The Leftovers - S3, E8 'The Book of Nora' - Review & Recap

My review and recap for the final episode of 'The Leftovers' titled "The Book of Nora".

[sirmarshall]

The Leftovers, I agree, will be more appreciated over time. What world building and raw emotion this show had. Just 28 hours of pure storytelling.

[Filmnvinyl]

I know people think Nora was lying and I can get that. There are so many other theories out there, including one where people think Nora actually died and the whole episode is set in heaven. I took the episode in face value. Whether she lied or not doesn't matter to me as long as she and Kevin are together!😂 Thats all I cared about in the end Lol. In general, I think the show wasn't about how or why people were taken. It was more about the characters dealing with their loss. This show will go down on of the best shows for HBO. One more thing, if Justin Theorux and Carrie Coon don't get Emmy Nominations for their performances I'm going to be pissed. 😂

[DONCOMICBOOKJUNKIE]

it was a great show sad to see it end. awesome review

[MalcomXlax]

Damon Lindelof is really quite brilliant😉🐳💃🏻I was a huge fan of LOST, & loved the finale. I loved what he did w Star Trek, Tomorrowland, & Prometheus! This show was too slow for me to get into, so I didn't watch it. But I'm really excited to see what he does next😆🔥🔥Great recaps btw, dude👍🏼& OH Westworld is casting again, I saw the breakdown! They're looking for more nude extras 18-60yrs old😂Can't wait for S2. Word2BigBird my dirrty🍺

[gazrob]

I binged watched the show in a couple of months. I thought it was fantastic. It was gripping from start to finish. I was happy that they ended it after three seasons. Wasn't too long or too short.

[OldDood]

Well...you KNOW my 'suggestions' for shows to review. ;-)
Thanks for the Time & Effort you have put in on the shows you do cover....

[morgulb]

I enjoyed your review as well as the show. What I carry away the most from the show are the actors performances and the excellent writing.

My rationalization of the story boils down to 3 people, Laurie, Nora and Kevin. Nora and Kevin are each living in a delusional existence after a dramatic event in their lives, a divorce. The divorce has left them isolated and alone. It's just the new reality of a dysfunctional world where people they care about, and even those they don't. have disappeared. Their world has shrunk, and to make it tolerable, it happened around the world. We get to see the depth of delusion by the dreamscape their minds created to cope. But their madness continues to get darker, they need help.

A psychologist, Laurie is treating them but she falls into their delusion and accidentally combines their separate realities into one story they all share. Laurie has to remove herself from their delusion by dying. She then can lead them to resolve their inner conflicts by separate conclusions that satisfy both parties that are in a toxic but dependent relationship.

[alecrabuse]

Yes it took Nora a while to travel back home in this parallel world. But the time line is the same for them. 7 years past just like it did in our reality. So it made sense her son was a teenager and daughter was about 11.

[cas]

Something else that bothered me with Nora's story is her asking the scientist to build a new machine in a world where the resource availability and manpower are clearly depleted to an insane extent. He couldn't just "recreate the machine" for her in the type of world she described.

[joepadar]

More than happily satisfied season finale! Some tears were flowing until Nora left Kevin at the dance. Dry eyes for the rest of the show. I'm good, ok, happy with the season finale. So sad The Leftovers show is departuring! Kudos to all the actors and everyone who made the three season series happen! I will never forget the leftovers!

[spood]

Going to miss your reviews of this incredible series. Midway through watching this review I was thinking to myself 'why doesn't this guy watch "American Gods" ?...then right on cue you revealed your plan to start watching!

[justinrc]

SPOILERS!!!



I love the finale so much. Everything was flawless. I love how the writers didn't show the other characters and their lives, and instead let Kevin do the info. As for the ending, I think it was one of the best endings on TV. So satisfying and ambiguous. And yes I believe Nora lied.

[jollyrayda]

On the Lindelof partnering with Perrotta(?) and pulling off mystery better - aside from the fact that "Lost" was looking for answers, and "Leftovers" wasn't, I'd argue that Lindelof didn't need to be lifted by a new partner, rather that he was dragged down by Abrams (a writer I think less and less of as time goes on...)

