The Leftovers Review: G’Day Melbourne (Season 3 Episode 4)

God, this show. God, this show. 

Quite easily, The Leftovers Season 3 Episode 4, “G’Day Melbourne,” is one of the most excellent and riveting episodes we have seen on the show thus far, and we owe it to Kevin and Nora’s disparate story lines and mutual breakup.

From the beginning of the episode, as the couple boards their flight to Melbourne, it’s very clear where these two are heading emotionally, especially given that honesty has never been their strong suit.

On top of all the secrets and lies, Kevin also has to suss out that Nora is smuggling 20k in cash for her sting operation. Even an impromptu romp in the airport bathroom, which is primal, riddled with tension, and absent from any emotional connection, doesn’t put these two at ease.

Once they get to Australia, Nora quickly leaves meet the people who will send her to where the departed have gone.

Kevin hangs back, but is soon consumed with his own drama.

While watching G’day Melbourne on TV, he hears about his dad being wanted by the police, and soon spots Evie, adorned in a orange hijab, standing outside in the audience.

He then rushes to where G’day Melbourne is shooting live, and confronts Evie.

The idea of Evie being alive is jarring. We saw a bomb flying right towards her in the premiere, and yet, I still wasn’t sure if she was actually there before Kevin, or if she was just another apparition living in his mind like he originally believes. He asks if Patti sent her.

Before a passerby intervenes and clobbers Kevin, he takes a photo of Evie as proof. He later sends it was Laurie, whom he frantically calls for help.

But, it turns out, the person that Kevin believes is Evie, isn’t Evie at all. His mind is playing tricks on him again. His realization that he’s is once again hallucinating is heart wrenching.

As Laurie suggests to him, Kevin is projecting Evie on to a stranger because she had escaped from her life, and he wants to do the same.

Just like how Kevin repeats to himself and to others that he doesn’t want to kill himself, he once again, brokenly tells Laurie that he doesn’t want to run away from his life.

I really love where Laurie and Kevin are in their relationship today.

Kevin not only trusts her to help him, but he is also aware that nobody quite understands him like she does, being that they had been married for years, and she has a compassion for him that Nora lacks.

It’s also really nice to see them build off on Laurie’s counseling of Kevin, as she seems to be the person he reaches for when he’s at the brink of losing his shit.

Meanwhile, Nora meets with two dutch doctors who examine her and ask her questions to determine if they want to proceed with her.

One of the doctors is skeptical that Nora even wants go through with the procedure, and when Nora is asked one final question about choosing to kill an infant if it means curing cancer, the doctors decide that Nora doesn’t qualify.

I think a part of Nora wanted to see if it was real, if people really could be sent to where the departed have gone. Because if it were real, there’s not denying that Nora would take the opportunity to see her kids again in a heartbeat.

The devastation on her face after the doctors leave proves it.

Later, a defeated Nora and Kevin meet back at the hotel. The big fight between Nora and Kevin is stunningly acted by Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux, and even though these characters absolutely shouldn’t be together, it’s still sad to see it end in such an awful way.

The words uttered during the fight are bruising, but they’re true: Kevin can’t be honest with Nora about his issues because she doesn’t get it, and she left him the last time he shared them with her. Also, Nora does play victim, and that’s exhausting to be around.

The two of them are so unhappy with their lives, and are so in denial of that fact, that they have convinced themselves that everything is okay.

But the burdens of their past and the depression that they both suffer are too persistent to ignore.

And maybe now that they are apart, they can begin to confront their demons.

Other final thoughts:

• Justin Theroux is a phenomenal actor and is  truly underrated. I hope he gets his due because he is so visceral in his performances, that I truly empathize with Kevin’s predicament. His confusion becomes mine. His frustration becomes mine. His fear becomes mine. And that’s a testament to Theroux’s abilities.
• I don’t know what to make of Nora’s encounter with the mother and her baby. I did like that she took the baby even though she needed to catch the bus, but I just don’t know what it all meant.
• Sometimes I find the song choices on the show suspect, or that most of them go over my head, but man, the use of A-ha’s “Take Me On” throughout the episode was perfect.
• Speaking of musical moments on the show, the piano score that they more or less use every episode never fails to hit me in the gut. You’d think I’d get tired of it by now, but no, it never stops being effective. Here, I’m referring to when Kevin realizes that the woman isn’t Evie.
• The flash of Kevin pushing child Pattie into the well has come up a few times now, and I think it works in telling us how that choice still haunts Kevin, even though it wasn’t actually real.
• I thought it was funny when Laurie asked Kevin if he and Nora were doing okay, his defensive response was to have her question her own relationship with John, who helped write the Book of Kevin, mostly likely without her knowledge.
• I’m really glad Kevin Jr. and Kevin Sr. are reunited, and am eager to see how their scenes play out now that we are marching towards the end.

What did you think of this episode of The Leftovers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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The Leftovers airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.

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