8 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
The season follows Kevin Garvey, a former police chief grappling with a prophecy that he's a messianic figure, and Nora Durst, who is consumed by the pain of losing her family in the Departure. The core premise is the search for meaning and connection in a world forever changed by a mysterious event that caused 2% of the population to vanish.
Kevin and Nora travel to Australia, their relationship fracturing amidst Kevin's delusions and Nora's pursuit of a machine that promises reunion with the departed. Key turning points include Kevin accidentally killing his father's acquaintance, Christopher Sunday, and Kevin and Nora's relationship imploding. After a surreal journey where Kevin confronts and kills his alternate self, Nora enters the machine.
The season concludes with Nora returning, choosing to reunite with Kevin, signifying a commitment to love and belief over definitive answers about the Departure.
Season 3 of The Leftovers covers episodes 1-8. Here's everything that happened:
Season 3, Episode 1: The Book of Kevin - Three years after the Guilty Remnant's attack, Kevin is police chief in Jarden. He grapples with his mortality and a prophecy that he's a messianic figure. Dean, Kevin's dog-killing acquaintance, is killed by Tom, and Kevin is baptized in a lake. The episode concludes with a flashforward to an aged Nora in Australia, living under a new name and denying knowledge of Kevin.
Season 3, Episode 2: Don't Be Ridiculous - Nora investigates a man claiming to offer a way to reunite with the departed, leading her to confront her own pain and the loss of Lily, her adopted daughter. She also learns that the man who lived atop the pillar died of a heart attack, not a departure, which she exposes by displaying a photo of his corpse. The episode concludes with Nora agreeing to travel to Australia for the procedure, while Kevin is mistaken for someone else and drowned by a cult.
Season 3, Episode 3: Crazy Whitefella Thinking - Kevin Garvey Sr. journeys through the Australian Outback, convinced a flood is coming and that he must perform an Aboriginal chant to stop it. He encounters Grace Playford, who reveals her children died after the Departure. Kevin Sr. accidentally kills Christopher Sunday, the elder who held the final chant. Grace finds Kevin Sr. near death after a snakebite, and he wakes up weeks later, having lost the chance to learn the song.
Season 3, Episode 4: G'Day Melbourne - Kevin and Nora travel to Australia, where their relationship rapidly deteriorates. Kevin believes he sees Evie Murphy on a morning talk show, leading him to confront a stranger he mistakes for her. Nora is tested by scientists regarding a machine that supposedly transports people to the afterlife, but she is ultimately rejected. The episode culminates in a brutal argument where Kevin and Nora's relationship implodes, and Kevin reunites with his father.
Season 3, Episode 5: It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World - Matt Jamison, convinced Kevin is key to preventing the world's end, travels to Australia. He ends up on a hedonistic ferry where he confronts David Burton, a man claiming to be God. After a brutal ordeal, Matt witnesses Burton being mauled to death by a lion, leading to a crisis of faith. The episode concludes with Matt seemingly at peace, having confronted his own self-righteousness.
Season 3, Episode 6: Certified - Laurie attempts to counsel a grieving mother but finds her own purpose shattered, leading to a suicide attempt. After surviving, she drugs Kevin's companions to say goodbye to Kevin, revealing she was pregnant during the Departure. The episode concludes with Laurie seemingly committing suicide by scuba diving, leaving her fate ambiguous.
Season 3, Episode 7: The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother) - Kevin navigates a surreal alternate reality where he is both an international assassin and the President of the United States. He confronts his "twin" to prevent a nuclear launch, ultimately killing his other self to obtain the launch key. This act signifies Kevin's acceptance of his past and his readiness to face the future, leading to a reunion with his father.
Season 3, Episode 8: The Book of Nora - Nora Durst enters an experimental machine to reunite with the departed. She recounts a journey to an alternate reality where 98% vanished, and she found her family. Ultimately, she chose to return, finding Kevin again. Their reunion signifies a choice for love and belief over definitive answers, concluding the series with ambiguity and hope.
