Summary

• The Leftovers had an ambiguous ending, leaving the biggest mysteries up to the audience to interpret.
• The series finale focused on the love story between Kevin and Nora, two broken people united by a tragedy.
• The show's core message is about embracing the unknown and having faith in each other, as shown through the characters' journeys.

The Leftovers was never a show that liked to give away answers, and its ending was no different. The mind of Damon Lindelof took Tom Perrota's invigorating book and expanded it into a three-season show, delving deep into the characters' psyches and leaving the show's captivating mystery in the background. Over the course of many puzzling episodes, viewers followed Kevin and Nora as they tried to adapt to a shattered world, haunted by the mysterious disappearance of two percent of the world's population years ago. Although the Departure affected the whole world, the story unraveled through the eyes of the characters of an ordinary American town.

The last episode of The Leftovers wrapped up the story with an ambiguous ending, leaving the biggest mysteries up to the fans to interpret. With one of the internet's most popular series finales, The Leftovers also proved that even in the face of the unknown and the fantastical, it ultimately remained a love story to the core: that of Kevin and Nora (Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon), two broken people united by a tragedy that took everything away from them.

What Happens In The Leftovers Ending

Kevin And Nora Finally Find Eachother After Decades

The Leftovers' series finale, "The Book of Nora," opens with Nora getting prepared to enter the mysterious machine introduced in "Don't Be Ridiculous," a device that seemingly sends people to wherever victims of the Departure have gone. She says goodbye to Matt (Christopher Eccleston) and enters the machine, but viewers never get to see what Nora experiences there. Unusually for a series finale, the last episode of The Leftovers doesn't go through the lives of every character, providing them a conclusion to each of their arcs. Instead, the episode is focused entirely on the future of Kevin and Nora.

The two hadn't seen each other in The Leftovers since the episode, "The Book of Kevin," where they violently parted ways. The series finale cuts to decades after Nora entered the machine: she now lives in rural Australia, taking care of small chores in a village but maintaining little to no with other residents. An aging Nora opens her door and sees Kevin, who doesn't seem to what they've been through, only that they met at a school dance once. His ruse quickly falls apart and Kevin reveals he doesn't know how to approach Nora after all those years, figuring they could simply start all over again.

For decades, Kevin has tirelessly searched for Nora, denying that she could've crossed to the "other side." The two Leftovers characters eventually have a heart-to-heart conversation in which Nora reveals she was transported to another reality where the opposite of the show's Departure happened: 98 percent of the population disappeared, leaving only two percent. She tells Kevin about how her family is safe and happy, and since they've clearly moved on, she decides to do the same by returning to her reality. Different from what Nora anticipated, Kevin believes in her, and the two can share a breath of relief that they're finally reunited.

Why Laurie Didn't Die At The End Of The Leftovers

Laurie Dying Would Have Undermined The Show's Message

The Leftovers' finale is an emotional ride from beginning to end but also delivers quite a few shocks. Season 3, episode 6, "Certified," follows Laurie (Amy Brenneman) as she seemingly flirts with the idea of dying, taking her own life after showing Kevin the way. In the series finale, Laurie suddenly appears on the other end of Nora's call, immediately giving rise to many questions. The underrated HBO series has always been about learning to let go: just as Laurie learned how to let go of her demons, fans learned how to let go of her character in the episode "Certified."

In an interview with IndieWire, the writers talked about how there is a certain nobility in Laurie's decision to die, but she didn't look like someone who wanted to. In the end, hearing her voice again is the kind of shock that resonates with the show's true message: Laurie's arc is clearly an allegory to Nora's story on the "other side." How beautiful, yet how difficult it is to accept someone is back after learning how to let go of them? Through Laurie's return, viewers experience exactly what Nora might've felt when she saw her family again.

Is Nora's Story True? (& Does Kevin Believe In Her)

The Truth Of Nora's Story Is Secondary To Kevin's Faith In It

Faith is a recurring theme in shows like The Leftovers. In the end, it doesn't really matter whether Nora's story is true because there's no way to know it. After years away from her, Kevin carefully listens to the most preposterous story he's ever heard from the mouth of the person he trusts the most. Similarly, it doesn't matter whether Kevin truly believes in Nora, but he has faith in her, and that's what sticks out above everything else.

The heartfelt conversation between Kevin and Nora only happens because Kevin finally learned how to listen and Nora learned how to speak. Their romance has always been genuine, but they were constantly crossing over each other when their demons got in the way. In "Certified," Laurie "paused" the world and its inhabitants to force Kevin to prick up his ears.

Meanwhile, Nora "departed" and came to with her repressed feelings. In The Leftovers' series finale, as the two finally meet again, Nora gives, Kevin accepts, and love endures.

What Happened During The Time Jump?

Kevin Spent Years Searching For Nora

The Leftovers series finale takes place many years after the previous episode, and once Kevin reveals who he really is, the fates of many characters are mentioned. This begins with Kevin, who has searched for Nora every single year since her "departure," and even after he finds her, he only approaches her after figuring out the proper way to do it, which for him is pretending he doesn't what they both experienced together. After being diagnosed with a mysterious heart condition, Kevin now lives with the help of a pacemaker.

During their conversation at the party, Kevin tells Nora that over 400 people attended the funeral for Matt, who succumbed to his cancer, and Mary (Janel Moloney) did the mass sermon. Jill (Margaret Qualley) is married and has a daughter, Penelope, while Tommy (played on The Leftovers by Chris Zylka) wasn't as lucky in his marriage. Finally, it's revealed that Kevin's 91-year-old dad is still alive and that Laurie and Nora secretly keep in touch, Laurie acting as Nora's therapist every once in a while.

The True Meaning Of The Leftovers' Ending

The Core Message Of The Leftovers Is Embracing The Unknown

Few TV shows are brave enough to present their most important revelations through oral storytelling, yet no other series understands the power of words like The Leftovers; the episode isn't called "The Book of Nora" for no reason, this is her story, and it's up to Kevin and the audience to believe her or not. The Leftovers forces viewers to embrace the unknown and accept that some things are beyond human understanding. In this world, miracles are the fruits of the trust and the faith these characters allocate in each other. This is why Nora's birds return in the final scene: her faith is restored after her conversation with Kevin.

How The Leftovers Ending Was Received

"The Book Of Nora" Was Almost Universally Acclaimed

It's rare that the final season of a show, let alone the last episode of a series, is met with almost universal acclaim, but The Leftovers ending was considered a resounding success by almost every critic — and audiences seemed to agree with the overwhelmingly positive reviews too. Season 3 of The Leftovers currently sits with a 99% Tomatometer rating and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, an impressive feat that showcases how well the final moments capped off the story.

In particular, the final episode of The Leftovers was praised for the ending being ambiguous and yet, at the same time, clearly laced with hope. Nick Harley of Den of Geek put it incredibly well in their review when they succinctly explained:

For a show that could be so heavy and crushing, it’s such a comforting and lovely conclusion.

While there are of course some who didn't feel that The Leftovers ending was quite what they expected, the detractors are in a clear minority. The Leftovers was one of the most complex TV shows of the 2010s, and the final moments had a veritable tightrope to walk. There was every risk that the ending could have been bleak, depressing, or so confusing that it felt like a cop-out. However, when it arrived, the ending of The Leftovers was a definitive wrap-up that both suited the tone of prior seasons and avoided being overly dark.