‘The Leftovers’ episode 3 review: Christopher Eccleston rules strange, powerful hour

Three episodes into “The Leftovers,” and it is very much clear at this point that we are dealing with a Damon Lindelof show. Nothing really makes much sense, and yet we’re completely hooked to the point where we will openly defend the show to anyone who chides it.

Tonight’s episode may feel like a departure to some, given that there was basically no Kevin at all, and this was more the entire story of Matt and his attempts to get the church off the ground and going in the right direction. He needed to get an enormous amount of money together in just over 24 hours, and had to go to some very drastic measures to make it happen. He made deals, risked everything at the casino, got beat up, beat someone up, lost some of his memory, hallucinated, and in the end, he did make it happen … only two days too late. He managed to lose so much time that the church ended up in the possession of the Guilty Remnant. Sad, but also a thread that certainly is familiar to those who watch this show.

The real hero of this entire episode was Christopher Eccleston, who was beyond brilliant in every season. Our favorite moment may have ironically been his sly smile when he thought that he had won back the church at the casino. It was one of the few smiles that we’ve seen on a show that does not exactly prioritize those very often.

We can still understand the clamoring of those who say that this story is too depressing, or that it does not give you nearly enough answers. For the time being, though, we are okay enough with following the premise that many of these characters are connected in unexplained ways, and that overtime we will understand more of their purpose. Their may not be many answers as to why people left, but there may be a way to better preserve and protect the future. That’s all we can hope for. Grade: A-.

What was your take on this Matt-heavy episode? Let us know in the comments!