As hard as it may be to watch, it’s an authentic and unapologetic reflection of humanity.

The summer of 2014 saw the premiere of one of the most divisive seasons of television in years. HBO’s The Leftovers, based upon Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name and co-created by Perrotta and Damon Lindelof of Lost fame, tells the story of the world after a Rapture-like event that saw the disappearance or “sudden departure” of 2% of the world’s population. In case you are bad with math, like me, that is roughly 140 million people.

The Leftovers had fierce critics from the word “go,” a lot having to do with the dour tone and depressing characters. However, another detractor for a lot of people was a history of frustration with Damon Lindelof, one of the creators, because of his work on Lost. One of the most criticized parts about that show was the fact that it posed lots of questions and mysteries and left most unanswered. Although the final season attempted to solve some, the finale left most viewers unsatisfied and even more confused. Many people, albeit accurately, predicted that Lindelof’s new show would do the same thing. However, Lindelof seems to have learned from the backlash against Lost because, while he sets up the mystery of the inexplicable departure (as well as other things such as certain character’s sanity and the purported magical powers of hugs) he makes it clear that we aren’t here to try and solve the mystery. This is a show that is interested only in the characters as people, not as super sleuths. They have no idea what caused the departure, much like the audience. By redirecting the focus away from the departure and making that event merely a catalyst for the series, he sets up a very different show than his last. Despite his efforts, many viewers were turned off by the lack of answers (not to mention how depressing the show is, Lindelof even saying that he was depressed while writing it).

So, what are you smiling for, Damon?

For those that were able to overlook the lack of answers, they were rewarded with a true example of the art of cinema. The Leftovers is undoubtedly a work of art, an unrelenting portrait of grief and loss and despair. Written with incredible honesty and depth, directed with masterful, cinematic vision, and acted with emotionally raw and tragically beautiful performances.

Interestingly, Lindelof chooses to explore the idea of loss with a central family that didn’t directly lose anybody in the departure. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t grappling with the same feeling of loss, though, as the entire family has fallen apart post-departure, losing themselves and each other. Kevin Garvey is the patriarch of the family, played by Justin Theroux (newly wed to Jennifer Aniston, and one of the best eyebrow actors ever), and is a cop trying to maintain order in the fictional Mapleton, New York, three years after experiencing an unimaginable tragedy, as well as trying to keep his family together while struggling with his own sanity. His estranged wife, Laurie, played silently by Amy Brenneman, has left the family to join a creepy cult called the Guilty Remnant who go around town wearing all white, chain-smoking, and speaking through note cards while stalking and breaking into people’s homes. Laurie’s son Tommy (who Kevin helped raise), played rather blandly by Chris Zylka, was the center of one of the series’ weakest storylines. He dropped out of college and joined up with a mysterious man named Holy Wayne, who supposedly can cure people’s emotional pain through hugs. Tommy also finds himself becoming a bodyguard for a woman he likes that has been impregnated by Holy Wayne with a possible miracle baby. It sounds weird, but it was definitely the most boring part of the season. Kevin and Laurie’s teenage daughter (the only person still actually living with Kevin), played by newcomer Margaret Qualley, is very distant and has the requisite teenage angst and strained relationship with her dad, yet manages the impossible by not being like most TV teenagers (annoying and stupid), so she gets kudos for that.

The Garveys aren’t the only characters of importance though, and they aren’t even the most messed up, either. Patti, played by character actress Ann Dowd, is the smug leader of the Mapleton chapter of the Guilty Remnant and frequently breaks the vow of silence to taunt Kevin and to manipulate Laurie. Meg, played by Liv Tyler in her first TV role, starts out as a woman who is the victim of the Guilty Remnant’s aggressive stalking, originally hating them before ending up joining their ranks and becoming one of its dedicated members. In the world of The Leftovers, most people are trying to move on from the departure and carry on with “normal” life, which the Guilty Remnant sees as an attempt to forget what happened. So their goal is to make sure that people don’t forget that it happened, and they are willing to go about that anyway they can. These methods include, as I said before, stalking, breaking into houses, disrupting public events, killing their own, and orchestrating one of the most traumatic demonstrations that I have seen (I won’t spoil it, but it happens in the season finale).

