The Leftovers: Pilot Television Review

It’s been quite some time since television has felt this good. HBO's latest original series "The Leftovers" premiered on Sunday with a nearly flawless pilot. The show tells the story of what would happen if 2% of the world’s population disappeared into thin air.
Right out of the gate the show had a great, driving plot. It was joined by interesting subplots and character development that raised a lot of questions. In my opinion one of the most crucial elements of a pilot is whether or not it raises questions. The Leftovers’ intense pilot raised so many questions, my mind will be racing for days. It's already showcasing some very compelling characters who quickly grabbed my attention; their performances are outstanding which made me connect with them sooner than I usually do.
The show follows multiple characters’ stories in a way that smoothly blends them together.  You’d think a multi-character focus would be distracting, but it’s just the opposite in this series.
Another aspect that really impressed me was the phenomenally written dialogue. Emotions were also handled with thought and the formula felt creative and refreshing. The soundtrack was perfectly timed to capture emotions due to excellent editing. It's safe to say the show’s editing was the best I've seen this year on television. The camerawork was very professional, appealing to the eye and it made you think, which helped personalize the presence of each character.
The flaws each character possess helps keep the storyline real and easy to relate to.  After watching the pilot unfold unlike any other, I was truly impressed by how it threw out the generic pilot style and capitalized on mystery and character development. It handled dark and mature scenes well, with realistic dialogue and acting.
My only concern with the pilot is an unrealistic series of events involving dogs and a deer. I’m a stickler for details when it comes to portraying animals and animal sounds and very few movies get it right.  In this case, the deer is in velvet in October (velvet is gone by early September), and when it’s being attacked by dogs, the sounds of bugling bull elk are piped-in.  Had a real, dying deer sound been used the scene would have been much more riveting as the sounds of a deer being attacked are much more blood-curdling than the rutting sounds of elk.  I wish producers would do their homework when it comes to capturing wildlife details like this.
Aside from the little deer glitch, I can't tell you how excited I am for this new, promising series.  If they keep on track, it has Emmy potential written all over it!

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