.

 

I think that's what we're supposed to assume - that he was cheating on his wife with a woman who disappeared right in the middle of the act.

 

I think when we first saw the flashback, we were supposed to think, "Oh my god, the poor man, he was having sex with his wife, who vanished in the middle of it." Then we find out that his wife is still alive, and she looks like nothing like the woman he was having sex with.

 

It's possible that he was simply cheating on his wife when it happened, and his lover didn't disappear - but that seems pretty boring in comparison with the alternative.

 

As for why the wife joined the cult, when she didn't lose anyone in her immediate family? I think that's a mystery that will be explained later. I don't think we're supposed to be able to figure that out now. Something seems to have been going on with the chief's family - half of them ended up in creepy cults.

[Palomar]

Generally there were too many disturbing things like the dogs and the hopelessness of the teens.  Most of all there were too many ridiculous things to believe (even if you embrace the main premise of the show) like the GR cult. They really need to reveal their background and purpose immediately. The smoking just looks stupid. There are two cults in this small town and two of the chief's family members just happen to be in them.  A little reality within the fantasy needs to happen.  Will probably see what happens in the 2nd episode but found myself already checking out.

[canter]

Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting. Here he is banging some chick (cheating on his wife, I’m sure) and POOF!! she’s gone, mid thrust, just like that.

I think it's a good theory. Otherwise, he wouldn't have such a clear memory of that being where he was when it happened -- he would remember seeing it on the news afterwards or something. If he found out about the event during sex, the most likely way is that the woman he was with disappeared.

[annlaw78]

 

Most of all there were too many ridiculous things to believe (even if you embrace the main premise of the show) like the GR cult.

I agree.  The only thing I do believe is the increased recklessness/nihilism/self-respect/irresponsibility of the teens, sort of for the reasons laid out in my post, above.  Teens already are prone to those sorts of self-destructive behaviors because they tend to have a limited capacity to foresee consequences in the future, delay gratification to the future, realize there is more than the present, etc.  Consider what would happen when a crazy, unexplained event happened -- probably taking some of their friends busy studying for their SATs in service to a future that never happened, preparing for a big game that never happened, etc.   There's a lot more support for the "what's the point?" mindset, and parents are limited in combating that.