The Leftovers revolves around faith: faith in the face of a seemingly hopeless situation, faith and its potential erosion over time, faith and the capability of humans to find something within nothing. Matt Jamison is someone who can believe, someone who has to believe, and “No Room at the Inn” takes us down a devastating and fascinating path as he grapples with the world around him. It’s my favorite episode of the season thus far, and it’s the show at its best.
This is an episode that finds a nice balance between the dark humor and the pure dark, and Christopher Eccleston is absolutely phenomenal throughout. It gives us a look at the camp outside of Jarden while it’s furthering the story of Matt and Mary Jamison, and the way the two roads converge is truly impressive to witness. The concept of faith is at the center of it all, and that faith keeps Matt going as he encounters road block after road block; he places his trust in people, and that trust ends up being broken. Eventually, it all comes down to a contrast between his first scene with John and his last: in the former, John holds the cards because he has access to the wristbands, whereas in the latter, Matt refuses the wristband and turns the kid over to John.
And of course, what ends up happening is an infliction of self-punishment, a changing of the guard with regards to the stock occupant. Matt does something similar to what many people in the camp seem to do: he strips himself bare–physically as well, in his case–and attempts to endure whatever punishment he feels is necessary. We’re not told exactly why all these things in the camp are occurring, but what seems constant among some people is the idea that brighter skies may be ahead; they just need to make it through the pain and hardship of the now.
GRADE: A-
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Some great music in this one: “Let Your Love Flow” by the Bellamy Brothers to open the episode, and “Laughing With” by Regina Spektor to close it.
-Well, this show is certainly making way for equal opportunity nudity.
Photo credit: HBO, The Leftovers
Polar Bears Watch TV 
https://imgflip.com/i/tk4vn