Article first published as THE LEFTOVERS Review "Axis Mundi" on Seat42F.
HBO’s
THE LEFTOVERS began its second season with the episode “Axis Mundi.”
The name of the installment refers to a focal point, a connection
between Heaven and Earth. Presumably, that’s what the town of Jarden,
Texas, the ‘miracle’ city where not a single one of its 9,000-plus
residents disappeared in the Sudden Departure, is. This is the new
setting for the series, but the location is far from the only thing
that’s changed.
“Axis Mundi” begins with a cave woman,
presumably Native American, who is separated from her people by a
landslide, gives birth in the open, and tries to protect her baby. She
dies, and another woman rescues the child. What is the meaning of this
extended sequence, done without dialogue, that makes up a huge chunk of
the beginning of the episode?
Well, there are parallels we can draw
between the cave woman and characters on the show. Perhaps she
represents Nora (Carrie Coon), who lost her entire family, then picked
up a baby that isn’t hers. If so, does that mean Nora is doomed? Or is
the woman meant to represent the fierce spirit of human beings? Or maybe
her sequence is commentary on life and death?
While it’s nearly impossible to say for
sure what the cave woman means (unless the show’s staff come forward and
tell us), this does fit within the framework of THE LEFTOVERS. It is a
slow-paced, emotionally-moving series that dwells on depth of feeling,
at times so much so that it becomes purposefully uncomfortable. While
the cave woman may not be a familiar face, her piece does not feel out
of sync with the overall tone of the program, and I like that it makes
us think, as other episodes have in that past. The show is often about
not having answers, and this opening lets viewers feel what the
characters feel in that regard.
After her, we meet the Murphy family,
who have joined our principal cast. There’s: John (Kevin Carroll, Being
John Malkovich), the fire captain patriarch who seems to want to protect
the town, and may or may not be a villain; his wife, Erika (Regina
King, American Crime, Southland), an almost-deaf doctore who is complicit
in whatever her husband is doing; their spiritual son, Michael (Jovan
Adepo, The Youth); and their multi-faceted, adventurous daughter, Evie
(Jasmin Savoy Brown, Laggies).
It takes forty minutes for a familiar
face from season one to show up, so the Murphys are our protagonists for
most of “Axis Mundi.” I didn’t find myself minding, though. It’s not
that I don’t like last year’s leads, many of whom will continue to star
in the show (though a number of them have been dropped). It’s the fact
that getting to know the Murphy family is a great way to introduce us to
this place, as they are involved in the community in a myriad of ways,
and they are supremely interesting in their own right. Next week, we can
go back to the Garveys and their friends, but for now, I am satisfied
to be fully immersed in this place before they even arrive.
Jarden, or Miracle, is a very intriguing
town. It has a new tourist industry based entirely upon its reputation,
and that brings with it its own share of problems. Isaac Rainey (Darius
McCrary, Family Matters) is the perfect way to examine this. He’s a
fortune teller whom John goes after. Is Isaac for real? What if he is?
What if he’s not? Whether he is or not, does John have the right to
force him to stop? Does Isaac represent the best or worst in human
nature?
Despite numerous changes, from
characters to setting, THE LEFTOVERS remains essentially the same show,
so its fans should be happy with “Axis Mundi.” Once more, we’re left to
ponder questions that don’t have clear answers, while fully immersed in
human drama that is compelling and authentic. Excellent start.
THE LEFTOVERS airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
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