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The Leftovers: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Review

By Rachel Cericola

The Film

This past Sunday, HBO debuted season two of The Leftovers. Now, we're getting season one on Blu-ray. If you didn't catch on last fall, now is your time to catch up -- or maybe you just want to dissect what the hell happened in The Leftovers: The Complete First Season.

Some confusion is a given, considering that The Leftovers is a product of Damon Lindelof (Lost) and Tom Perrotta. It's actually based on Perrotta's novel of the same name, about the "Sudden Departure," a Rapture-style event that causes some 140 million people (2 percent of the world's population) to up and disappear without a trace.

Mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, kids, babies; no one was spared as far as we know. The show doesn't waste too much time trying to figure out who and why everyone went missing. (And more importantly, why Gary Busey is on that list.) Instead, it mainly focuses on the Garvey family in the tiny town of Mapleton, NY. Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux) is the chief of police, who lives with his daughter Jill (Margaret Qualley). His son Tommy (Chris Zylka) has taken up with a creepy guru known as "Holy Wayne" (Paterson Joseph), and his wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) has become part of an equally creepy, chain-smoking cult called "the Guilty Remnant.''

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The Guilty Remnant deliver a message to the people of Mapleton in "The Leftovers." Photo: HBO.

What ensues is 10 episodes of really interesting television. Some of those installments focus on specific characters and some just concentrate on the insanity caused by the Departure. If you're expecting any of them to divulge what may have happened to all of the people, you're going to be very disappointed.

That said, The Leftovers: The Complete First Season is perfect fodder for binge-watching. (I blew through this entire set in a mere three days.) The plotlines are interesting, the performances are great, and the show is really like nothing else on TV. Yes, it's dark and depressing, but it's also really addictive.

The Picture

Warner Bros. has been putting out some stellar TV on Blu-ray lately -- and The Leftovers is no exception. The show is really dark in tone and color palette, but there are plenty of colors that pop here. Overall, the color is spot-on, but it's the black levels that are most impressive, along with the detail. Whether it's stubble, sweat, scenery, the chaos or the creepy dolls of the Departed, you won't be disappointed with everything that's going on in this 1.78:1 transfer.

The Sound

Expect the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to keep you on the edge of your seat. This mix has crystal-clear dialogue throughout, but also a ton of surround activity. There are gunshots from every angle, immersive crowd chatter, breaking glass, dogs barking, cars crashing, casino bells and whistles, and much more. A real highlight is the music used in the show, which mixes up tracks from Patsy Cline, Deadmau5, Usher, Slayer, Otis Redding and so many more, all with Max Richter's hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

The Extras

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If you're hoping to find answers about the Departure, don't look for them in the special features section. Disc One has a single audio commentary for the pilot episode and the 29-minute "Making The Leftovers" featurette. The latter covers pretty much everything about the show, with a focus on how people can just go poof. It sprinkles interviews with physicists, Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and pretty much everyone else in the cast with info about the show's characters. It even gives a nice shoutout to Peter Berg, who directed (and had a cameo in) the first two episodes. Disc Two has an audio commentary for the season finale, along with three additional shorts. Lindelof and Perrotta talk about their collaboration and even explain a few things about the first season in "I Remember," the Guilty Remnant get a spotlight for almost 9 minutes, and there's even a peek at season two.

Final Thoughts

If you're still upset about the end of Lost, there are plenty of new sorrows to drown in here. The Leftovers: The Complete First Season is filled with great performances, interesting stories, and has an AV presentation that makes it worth picking up. Now, it should be noted that the creators have made it very clear that you won't get answers about the Departure. Instead, you'll just have to settle with some really good television.

Product Details

  • Actors: Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max Carver, Charlie Carver, Annie Q., Janel Moloney
  • Director: Peter Berg, Carl Franklin, Lesli Linka Glatter, Keith Gordon, Mimi Leder, Michelle MacLaren, Daniel Sackheim
  • Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (French, German, Italian, Spanish)
  • Subtitles: English SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish (Castellano), Spanish (Latino), Swedish
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Rating: NR
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Blu-ray Disc Release Date: October 6, 2015
  • Run Time: 558 minutes
  • List Price: $44.96
  • Extras:
    • Disc One:
      • Making The Leftovers
      • Pilot Audio Commentary with Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta
    • Disc Two:
      • I Remember: A Season One Conversation with Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta
      • Living Reminders: The Guilty Remnant
      • Finale Audio Commentary with Executive Producers Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta and Executive Producer/Director Mimi Leder
      • Beyond the Book: Season Two
    • UltraViolet Digital Copy

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