"The Book of Nora" is the series finale of the HBO drama television series The Leftovers. It is the eighth episode of the series' third season, and the 28th overall. The episode's script was written by series showrunners Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, based on a story from Lindelof and Tom Spezialy, and directed by Mimi Leder. It aired in the United States on June 4, 2017.
The episode follows Nora Durst in her decision to enter an experimental machine purported to reunite its subjects with those who vanished in the "Sudden Departure."
"The Book of Nora" received unanimous acclaim from critics, who praised Carrie Coon's central performance, Leder's direction, and the emotionally and thematically resonant conclusion of the series. Many critics called it one of the greatest series finales of all time.
Plot
Nora gives a recorded testimonial consenting to be part of Dr. Eden and Dr. Bekker's experiment to replicate the Departure, having tracked down the scientists and forced them to accept her as a test subject after previously being rejected. Afterwards, she and Matt reminisce on their orphaned childhood; Matt confides his anxieties surrounding his cancer treatment, stating that he is equally afraid of death as he is of surviving without having answers to provide for those seeking his moral counsel.
After bidding farewell to her brother, Nora is debriefed on the details of the experimental procedure by Dr. Eden, and agrees to go through with the test. She disrobes and enters a truck housing the device, experiencing memories of the moments leading up to her family's departure. She enters the machine's event chamber, where she is slowly submerged in a metallic fluid. Nora is heard screaming out as the liquid reaches her head.
The episode cuts to a farmhouse in rural Australia ten years later, where an older Nora (going by the name "Sarah") lives by herself. She spends her days tending to birds that carry handwritten messages from the surrounding town back to the farm, and delivering them to a nun at a nearby church. During one of Nora's trips, the nun informs her that a man named Kevin visited the church with Nora's picture inquiring about her whereabouts. Nora claims not to know anyone named Kevin, and rides back home on her bike.
Nora soon receives a knock on her door and finds that it is an older Kevin Garvey. Kevin claims that the only time he has met Nora was during the Christmas dance in Mapleton, and that he simply spotted and recognized her while vacationing in Australia. He invites her to a local dance happening that night, but an uncomfortable Nora asks him to leave. Panicked, Nora bikes to a nearby phone booth and calls Laurie - who is still her therapist - and demands to know whether she disclosed Nora's location to Kevin. Laurie denies having done so, but suggests that Nora is only calling to clear her conscience about going to the dance with Kevin.
That night, Nora ultimately decides to attend the dance. Upon arriving, she discovers that the event is in fact a wedding between two locals that Kevin befriended. Kevin continues behaving as if he does not remember any of his history with Nora since their first encounter. Nora learns from Kevin that Matt has died of cancer after reconciling with Mary; Jill is now in a happy marriage and bears an infant daughter, while Tommy's marriage was unsuccessful; and Kevin Sr. is still alive at the age of 91. Kevin additionally informs Nora that he had a pacemaker implanted after suffering a heart attack. Nora and Kevin dance together and embrace, but Nora abruptly leaves when Kevin maintains his story, believing their reunion to be insincere.
Nora returns home to find that her birds - who were released at the wedding carrying messages from the guests intended for their loved ones - have not returned to the farmhouse. She rides to the church to confront the nun, and accuses her of lying to the locals that the birds are transporting "messages of love" around the world. The nun claims that she is not deceiving anyone, but simply offering "a nicer story." While riding home, Nora finds that a goat released into the wilderness by the wedding guests has gotten entangled in a barbed-wire fence. Nora rescues the goat and brings it home with her as dawn begins to break.
While feeding the goat, Nora sees Kevin arrive at her house in a taxi. Kevin angrily confesses that he has spent his vacation time over the last several years relentlessly searching for Nora in Australia, refusing to believe that she truly departed. He admits that his ruse of behaving like a stranger was simply an ill-fated attempt to erase the mistakes that led to the dissolution of their relationship.