Tuesday, February 2, 2016

"Kevin, it's going to be a long, hard day."

 That's my husband's new favorite quote. Have you been watching The Leftovers on HBO? We have. And we're hooked. Although, their decision to change the intro from a creepy and dramatic ascent into Heaven; accompanied by a blast of sound and a mesmerizing chorus, to a lame and stupid hillbilly redux, had us irritated and confused. We even googled the decision, to see if others were baffled. They were. 

I can be a little dramatic about unpleasant situations. See above. But there are many, many other times. Like when we were traveling back from Panama. We hadn't even left the airport in Panama City and I was already complaining. "Like I said Kevin, long, hard day." That's what my husband said to me. The flights went as smooth as they possibly could. But the quote couldn't have been more apt.

It really shouldn't surprise anyone that my husband would love a show called The Leftovers. He is the one who cleans out the fridge on a regular basis. And diligently eats the Chicken Tetrazini at his desk. Instead of indulging on Taco Tuesdays. He even got me the book The Leftovers written by Tom Perrotta for Christmas. I just looked at him with suspicion. My suspicion wasn't curdled because he purchased the novel at Half Price Books. No, it was new alright.  It was because he was obviously trying to torture me.  Hmmm. If I read the book, I'll spoil the show. And if I watch the show, I'll spoil the book. 

That's what happened to me with Game of Thrones. I'm on the 4th book A Feast for Crows as we speak. But the HBO show is so good, I don't like to know what's going to happen. I learned some disturbing details when I read A Storm of Swords. Then, I had to keep them all to myself. So I didn't ruin it for Mr. Leftovers. Luckily, the books by George R.R. Martin are exceedingly more complex than the show, so reading them after the HBO version airs is still like discovering a whole new world. 

So what really happens at the end of The Leftovers? I'm not going to read the book to find out. If, I can hold out that long. I want to be surprised. But here are some creative possibilities...

1) Kevin (Justin Theroux) wakes up in bed with Jennifer Aniston. He sadly discovers that his HBO acting gig was just a dream. In reality, his career stalled after his appearance on Sex and the City.


2) Kevin wakes up again, but this time, he's in bed handcuffed to Liv Tyler. Instead of Nora. I know, I know. This sounds like a positive. But trust me. Her character is turning into one scary white walker. Right out of Game of Thrones.

3) Kevin decides to create his own cult. The non-guilty remnant. They don't wear white. Duh. They're smokers. Wearing white is just asking for trouble. The main focus of their cult is smoking in public. Just like the good old days. The colorful group bands together to smoke inside restaurants like Perkins. They promote smoke-ins and broad spectrum, willy nilly, nothing to feel guilty about smoking privileges. Cough, hack. Do you remember what our clothes used to smell like after a night at a bar? I do.

4) Kevin wakes up back in the well. But this time, instead of the white suit weirdo stuck down there with him, it's the girl from The Ring. Now that's scary.

P.S. Head over to Springtime in Magnolia for a book review of a charming old classic. Anne of Green Gables.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I read at least three, and maybe four of George Rrrrr Martin's books a few years ago. I quit in disgust, having realized his quirk: they aren't novels, they're long short stories, or something else. A novel has a beginning and an end. You know it's the end because things are resolved and people are changed. But with Martin, the resolution and change is always the same: the people are dead and we're going to take up with another set of characters. This mirrors real life: medieval barons lived and died, ran their estates, warred with their neighbors, all ultimately without any point. But that's not the contract I have as a reader. As a reader, there will be a point and I will know it by the end. Martin breaches that contract willy-nilly and so I won't put up with him. Another important rule: you can't introduce mysterious apparitions in the first book and then not do anything with them! Grrrr.

Sharon Wagner said...

Thanks so much for your blog visit Karl and comment. I think George R.R. Martin is a genius! But to each his own.