Warning: Fullfor the episode follow...

If there aren't a ton of "Nyan Cat Caused the Rapture" conspiracy articles following tonight's foreboding (but also kind of fun) Leftovers, then you'll have let me down, internet.And, yes. F*** you, Lou! Glad to see that he was a giant dink before the Departure too. Not everyone needs an arc. Once a pain in the ass, always a pain in the ass. The Leftovers took a wise leap backward this week. Initially, when I read the title of the episode, "The Garveys at Their Best," I assumed it was ironic, as our headlining family is at anything but their best these days. But it was actually meant seriously, in a sort of half-earnest sense. Because in traveling three years back (wait, it's four years back now, right?), to the day right before the Departure, we were able to catch a glimpse of a very different family. Not one without problems (as we saw Kevin's creeping dissatisfaction rise up over a 24 hour period and cause a hell of a marital fissure between himself and Laurie), but still one with a vastly different tone and dynamic than what we're now used to.So in a way, for a lot of characters on the show, this was almost a "bizzaro-verse" episode. Except they're still playing the same characters within the same timeline. Which is an awesome testament to just how much the Departure event changed people. In some, almost a 180 degree flip.The Leftovers is usually, week to week, a showcase of shattered souls and broken bits of humanity. And I love it for that. I'm super into well-crafted, purposefully-executed misery. And I'm never someone to just write off a show as being too much of a "downer" to bear. The Leftovers is a exquisite puzzle and its few-and-far spots of light resonate all the brighter. And I consider "The Garveys at Their Best" a lighter ride than usual. In the best possible way though. I wasn't lying up top when I wrote that it was fun, because it was.A little gimmicky, sure. And there were a few extra-low tips of the hat here and there. Like Kevin, Sr. telling his son, "You have no greater purpose." Or Nora saying "For the next four weeks, I have no family." Little dog ears like that. But all still very enjoyable. I mean, at this point, who wouldn't want to go back and see, partially, how it all began? If not just so that Amy Brenneman could have some actual lines of dialogue.All of this of course means that most of the footage that we saw in the trailer for this episode is from next week's finale. So those looking for sneak peek at the direct aftermath to "Cairo" should check it out. I watched "The Garveys at Their Best" a few days ago and, yes, I was fooled. That opening shot of Kevin jogging? Was it another dream? Had a lot of time passed (as the show has jumped forward quite a bit between episodes at times) and Kevin was now trying to keep the events at the cabin a secret? What was going on?Gahhh. It was October 13th, four years previous. The day before 140 million people mysteriously vanished from the planet. Laurie had a thriving psychiatric practice that afforded their whole family a luxurious house, Jill was a giggling pre-teen invested in her school work, Kevin was a police lieutenant under his well-respected (and sane) father, and Tom, though troubled by his birth father's (Scott William Winters) rejection, was a happy, active member of the family. In fact, not only was it great to see Chris Zylka have scenes with everyone else, but it was particularly rewarding to see Tom be so loving with Jill. And watch Kevin be so (over) protective of Tom.Even though an episode like this can be filled with a lot of "Ah ha!"-type reveals and tricks, it also greatly informs past episodes. As in, if one were planning on re-watching all of Season 1 before the finale (in two weeks), it's best to do it after viewing this episode. Now that we know, more fully, the exact relationships that were disintegrated in the wake of October 14th, there's a new, extra layer to the series in general.And so aside from Meg, Aimee, Dean, and the Frost twins, we saw most everyone. Gladys was a sweetheart dog breeder, Patti was a cerebral wreck fresh off a busted relationship (turns out she was being literal when she told Kevin that Laurie counseled her), Matt (getting good news regarding a cancer scare) and Mary were happy, and Lucy was starting up her Mayoral campaign. We even caught glimpses of peripheral players like the elementary school teacher Nora's husband was sleeping with and The Pattersons, the elderly parents of the boy with Down syndrome who Nora interviewed.Again, with regards to possibly re-watching episodes, Nora's guilt over her family's disappearance was retro-explained. Of course, there's a "survival guilt" that we might assume anyone would have after such a huge, metaphysical mystery, but more specifically here, Nora's final moments with her family involved her wanting to distance herself from them. And her actual last moment with them involved her screaming at her daughter and making her cry. As it turns out, the Jamisons just aren't that great with wishes, as once was displayed by Matt's "wish/prayer" for attention that he thought gave him leukemia. Here, Nora basically entertained the slight notion of independence and was met with the grandaddy of all cosmic responses.Speaking of actual vanishings, we got to see some new scenes featuring that fateful flash of time. From Nora's family to Laurie witnessing her fetus erasing itself from the ultrasound screen. Kevin (as we saw from a brief flash in the pilot) was in bed with a woman he'd just met (Briana Marin), who was passing through town when she hit rampaging deer Kevin had been tracking. A woman who, in what was probably a huge mind-f*** moment, vanished mid-coitus.Kevin mentioned to Patti that he thought Laurie had left because he'd failed her. So was his stepping out on her a regular thing? He didn't seem to be "having an affair," like how Nora's husband was seeing one woman on the side over a long period of time. But maybe his regular thing was sleeping with random ladies whenever the feeling struck him. There was something bad going on under the surface. Something Kevin, Sr. could spot and something Jill even sensed. Hell, she even thought Kevin was going to leave. Which is a disturbing thing to say considering Kevin didn't have, like, an actual "girlfriend/mistress" to run off with.• While we don't know the exact root of Kevin and Laurie's marital problems, Kevin's restlessness and sleep issues seemed to be present. Was he actually going out at night before the Departure?• Familiar motifs of dogs, deers, and mailboxes all show up. Dogs, as something families use to become closer now representing the opposite. Deers, as animals many folks feel are majestic and peaceful representing trapped turmoil. And mailboxes, as a system of communication being used to conceal secret feelings.• The hours before the Departure weren't without their peculiarities. Abnormally hot weather. Exploding gas lines. Leaking mugs (glad to see Kevin's always had problems with workplace food and drink). Weirdos in cars pulling up and asking Kevin "Are you ready?" That crazed deer. And Patti having a "heart squeezing" feeling that something was going to happen. Which, apparently, she felt quite often. So her being correct this time sort of felt like an "even a broken clock is right twice a day" deal. Because you can bet that if something huge like this ever happened in the world, someone somewhere will have predicted it.• This episode was an enjoyable, informative escape, though it didn't answer everything. I'm not talking about the metaphysical stuff we'll never get answers to. I mean all the stuff with Kevin, Sr. and Matt. And Aimee. And, you know, stuff that happened within the next three years.• Speaking of Kevin, Sr. here. Do we think he and Lucy had something going? I was always curious about why she visited him so much in the mental care ward. And Kevin certainly knew enough to go to her house almost immediately after he escaped a few episodes back.• That novelty Buddhist quote - "The Foot Feels the Foot When It Feels the Ground" - is maddening enough to turn anyone into a nihilist.• I joked about Lou earlier. And yes, I am amused that this show has such a consistent a-hole who's remained the same throughout. But he also sort of represents a constant nag to Kevin. Someone who's always near Kevin and giving him s*** for things because he perhaps doesn't deserve them. His career (thanks to his father), his house (due to his wife), etc. And the fact that he would go up to Laurie directly at the party just to talk crap about Kevin just shows how much resentment he has.