[kdizzle]

I tried to watch The Leftovers and couldn’t get into it but I loved Lost and Damon Lindelof so I thought I would try it again……got to episode 2 again and bailed on the show again….that was when the leftovers was still on the air….never really got thought about it again since it’s a highly underrated show and no one ever talked about it……but after finding succession last month and binging through both seasons in a week and I’m thinking to myself what is a great show that’s not 5 or more seasons with 13-22 episodes a season that I can watch waiting for succession season 3 and better call Saul season 6 and so tried the leftovers again after just enjoying Justin Theroux in The Mosquito Coast and I gotta say……..after episode 3 I was hooked

[AnimusZen]

I think this is exactly as unsatisfying as Lost. The event was essentially pointless, each episode had more and more shock value that in hindsight was completely filler, and in the end it was just another love story.

[DocKobryn]

The universe somehow splits and randomly takes 2% of Earth's population to one side and leaves 98% on the other. I guess it makes sense. About as much sense as any other explanation would.

I did like the finale. Was kinda hoping for more, though. But the mood fit perfectly. And comparing it to that series finale of that OTHER show Lindelof wrote. This one was much better.

So yea, I guess it was a good finale.

[Ostro]

I believe she was lying to kevin about going to the other side.

[solorenzocruz]

first let me say that the leftovers as lost did touched a part of me that is rarely breached
my soul;.
i eagerly watched the last episode as excited as i was sad; that the end was nigh =0)
i cant say i was disappointed; because season 3, episode one;
had told me Kevin was not a messiah or Jesus.
i knew this because we see Nora at the end; deny knowing Kevin.
this tells us there will not be a great flood of biblical proportions.
so i wasn't disappointed; i would say more hmm?? unfulfilled.
so i watched it again,
then again;
only at the third time of watching did i realize that just as in life;
there are no complete answers and that life is joy/pain, sacrifice
and most importantly of all, love;
the leftovers is like the one that got away.
the girl you tell yourself was the one;
you make yourself believe that notion;
even though it's ridiculous. just like Kevin Garvey
searching all them years for Nora; no matter how emotionally detached she is from him.

there are questions that should never be asked and that are never answered.
that is the fun of life.

update:
on the 4th time of watching i realized how strong lindelhof magnetically pulls you towards the characters and vica/versa
also that there is a 50;50 split between whether Nora passed through the machine or did not.
but there is a small grey area between this theory; PURGATORY
we had a similar situation with Damon lindelofs LOST;

to start with Kevin barely knows anything about his or Nora's relationship when they meet for the first time.
secondly there seems to be something really strange about kevins behavior in conversation with Nora; the smirks the little smiles there seems to be an emptiness behind his eyes.
Kevin also mentions heart problems and that he had the big one?
is this because of all the dunking in water over the years or
did he indeed; have the big one and pass?
the beads that were offered to Nora at the wedding.
the beads that Nora almost arrogantly refused to wear.
the beads of sin;
that were placed on the goat that she in turn adopted;
had she finally decided to take sin home with her?
the sinful nun who was first exposed at the wedding.
the call to Laurie Garvey? the same woman who supposedly committed suicide. then miraculously shows up carrying her departed child whilst on the phone to Nora;

there are so many clues in this great episode but i will leave it to you to unearth them


and alas= the great Christopher Sunday. (David Gulpilil) (Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu)
we know he possessed the song to bring the great flood,
and this is why he was sacrificed;
so Kevin Garvey senior would not be able to perform the last ritual.
therefore saving humanity from extinction

i'm just delighted Mr lindelhof decided to create
another labyrinth for us to wander through just as he did with LOST
and it also introduced me to a couple of amazing songs
that i had never laid ears on;

so thank you for the memories and hopefully many more to come;

PS; my song is bring the rain;
not stop it.

[mattzeigler]

I love the show. But was disappointed in the ending. Great acting and story for what it was, but I knew they were going to downplay the supernatural aspects which I believe was a huge reason the show was popular. Sort of like, they're great at writing a supernatural mysterious story, but have contempt for that genre and want to screw the fans who of course would overwhelmingly want that kind of ending. They did the same with Lost. Sort of like going to see Eric Clapton, and he only plays shit from the new album.