There are definitely a lot of changes in "The Leftovers" in its second season on HBO. First is the big change in location. From Season 1's Mapleton town in New York, the story picks off in a mysterious town in Texas. The second huge change is in the character lineup. Since they moved to a new town, many of the townsfolk back in Mapleton have been bumped off.
The returning main cast includes, of course, the Garvey Family played by Justin Theroux as Kevin Garvey; Amy Brenneman as his wife, Laurie; Margaret Qualley as their teenage daughter, Jill; and Chris Zylka as their son, Tommy. Also staying in the line up are Nora Durst played by Carrie Coon and Reverend Matt Jamison, played by Christopher Eccleston.
This change in scenery essentially supports the big reveal released a few months ago when it was reported that "many" of the show's supporting players will be cut from the cast lineup. According to CinemaBlend, it includes Michael Gaston, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Charlie and Max Carver, Annie Q and more.
Aside from the drastic cast and location change, the viewers now face some kind of "reboot" in the new season which was introduced rather incredibly by 'Axis Mundi.' What's taking place in Season 2 seems to still be the continuing chapters to Season 1 even after the very big changes. Though, viewers' reactions mainly revolve around the question of where the series is really heading. Despite these reactions, showrunners Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta (who wrote the novel with same name), still seems to really know what they're doing.
After dealing with a conflict-ridden first season which began with the "Sudden Departure" that wiped out 140 million or 2% of the world's population in a snap and without a single trace--where do the leftovers go from there?
The first episode, 'Axis Mundi,' starts off with a horrific story of a pregnant cavewoman in the new setting in Jarden, a fictional town in Texas. This town is also known as Miracle National Park which is also home to the Murphy family AND, more importantly, the ONLY place in the world which did not lose any residents on that dreadful October 14th .
The latest episode, "A Matter of Geography," is suggestive of a theme being established in the Second Season about the difficulty of "starting over." Yes, they're in a new town--a town which was literally saved from the "Sudden Departure." But the question is, is it any safer there?
Catch "The Leftovers" Season 2 Sundays at 9pm on HBO.
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