Guest (The Leftovers)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Episode 6
- Damon Lindelof
- Kath Lingenfelter
- "Angel of Death"
by Slayer - "A Taste of Silver"
by Until the Ribbon Breaks - "Don't Dream It's Over"
by Crowded House - "Pass Them By"
by Agnes Obel
| "Guest" | |
|---|---|
| The Leftovers episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Carl Franklin |
| Written by |
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| Featured music |
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| Cinematography by | Todd McMullen |
| Editing by | David Eisenberg |
| Production code | 4X5706 |
| Original air date | August 3, 2014 |
| Running time | 51 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Guest" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American supernatural drama television series The Leftovers, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta. The episode was written by series creator Damon Lindelof and supervising producer Kath Lingenfelter, and directed by Carl Franklin. It was first broadcast on HBO in the United States on August 3, 2014.
The series is set three years after the "Sudden Departure" – an event which saw 2% of the world's population (approximately 140 million people) disappear and profoundly affected the townspeople. The characters of police chief Kevin Garvey and his family (wife Laurie, son Tom, daughter Jill and father Kevin Sr.) are focal points, alongside grieving widow Nora Durst, her brother Reverend Matt Jamison, and the mysterious cult-like organization the Guilty Remnant (GR), led by Patti Levin. In the episode, Nora attends a Departure-related conference in New York City as part of her job at the Department of the Sudden Departure.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.47 million household viewers and gained a 0.7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising Carrie Coon's performance, writing, character development and emotional tone.
Nora (Carrie Coon), working as a fraud investigator for the Department of the Sudden Departure (DSD), interviews a man about his departed husband to know if his claims are true. After grocery shopping, Nora throws away many unopened food items and replaces them with new ones in the event that her family will return. In the evening, she calls an escort. She asks the escort, Angel, to shoot her while she wears a bulletproof vest. Angel reluctantly shoots her and flees the scene. After a few seconds, Nora awakes.
Nora files for divorce from her husband Doug, a Departed who cheated on her with their children's preschool teacher. As she leaves the courthouse, she meets Kevin (Justin Theroux), who is also filing for divorce. In an abrupt moment, Nora invites him to come with her to Miami, confusing him and causing her to leave. As part of her job, she attends a Departure-related conference in New York City. At her hotel, she finds that her ID badge has already been claimed, forcing her to take a "guest" badge. She tries to find the woman who claims to be her, finding she registered her name on a list. She is invited by a man named Marcus (Billy Magnussen) to a party at his suite, which she decides to attend. After heavily drinking, she kisses Marcus's replica, as he makes replicas of Departed for a living.
After waking up from hangover, she is kicked out of the hotel by security, claiming she made property damages during the night. She forges a false ID badge to enter, but is caught again. She convinces security to check the woman claiming to be her, finding that she is giving a talk at the panel. Nora confronts the woman, who rants that the DSD is hiding information from the public. At the bar, she meets Patrick Johansen, a man who lost four members of his family in the Departure and subsequently wrote a bestselling book explaining how he moved on. Nora questions him about his beliefs that it was possible to move on, claiming that it is impossible to do so.
As she leaves the hotel, a man approaches her, having overheard her conversation. He invites her to an apartment, where she meets Holy Wayne (Paterson Joseph). Wayne claims that he helped Johansen in taking away his pain, with his talk causing Nora to cry. Wayne then hugs her, calming her. She returns to Mapleton, where she is visited by Kevin. He asks her out on a date, which she accepts. Later, Nora continues her job interviewing Departed's familiars. She asks her the last question, if the Departed are in a better place. The woman replies no, which contrasts the general consensus of her interviewees.
Production
Development
In July 2014, the episode's title was revealed as "Guest" and it was announced that series creator Damon Lindelof and supervising producer Kath Lingenfelter had written the episode while Carl Franklin had directed it. This was Lindelof's sixth writing credit, Lingenfelter's second writing credit, and Franklin's second directing credit.[1]
