"The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)" is the seventh and penultimate episode of the third season of the HBO drama television series The Leftovers, and the 27th and penultimate episode of the series overall. The episode was written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof and directed by Craig Zobel. It aired in the United States on May 28, 2017.
The episode, fashioned as a successor to the second season's "International Assassin," sees Kevin voluntarily return to the realm of the undead to avert a supposed apocalyptic event on the seventh anniversary of the Sudden Departure.
"The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)" was widely acclaimed by critics, who praised the episode's surreal design, absurdist humor, visuals, and Justin Theroux's performance.
Plot
In a flashback, Kevin and Nora enjoy a bath together, playfully reflecting on how they would like to be cremated. On the seventh anniversary of the Departure, Kevin Sr., Grace, John and Michael awaken to find Kevin attempting to drown himself in the pond outside the Playfords' farm. The group pulls Kevin out of the water to make sure he remembers to fulfill all of their requests while in the realm of the undead: John wants Kevin to speak to Evie, Grace wants him to find her children, and Kevin Sr. wants him to fulfill his primary task - finding Christopher Sunday and learning an indigenous song that will save the world from an apocalyptic flood prophesied to occur on the seventh anniversary of the Departure. Kevin affirms that he remembers all his commitments, and is placed back in the water.
Kevin awakens on a beach, where he is met by a Russian operative who addresses him as "Kevin Harvey", his assassin alias. The Russian prepares to execute Kevin, but is shot dead by a masked sniper who reveals himself as Dean. Dean takes Kevin to a nearby bungalow and informs him that his mission is to assassinate the President of the United States, who is planning an unauthorized nuclear strike within two hours. Dean destroys all reflective surfaces in the house and finds a typewriter containing a page of an unfinished romance novel. Kevin asks to meet Evie, Grace's children, and Sunday in exchange for completing his mission. Dean gives Kevin an earpiece that puts him contact with David Burton, who has Kevin repeat what Burton whispered in his ear on the bridge the first time they met: that Kevin is the "most powerful man in the world."
On Burton's instructions, Kevin observes his reflection in the shard of a broken mirror despite Dean's warnings not to look at reflective surfaces. He suddenly finds himself dressed in a fully white suit, preparing to give a speech in front of a crowd of Guilty Remnant members gathered outside the Melbourne capitol. Kevin realizes that he has switched places with his identical twin brother - the President. As part of the speech, Kevin calls on Liam Playford - one of Grace's children who is seated in the front row alongside his siblings - to read an essay about why he no longer needs his parents. Kevin attempts to ask Liam questions on his mother's behalf, but Liam does not answer meaningfully.
The event is interrupted by Evie, who in this world is protesting against the GR. Kevin is ushered to his presidential limousine by his security detail, which includes Australian chief of police Kevin Yarborough as his personal bodyguard. On the way, Kevin's chief of staff informs him over the phone that Ukrainian separatists are preparing to release a nuclear warhead, and that the United States has two hours to launch a preemptive attack. Kevin declines the Secretary of Defense's request to raise their alert state to DEFCON 2 and demands to speak with Evie in the limo. He tells Evie on her father's behalf that John loves her, but Evie rebuffs him, revealing that in this reality, the rest of her family perished in a state-ordered drone strike.
Kevin suddenly vomits a spew of water and experiences a series of distorted memories before reawakening at the Playford ranch, where a violent rainstorm is flooding the property. John, Michael and Kevin Sr. pull Kevin out of the pond and take him inside the house. Kevin has his father drown him in the Playfords' bathtub so he can complete his mission.