The Leftovers season 3 episode 3 review: Parting the red-dirt sea
Overall, let’s start by making it clear that this should be considered the strongest episode of the season, and maybe in the top five of the entire series. It was a risky proposition to set the entire hour in Australia featuring at times little dialogue and a character in Kevin Garvey Senior (played masterfully by Scott Glenn) who was only in season 2 briefly. He was not a character who we loved on the show last year, and even this time, he was certainly morally reprehensible, desecrating traditional burial grounds across the aboriginal community in the midst of his search for truth.
Was it truth, or was it more of the voices in his head? This episode intentionally had you wondering, given that his connection between his personal recordings from Kevin’s childhood (stored on a tape) and a possible great flood was flimsy at best. Still, he went around learning the songs to combat the rain, and in his attempt to learn the final one, he ran into a comedy (or tragedy) of errors. he was wanted by the authorities, he fell on the man with the last song on accident, he watched a guy set himself on fire, and he was bitten by a snake after seemingly killing it for food. When he was eventually rescued, he was later still shot by a dart.
When his rescuer was eventually revealed to him, it was Grace, the woman who attempted to embark on a pilgrimage of her own by drowning the local chief of police Kevin. When he died, she realized that he was not a Savior. Through their scenes, which were subtle yet powerful, we understood what got her to that point. Her entire family died — the kids weren’t taken by the departure, they died and she was at fault for not seeing it and not helping them. Calling this heartbreaking is making a tremendously gross understatement. She wanted to have a purpose just like Kevin did, and that is why they both fell into this. Maybe they are two peas in a pod in that sense, fighting to find some essence of salvation.
While they are searching for their own salvation, Kevin Garvey is off on his own pilgrimage to Australia with Nora, responding to a new conspiracy theory seemingly rooted in Melbourne. How this is connected to Kevin Senior remains to be seen, but everything in this world is somehow linked.
While the story tonight was another beautiful expression of grief and purpose, we don’t want to lose just how remarkable the scenery and the lighting were in this episode. The red dirt of the Australian wilderness made it feel all the more sacred, the journey all the more foreign and special. The close-ups on the tears aided further in ripping out your heart. Tremendous television as a whole. Grade: A.
What did you think about The Leftovers season 3 episode 3? Sound off today in the comments.
Meanwhile, be sure to visit the link here to see a preview now for what lies ahead on the show.