Two Boats And A Helicopter
The Leftovers | Season 1 | Episode 3

Two Boats And A Helicopter

TV-MA | 52 MIN

Written by Damon Lindelof & Jacqueline Hoyt

Directed by Keith Gordon

Reverend Matt Jamison attentively prepares his church for service, taking note of the pair of watchers from the Guilty Remnant outside. He tells his congregation the story of a little boy who prayed for attention after the birth of his baby sister - only to later learn he had leukemia. That boy was Rev. Jamison, now grateful for how his illness changed him. He then tells the story of Emily, a little girl lying comatose in the hospital. As Matt asks his handful of congregants to pray for her, his service is interrupted by a man who stomps into the church. The man assaults the reverend and shoves a flier in his mouth.

Chief Kevin Garvey goes to see Matt at the hospital, where he's being patched up. Kevin tries to dissuade Matt from publishing his newsletter, but the reverend won't hear of it: "They need to know the truth. Your dad understood that." The reverend turns down an invite for dinner at the Garvey's, reminding the chief that "nights are tough."

Back on his feet, Matt goes to see Emily. Though he's initially overjoyed to learn about her miraculous recovery, he is deflated when he finds out she woke up before his service.

"He gambled away his children's money." - Rev. Jamison's flier

Gladys and another watcher return the following morning and take up positions outside of the church. Inside, the reverend prepares for a new day, ignoring a call from his bank. When Craig, a former congregant, enters with a baby, Matt agrees to perform a secret baptism. Matt refuses payment from Craig but won't say no to a tip about a departed co-worker who gambled away his kids' savings.

The reverend goes to the local Indian casino to follow up on Craig's tip. He appeals to a security guard for access to security tapes but the mission is cut short when pigeons alight on a roulette wheel, angering a gambler.

Spotting Gladys and her partner shivering outside of his church, Matt offers them the contents of a donation box to keep themselves warm. He asks them to let Patti know she's wasting his time; he won't be swayed. Driving off, he unsuccessfully tries to dodge another call from the bank and ends up agreeing to meet Jim Lewis, his banker.

Jim breaks the bad news: A cash offer has come in for the church and because Matt has stopped making payments, the bank will have to accept it. If the reverend can come in at least a dollar higher than $135,000, the church can stay in his hands. Having already stalled for weeks, Jim tells a stunned Matt he has until the end of the following day to come up with the money. Jamison takes a call during the meeting. His tense, one-sided conversation prompts the banker to ask, "How is Mary"?

"That money was for my husband. And my children." - Nora Durst

Matt drives to Nora Durst's home, largely unchanged from when Nora still had her family. After exchanging pleasantries, Matt makes his request: He needs to borrow $135,000 to save their family's church. Matt pushes Nora - his sister - to share her benefit money, upsetting her. The conversation grows increasingly heated when Nora agrees to give him a loan on the condition that Matt stop with the fliers and his pursuit of the judge. He refuses, adamant he share his message that the Departure was a test. When Nora says it's time then to let the church go, Matt retaliates by revealing her husband was having an affair.

Back at home, the reverend is greeted by Roxana, who coldly reminds him she has been working for free for weeks. Matt shares what he has left in his wallet and Roxana leaves. He proceeds upstairs to care for Mary, his bedridden wife, tenderly bathing and dressing her. Matt ends the night weeping quietly, "Help me." When his eyes fall on a painting of Job, he finds new inspiration. Matt calls Roxana back to watch over Mary, promising she will be paid in full upon his return.

"Rev, you deserve this." - K.G.

Matt goes to the Garvey home and is surprised to find Laurie sitting on a backyard swing. The two promise to keep each other's visit a secret. Digging by the patio, Matt pulls out a peanut butter jar and a roll of cash wrapped in one of his fliers: "This judge took bribes." Flush with seed money, he heads for the casino and trades it in for $20,000 in chips. Matt takes a seat at the table where the pigeons landed earlier, placing all his money on red. He lets his bets ride until his winnings total $160,000.

Before the victorious reverend can head home, a casino patron knocks on his car window. Although he asks for a small handout, the man goes after Matt's entire envelope, setting him off. Rev. Jamison beats the man and retains his cash. He returns $20,000 back to the jar in the Garvey yard, but stops driving when he sees a street sign: Honorable Judge Roy Hader Avenue. Matt unscrews the sign from its post and tosses it into his trunk next to other identical signs. The ride is interrupted again when Matt stops to help a watcher hit by a rock from a passing car. The car then doubles back and the reverend is himself hit in the head.

The reverend dreams of his childhood cancer diagnosis, the fire that orphaned him and Nora, the car crash on Oct. 14 that paralyzed Mary. He dreams of having sex with his wife, and is stricken when he realizes he's making love to Laurie Garvey. As his dream ends in flames, Matt wakes in a hospital bed. Upon hearing that it's already 4:30, he rushes out of the hospital, pleading with the nurse to let the bank know he's on his way.

Matt finds his cash where he left it at the car, but gets to the bank after closing. He spots Jim Lewis and begs him to reconsider, only to find out that he missed the deadline by three days.

The reverend heads for the church - the Remnant are already desecrating it.

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