‘The Leftovers’ season 2, episode 9 preview: ‘Ten Thirteen’ chronicles the future, the aftermath

So … where do we go from here on “The Leftovers“? After you put a masterpiece out there for all to see like Sunday night’s new episode “International Assassin,” you have to figure out a way to follow that up. That’s a challenge.

What’s also going to be a challenge for Kevin Garvey is figuring out if there is a way to stay alive for a second time. The magic and terror in the alternate universe or whatever you want to call it may be over, but in reality he has a man in John Murphy who is hunting him down. Clearly, he has realized that his hand-print was a match, and he will be targeted over the disappearance of Evie. The promo below hints at a violent showdown, and the attached synopsis suggests that you are going to see more of Tom Garvey and Meg for really the first time since earlier in the season:

“A personal loss and subsequent pilgrimage to Miracle offer clues on why Meg (Liv Tyler) embarked on her path as a Remnant crusader. After a fallout with Laurie, Tom (Chris Zylka) seeks to reunite with Meg.”

The only other terrifying thought we can leave you with is that after this episode (entitled “Ten Thirteen”), there is only one more left … and HBO has yet to renew the show for a third season. We feel like based on critical acclaim for this season alone a renewal is likely, with one main condition: Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta have more story to tell. They have been mum on the subject all season, and we do not see them addressing it until after the finale.

You can read our full review of “International Assassin” just by heading over to the link here. Also, sign up right away to have some additional TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: HBO.)