Matt Jamison, played by Brit Christopher Eccleston (known for being the Ninth Doctor on Doctor Who), is a former reverend whose wife wasn’t one of the departed, but was left in a catatonic state by an accident that occurred at the moment of the departure and leaves Matt with guilt. Matt has taken it upon himself to go about town handing out fliers with the sins of those that departed to try and prove that they weren’t taken because they were better than those left behind, however, by the end of the season his goal becomes to save people from the ranks of the Guilty Remnant.

Matt’s wife is played by Janel Moloney of The West Wing, which is interesting since her job is to just sit there and stare off into space. I’m interested to find out why they would hire Moloney, who has a fairly respectable profile, for a part without a lot to do. I imagine we’ll find out soon, because she was promoted to a series regular for the second season.

The true standout though comes from Matt’s sister, Nora Durst, played by theatre actress Carrie Coon, who lost her entire direct family in the departure (a cheating husband and two kids). On the surface, she actually appears to be the most stable of any of the characters, despite her circumstances. However, we learn that she isn’t as stable as she comes across and has her own ways of trying to cope (including hiring escorts to shoot her in the chest while she wears a Kevlar vest). The single-POV episode, the show’s sixth episode, titled “Guest” is all about Nora and is one of the best episodes of the series, also containing one of the greatest performances of the entire year.

The performances in this show are terrific, particularly those of Kevin, Laurie, Patti, Matt, and Nora. As Kevin, Theroux is simultaneously commanding, hopeless, desperate, and unhinged. As Laurie, Brenneman gives one of the most tragic performances all with only the use of her face, as she maintains her vow of silence. Her silent performance was incredibly moving and powerful, and her face often conveyed more emotion than most speaking performances do in any show or film. As Patti, Dowd continues to build a resume of very different performances. Here, she is a woman who is completely strong in her convictions and delightfully smug. It’s one of those performances of people with questionable morals that you can’t help but love and secretly root for. As Matt, Eccleston successfully conveys a deep insecurity and guilt as he wrestles with his faith and this changed world (almost enough to make up for his shaky American accent).

Carrie Coon as Nora gets her own paragraph. She is just that fantastic. Coon, known mostly for her work in the theatre, is tackling her first big role in television with a completely raw and emotionally honest beauty. It’s a very delicate and layered portrayal of a very complex woman. Many saw this performance as worthy of an Emmy, but unfortunately she, and the rest of the series, were largely overlooked. However, Coon only continues to gain traction in the cinematic world with an acclaimed supporting role in David Fincher’s Gone Girl as Ben Affleck’s twin sister Margo. Coon deserves all of the awards, it is a criminal offense that she was overlooked by the Emmys and definitely hurt my faith in them.

The Leftovers is undoubtedly a depressing show. Unlike most shows that try to gloss over emotion or try to package it with a softer touch, The Leftovers presents human emotion as it is: painful, unrelenting, and ultimately rewarding. This show isn’t for people who want to watch a show where they know and understand everything that happens or a more restrained approach to emotion. The Leftovers is a confrontation of feeling, good or bad. It doesn’t want to play down emotion or hand-hold the audience because that, in a way, is inauthentic of the human condition. We experience emotion and we need to confront that emotion, instead of ignoring it and avoiding it. That is the theme of The Leftovers, and it is perfectly reflected in the show itself. The show may not be for you, but I recommend giving it a try. As hard as it may be to watch, it’s an authentic and unapologetic reflection of humanity.

The Leftovers was renewed for a second season that began last Sunday on October 4th. It’s a changed show, having moved locations to Texas as well as dropping characters and adding some. It is not a reboot though, as Lindelof and Co. stress. I have seen the first episode, and it is just as strange and depressing and incredible as it was before. I know that I will continue to watch it, and you may see more about it from me as the season progresses.