I Live Here Now

"I Live Here Now" is the tenth episode and season finale of the second season of the American supernatural drama television series The Leftovers, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta. It is the twentieth overall episode of the series and was written by series creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder. It was first broadcast on HBO in the United States on December 6, 2015.

The series is set four years after the "Sudden Departure" – an event which saw 2% of the world's population (approximately 140 million people) disappear and profoundly affected the townspeople. The season features the characters moving to the town of Jarden, Texas, where no one vanished during the Departure. In the episode, the truth of the girls' disappearance is known, as well as the motives of the Guilty Remnant.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.991 million household viewers and gained a 0.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, making it the most watched episode of the season. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the performances (particularly Justin Theroux), directing, writing, score, emotional tone and sense of closure.

Flashback
As Kevin (Justin Theroux) and his family leave the Murphys' birthday party for John (Kevin Carroll), Evie (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and her girls leave for the lake. As they drive away, they start their vow of silence. At the lake, the girls turn the music loud and lock their car with their phones inside. They then notice Kevin with a cinder block tied to his ankle, who also notices them. He silently jumps into the lake to commit suicide, while the girls leave the scene. Shortly after they leave, the earthquake starts.

Present day
Michael (Jovan Adepo) finds a resurrected Kevin in the woods, telling him he was dead for eight hours. Their conversation of the afterlife causes Kevin to remember that he saw Evie on the night of the earthquake and meets with John at his house. John has been notified that the fingerprint on the girls' car matched with Kevin's and confronts him. While taking care of Mary (Janel Moloney) and Lily, Nora (Carrie Coon) protects her and the baby when an earthquake strikes. Suddenly, Mary speaks, shocking her. He takes her to Matt (Christopher Eccleston), who is ecstatic to see her. She is also told that she is pregnant, which surprises her but makes her happy.

At the refugee camp, Meg (Liv Tyler) and Tom (Chris Zylka) are preparing for their plan. Meg drives a car with a home trailer towed and stops it in the entrance bridge, with the trailer containing explosives. As authorities retain Meg, GR members, including Evie and her friends, step out of the trailer. John takes Kevin to a quarantine zone where his dog is being kept, offering to give him his dog back if he tells him where Evie went. Kevin states that she faked her disappearance, which John refuses to believe. When Kevin keeps insisting, John fatally shoots him and leaves in shock as Kevin dies. He then leaves for the bridge when he is informed that Evie is alive. The GR announce that the bridge to the town will be destroyed within one hour.

John informs Erika (Regina King) and Michael about Evie, prompting them to meet her at the bridge. Erika hugs her but Evie is unresponsive to her. With just over a minute left, Erika refuses to leave the bridge and inspects the trailer, finding it empty. As the countdown ends, GR members in the refugee camp walk through the bridge, passing through security. Matt and Mary join many of the people entering the town with no security. A woman takes Lily from Nora and as she rushes to find her, she discovers her in the ground. Nora shields her from the passing bystanders until Tom saves her by placing her in the trailer.

Kevin wakes up once again in the realm of the undead. He now takes the life of a police officer and is called to the lobby bar. There, he meets the mystery man (Bill Camp) again, who tells him that the only way he can leave the realm is by singing karaoke. Despite reluctance, he goes to the stage, where he is assigned to sing "Homeward Bound". After finishing, he wakes up again in the quarantine zone, but the gunshot wound remains. He reunites with his dog and both wander through Miracle, which has fallen in chaos.

At the tour center, Kevin finds all members of the GR, including Meg. As she starts singing, he returns back to the town. He reaches Erika's clinic for medication, where a shocked John finds him. A tearful John treats Kevin's wound, confused about everything that has happened. Kevin comforts him, claiming he does not understand anything either. As the pair returns to their homes, John wonders what he should do if his house is empty, and Kevin responds that he can come over to his home. Before entering, another earthquake strikes the town. There, he encounters Jill (Margaret Qualley), Laurie (Amy Brenneman), Matt, Mary, Tom, Lily and Nora, who are all happy that he returned. A tearful Kevin smiles.

Development
In November 2015, the episode's title was revealed as "I Live Here Now" and it was announced that series creators Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta had written the episode while executive producer Mimi Leder had directed it. This was Lindelof's nineteenth writing credit, Perrotta's sixth writing credit, and Leder's seventh directing credit.

Viewers
The episode was watched by 0.993 million viewers, earning a 0.5 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale. This means that 0.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. This was a 15% increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.861 million viewers with a 0.4 in the 18-49 demographics.

Critical reviews
"I Live Here Now" received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.7/10 for the episode, based on 16 reviews. The site's consensus states: "'I Live Here Now' is a moving and satisfying finale to The Leftovers' excellent second season."

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "'I Live Here Now' many not have been able to give everyone their due, but considering how much more there was going on here, and how many more character there were to service, compared to the Season 2 finale, I think this one was still a triumph. Just a soul-squeezing journey from start to finish, filled with truly memorable and moving moments."

Joshua Alston of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B–" grade and wrote, "This could very well be the end of the series, and if 'I Live Here Now' is the series finale, it's a really odd note to end on, and another deeply polarizing, spiritually playful series finale for Damon Lindelof to add to his resume."

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "I cover television for a living, so I'm not supposed to believe in miracles. But I want to see what amazing feats The Leftovers still has in store, and I want to believe that the miracle is coming, somehow, some way." Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The Leftovers was the rare treat that got better in its second season. Justin Theroux and Christopher Eccleston both took my breath away with some of the most touching, most powerful performances I've seen on TV all year, and Ann Dowd's Patti deserves to be resurrected somehow — maybe she and Virgil just walked out of a cave together in Perth."

Kelly Braffet of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Mary's awakening was a joy and Nora shielding Lily in the stampede was terrifying. So while the Big Event was a little bit of a letdown, the people were incredibly satisfying." Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "If that's The Leftovers' final shot, it's not the worst note to go out on. I know the ratings aren't there, but it would just feel truly criminal if The Leftovers did not get to come back for a third season. Hopefully word of mouth over this incredible season will build and people will find the series over the coming months. I rarely get emotional watching TV, but several times this season, especially with that last scene this episode, The Leftovers leaves me all choked up, deeply reflecting on what I just saw, appreciating all that I can derive from its meaning and marveled by everything I’ve yet to comprehend. That's what good art does."

Robert Ham of Paste gave the episode a 9.6 out of 10 wrote, "Perrotta, and Lindelof and everyone involved defied all expectations with this show's return, and there's nothing to suggest that they can't repeat their success next time around." Jen Chaney of The New York Times wrote, "The show about the sudden departure - about how people can get snatched away without warning - delivers a damn near perfect second season. And then, suddenly, it departs."