As was to be expected, I couldn’t possibly stop at Season 2. And I’m not regretting it a single bit. Season 3 just blows your brain. For me, it holds the key to understanding the whole series. It manages to stay engagingly metaphorical without sliding into something pathetically obscure or trivial.
My favorite part by a long shot is Matt meeting the pretend God. There is this character, Matt Jamison, an overzealous Episcopal preacher. Not a bad person and really quite kind at heart. But so mortified of life with all its absurdity that he clings to his self-righteous ideology to the point where he hurts not only strangers but those close to him as well. He’s on a mission to right all wrongs and save the world his way, shoving it down everybody’s throat whether they like it or not.
So, he runs into a guy who claims to be God. First Matt is indignant and goes out of his way to get the man to admit that he’s a fake. At some point Matt starts to play along and engages with “God”. Eventually, it turns into a gut-wrenching plea when Matt dives into a passionate rant about all the deeds and sacrifices he’d endured just to make God happy.
You know what “God” answers? “You thought I was watching but I wasn't. I'm not. You haven't done anything for me. You did it for yourself.” At that moment Matt lets go and finally finds his peace. An a-freaking-mazing scene.
In summary, The Leftovers is an altogether awesome show about the complexity of being human, our fears and hangups, and the profound courage it takes to truly trust and love.