Is The Guilty Remnant Still On 'The Leftovers'?

You would think that a town called Miracle, Texas, where no one was taken from the Sudden Departure wouldn't have to deal with the Guilty Remnant, right? For the time being you may be right, but as people working on TV always say, never say never. In The Leftovers Season 2, we know from teaser trailers a few things to be certain: Kevin Garvey, Jill, and Kevin's girlfriend Nora from Season 1 will pack up and move to Jarden, Texas, a town called Miracle as all 9000 or so of their citizens were somehow exempted from the Sudden Departure that affected two percent of the world's population. We also know that they'll encounter new problems once they arrive involving their new neighbors and the new town in general. And, despite wanting to get a fresh start, we can see clearly in the Season 2 trailer that Patti is still haunting Kevin's mind. But, aside from Patti, will we see any other members of the Guilty Remnant in The Leftovers Season 2?

According to spoilers and reviews for the first few episodes, it looks like we'll be relatively Guilty Remnant free in Miracle for a short while, but they're definitely not gone from the show. In fact, Episode 3 focuses on Laurie's quest with her son Tommy to "save lost souls" and speak out about the dangers of the Guilty Remnant. Tommy apparently even "infiltrates the cult" which means things are most certainly going to get dangerous once again for the estranged Garveys.

But, what about the town of Miracle? Will they have to encounter the Guilty Remnant even though they were saved from the Sudden Departure and seemingly have nothing to do with the cult as a result? Well The Leftovers creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof told reporters at the TCA Press Tour that while the Guilty Remnant is not a central focus of the main storylines, the cult will pop up from time to time and they still have a "residual power" leftover from Season 1. "The idea is that Season 1 is trying to get in, that energy is trying to get in, and the Guilty Remnant in many ways is sort of representative of that energy," Lindelof added.

I think it's entirely plausible that as more and more people move to Miracle as a way to get away from their old, Sudden Departure-ridden lives and in order to investigate why the town was exempt from the tragic phenomenon, the Guilty Remnant will begin to seep in as well. They may not be a central focus on the series for Season 2, but their effect and their presence is likely to be felt even in Miracle as people find a new way for express their religious beliefs and other faiths in the small, but rapidly growing town. If we've learned anything from the Guilty Remnant in Season 1, it's that they're not willing to back down from anything. And a town like Miracle certainly isn't going to stop them.

Images: Screenshot/HBO