Say ‘The Leftovers’ Became Reality: Who Would You Keep?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you’ve departed from all means of social media, you’ve probably heard about HBO’s thriving series The Leftovers. This new drama series portrays a sudden departure of 2% of the world’s population (roughly 140 million people). This cataclysmic global event changes the world forever. It shakes the core of religion and makes everyone into believers of science fiction.

Created by Damon Lindelof, known for his creation of the TV series Lost, this series leaves its viewers craving for more each week. A craving that easily turns into an infatuating desire due to the perplexing answers of the unknown. From the unique point of view it’s filmed at, to the bone trembling music, and slew of personalities portrayed through the characters, The Leftovers is one of the most riveting TV series of recent years.

The Leftovers is a bizarre world the HBO has allowed us to enter. A world that is fantastically harrowing. As with most HBO series, it’s thought provoking and leaves its viewers emotionally distressed when the screen fades to black. The series portrays how the human race is forever changing and adapting to our world. Suddenly one day the human race is left with the aftermath of an unexplainable phenomenon, a bizarre event that interlocks the belief of religion and supernatural.

As you watch each Sunday night and the mystery unfolds, you grow closer to the characters and you start live in their world. You start to feel the pain and sorrow they feel. The overwhelming pain of losing loved ones without a fighting chance. They can’t fight to bring them back; all they can do is bask in the pain. Week after week we follow these people trying to cope with the “Sudden Departure.” Some of them wade through their new life as if nothing ever happened. They’re able to wake up the next day and move on without thinking twice. While others are immersed in it, trying to run from the demons in their head. Trying to find an escape from the new world they live in, trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Even though the series is fictional, it poses to question, “what if?” What if one day 2% of the worlds population just disappeared? What if it was more than 2%? If a supernatural event like this were to occur it would change the real world forever. Religious beliefs and the world of science would also be forever changed. The Leftovers doesn’t explore the global effect an event of this nature would have; it only focuses on a small nucleus people. An event like this would change the course of human history and could potentially spread mass chaos throughout the entire world.

If a sudden departure happened in the real world we would have no control over who departed from our world. What if you were given the opportunity to chose prior to a departure happening?

Would you keep your family and friends? Would you keep your children? Would you keep a loved one? The fictional citizens of Mapleton, NY didn’t get to choose. They were forced into the departure without a warning. Without any foreshadowing to how their lives would be changed for forever.