HBO Releases Episode Descriptions for The Leftovers Season 3

With the premiere less than a month away, HBO provides in-depth information on The Leftovers season 3, including some amusing episode titles.

Our knowledge of The Leftovers season 3 is admittedly limited. We can say for certain that part of it will take place in Australia, though it isn’t clear how big that part is or which characters will make the journey. The trailers we’ve seen hint at an approaching doomsday event, though that could easily be a false prophesy. Otherwise, HBO and co-creator Damon Lindelof have left us in the dark.

That changes now. On Thursday, HBO broke its veil of secrecy by sending out screeners to TV critics (sadly, not including yours truly). Accompanying the screeners is a detailed press release, which contains titles and brief synopses for seven of the season’s eight episodes.

Season 3 of The Leftovers, which will be the show’s last, picks up seven years after the Sudden Departure. The Garvey and Murphy families come together, as they search for an explanation for the inexplicable. Around them, the world prepares for something big, a “corresponding bookend” to the catastrophe that instigated the story.

Here’s what our protagonists are up to:

Kevin Garvey is at a crossroads. Though no longer tormented by Patti, he still questions if an ordinary life is possible. For Nora [still Durst?], Miracle didn’t turn out to be the safe haven she was looking for, and Kevin’s strange behavior has made her fear for the stability of their family. But Nora’s nothing if not resilient.
Laurie Garvey, who left the Guilty Remnant and became a sworn enemy of her former cult, has rejoined her splintered family in Texas. Laurie’s daughter, Jill, watchful and wiser than her years, seeks stability in her own life. Laurie’s son, ex-Holy Wayne follower Tom, wonders if he can just be a son and brother again.
Matt Jamison’s faith in God — and in Miracle — has been rewarded. His wife, Mary, who awakened pregnant from her coma, has resumed life with him. All Matt can do is count his blessings and keep preaching the Word.
The Murphy family, meanwhile, is still shaken by the faked disappearance of their rebellious teenager, Evie, and by the rogue operation in Miracle, conducted by Meg, the most radical member of the G.R. Hardcore skeptic John Murphy has been shaken to his core by a series of inexplicable events, making him believe there may be miracles in Miracle after all. Erika Murphy, a physician who dabbles in magical thinking, is tough, but there’s only so much she can take. Michael, the most religious member of the family, is a faithful Christian who believes he has witnessed an actual resurrection.
Lastly, while those in Miracle struggle to find what is lost, to reconnect, and get better, Kevin Garvey, Sr., is at large in Australia. Formerly the Mapleton Chief of Police, he has been hearing voices in his head – an experience to which his son can now relate.

Returning for the new season:

Justin Theroux
Carrie Coon
Amy Brenneman
Christopher Eccleston
Kevin Carroll
Jovan Adepo
Scott Glenn
Regina King
Chris Zylka
Margaret Qualley
Jasmin Savoy-Brown,
Liv Tyler

Janel Moloney will presumably have a bigger role, now that Mary Jamison has miraculously recovered from her paralysis. Scottish thespian Lindsay Duncan (HBO’s Rome, Birdman) joins the cast as a character named Grace.

You can read a breakdown of episodes one to seven below:

Episode #21 (season 3, episode 1): “The Book of Kevin”

"Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)Three years after Miracle, Texas was overrun by the Guilty Remnant, Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) has returned to his role as chief of police. Although he seems to have moved past the incredible events surrounding his “resurrection,” the Seventh Anniversary of the Sudden Departure is just two weeks away and many believe another apocalyptic event may come with it.Written by Damon Lindelof & Patrick Somerville; directed by Mimi Leder."

Episode #22 (season 3, episode 2): “Don’t Be Ridiculous”

"Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)In her official capacity as fraud investigator for the Department of Sudden Departure (D.S.D.), Nora (Carrie Coon) travels to St. Louis to investigate a possible scam that involves convincing the family members of The Departed there’s a way to see their loved ones again.Written by Tha Lonely Donkey Kong & Specialist Contagious [are these code names?]; directed by Keith Gordon."

Episode # 23 (season 3, episode 3): “Crazy Whitefella Thinking”

"Debut: SUNDAY, APRIL 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)With the clock ticking towards the anniversary of the Departure and emboldened by a vision that is either divine prophecy or utter insanity, Kevin Garvey, Sr. (Scott Glenn) wanders the Australian Outback in an effort to save the world from apocalypse.Written by Damon Lindelof & Tom Spezialy; directed by Mimi Leder."

Episode # 24 (season 3, episode 4): “G’Day Melbourne”

"Debut: SUNDAY, MAY 7 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)Kevin (Justin Theroux) and Nora (Carrie Coon) travel to Australia, where she continues to track down the masterminds of an elaborate con, while he catches a glimpse of an unexpected face from the past, forcing him to confront the traumatic events of three years earlier.Story by Damon Lindelof; teleplay by Tamara P. Carter & Haley Harris; directed by Daniel Sackheim."

Episode #25 (season 3, episode 5): “It’s a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World”

"Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)Convinced it is Kevin’s (Justin Theroux) destiny to be in Miracle for the coming seventh anniversary of the Departure, Matt Jamison (Christopher Eccleston) impulsively heads to Australia in an effort to bring Kevin home. Unfortunately, God gets in the way.Written by Lila Byock & Damon Lindelof; directed by Nicole Kassell."

Episode #26 (season 3, episode 6): “Certified”

"Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)Laurie Garvey (Amy Brenneman), a former therapist, must become one again as she heads to Australia to help Nora (Carrie Coon) and Kevin (Justin Theroux) along their paths.Written by Patrick Somerville & Carly Wray; directed by Carl Franklin."

Episode #27 (season 3, episode 7): “The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)”

"Debut date: SUNDAY, MAY 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)On a mission of mercy, Kevin (Justin Theroux) assumes an alternate identity.Written by Nick Cuse & Damon Lindelof; directed by Craig Zobel."

These synopses don’t reveal much in the way of plot, but The Leftovers has never been overly concerned with plot anyway. Also, it’s a Damon Lindelof project.

Speaking of whom, the producer sent critics a cheeky letter outlining his stance on spoilers and binge-watching that’s worth reading. In essence, he would like you to take a cue from the Guilty Remnant and zip it.

The Leftovers returns to HBO on April 16.

Home/TV