The Leftovers - S1E2 - Penguin One, Us Zero
Previously on The Leftovers, ‘Pilot’
Kevin
It’s been a few weeks since Kevin gunned down a pack of dogs with the mysterious stranger. Kevin called it in, but when the other cops arrived they found Kevin alone with a bunch of dead dogs. Is Kevin crazy like his old man? It seems the department think it’s a possibility as he’s been assigned a shrink. No one has been able to find the mystery man or his truck so that’s not really helping Kevin’s “I’m Not Crazy” case.
Also not helping? Kevin is having creepy dreams in which his daughter’s friend, Aimee, appears in his bed and then leads him out into the woods where the mystery man is hunting Guilty Remnants.
Later, Kevin goes to inform another Guilty Remnant wannabe that his family has been notified of his whereabouts and that he’s no longer considered a missing person. While there, he meets Meg who assures him she’s there of her own free will. He leaves her with his business card just in case. After he’s gone, Patti tells Laurie that Meg will eventually leave because Laurie is being too soft on her. This written conversation doesn’t disturb me as much as the fact that Patti seems really pissed at the thought of Laurie failing to bring Meg into the fold.
Lucy, the mayor, tells Kevin he needs to stop fucking with The GR and while he’s at it, he should probably tell the shrink that he’s not going to shoot anymore dogs. While they’re having this conversation, the precinct toaster eats Kevin’s bagel.
Kevin notfies Meg’s fiancé that she’s with The Guilty Remnants, whose goal is to “remind people of what happened.” Meg is living in their pledge house where she’s still allowed to talk and not forced to wear white. Kevin thinks she’s still on the fence and can be convinced to come home. The fiancé is a tad fed up with Meg’s shit, apparently, and decides to leave her there.
Good news: The mystery man’s truck is found. Bad news: It’s found in Kevin’s driveway and there’s a dead dog in it. The cop who found it offers to say it was found down the road, but Kevin insists he has nothing to hide and he doesn’t know why the truck is in his driveway. That night, the mystery man shows up at Kevin’s door with a six-pack of beer. He won’t tell his name since Kevin is asking in an official capacity. He’s found another pack of dogs hanging around the elementary school. He wants Kevin’s help taking them down and refers to it as “The Lord’s work.” Why Kevin? Because the mystery man is lonely. Oh, and Kevin can keep the truck. What’s great about this is that we now know Kevin didn’t make the whole thing up. Jill and her friend see the man, too.
Kevin goes to visit his father who’s in a mental institution of some kind. Guess who’s there? Lucy! She’s the dad’s girlfriend. That explains some of the tension between her and Kevin last episode. His father starts talking to someone who isn’t there and then tells Kevin that “They said they sent or are sending someone to help you.” Who the hell is they?
Note: Kevin later finds the bagel in the back of the toaster so maybe he’s not crazy after all. Maybe.
Laurie/Meg
Meg’s been living in the pledge house these past few weeks. She’s not an official member of the cult - even though Laurie, via a note, tells her they’re not a cult. Whatever they are, they’ve got Meg out there chopping trees and she’s getting fed up. They won’t even let her have a cigarette. But she does get pancakes with whipped cream smiley faces so that’s something.
After Kevin’s visit, Laurie comes to Meg’s room and opens up her suitcase. Apparently, each night she has to give up a personal belonging. Meg wants to skip it this night, but Laurie instructs her to “surrender.” When Meg asks her if she remembers what it’s like to care about something, Laurie writes that Meg met her husband earlier that day. Meg marvels over the fact that Laurie left “the hot cop” to chain-smoke with a bunch of strangers, but Meg also left a hot fiancé to do the same so who is she to talk? She hands over a piece of clothing that belonged to her mom and tells Laurie that she “doesn’t want to feel this way anymore.”
The next day, they think Meg has had enough and blown that popsicle stand, but nope. She’s just in the woods, joyfully trying to chop down that damn tree.
Tom
We learned a lot about Holy Wayne this episode. He lost a son on The 14th and claims to be able to hug away people’s pain. To do this, he needs to have sex with young Asian girls. The FBI launch a raid on Wayne’s compound - since he’s been “helping” congressmen and senators, he is labeled a threat to national security. Wayne is nowhere to be found, though, and when an FBI agent corners a fleeing Christine, Tom shoots the agent in the neck to protect her. Tom and Christine make their escape via the compound’s very own underground railroad.
They arrive at a gas station the next day and Tom finds Wayne’s bodyguard (Peter Berg) dead inside. He doesn’t tell Christine, but starts to call his father. Then, a car pulls up and Wayne gets out of the trunk. So much for calling daddy. Christine is happy to see Wayne and I’m wondering why the hell that brotha had to be in the trunk without a shirt on.
Wayne kisses the dead man and notes, “He wouldn’t have let me do that when he was alive.” He offers Tom a hug since he probably needs a lot of unburdening after killing a man, but Tom refuses. Wayne says he’s “the one motherfucker I can’t figure out.” Then he informs Tom that Christine will be going with him.
Wayne gives Tom and Christine some money, snaps Tom’s cellphone (Um, nope.) and gives him a burner. When it’s time for what comes next, he’ll call Tom. Until then, they’re like Beyonce and Jay Z: on the run. Christine is EVERYTHING, Wayne says. After Wayne leaves, Tom has a mini-meltdown when their car won’t start. Christine tells him it’s going to be okay… because Wayne said so.
Jill
Jill bumps into, literally, Nora (the woman who lost her entire family on The 14th), and spots a gun in her purse. Even stranger, Nora then purposely knocks a cup coffee off the table in a coffee shop. When the barista comes to clean up the mess, he’s extra nice to her because, you know, the whole missing family thing. Jill and Aimee decide to follow Nora and use the twins and their hybrid to do it.
Nora goes to the home of a couple who lost a son, Charles, on The 14th. She videotapes the interview she has to conduct in order for them to receive their departed benefits. The questions are bizarre: Did he have food allergies? Did he ever travel to Brazil? Did he enjoy cooking? Did he speak more than one language? Did he have more than 20 sexual partners?
While she’s inside, Aimee decides to look through Nora’s car for some hand cream. Then, because teenagers are assholes, Jill decides to honk the horn repeatedly. By the time Nora comes outside, Aimee has already hopped back into the hybrid and they drive off. We later learn that Aimee swiped some jellybeans from Nora’s car and then has the nerve to complain that they’re stale. Jill points out that those jellybeans were probably three years old and for Nora’s missing children.
Teenagers are the worst.
