Crazy Whitefella Thinking

Lore & Background

In the Outback, Kevin Sr. dances by a bonfire to a self-made recording of a songline until local authorities arrest him, with Kevin Sr. claiming that he was singing to prevent the Apocalypse. After being released, he drives to a stop, where he tries to find the location of a tribal leader named Christopher Sunday, as Sunday knows a specific chant that Kevin Sr. claims will finish his songline. Kevin Sr. calls Matt, who had sent him an early copy of the gospel of Kevin. Kevin Sr. is furious that Matt omitted him from the gospel, also warning him not to let Kevin Jr. anywhere near Australia. After stealing Sunday's address from an official, Kevin Sr. finally finds Sunday at his home. Kevin Sr. explains that the voices inside his head instructed him to go to Australia, where a drug trip caused to meet a chicken, who warned him that the apocalypse was coming through a flood on the seventh anniversary of the Departure. Kevin Sr. claims that he needs to learn songs from native tribes to prevent the flood, and Sunday is the only person who knows the last song. Sunday claims his song can only 'cause' rain, not 'stop' it. Nevertheless, he offers to teach Kevin Sr. if he will fix a leak on Sunday's roof. However, the official from whom Kevin stole Sunday's address arrives at the house, Kevin Sr. slips and falls off the roof, and he lands on Sunday, seriously injuring him. Taken by an ambulance, Kevin Sr.'s behavior annoys the paramedics, who leave him alone in the Outback. As he wanders through the wilderness, he tries and fails to persuade a man from killing himself, with the man claiming 'they didn't take me.' During the night a storm destroys Kevin's tapes, saddening him. With no food, he is forced to fight a snake to eat it, but is bitten instead. A weakened Kevin Sr. collapses in front of a cross. Kevin Sr. wakes up in the home of a woman named Grace Playford, who had treated his wounds. He calls Matt and discovers it has been three weeks since he was bitten, asks for Matt's help in finding Sunday's status, but Matt angrily hangs up when Kevin Sr. reveals he threw away the gospel that Matt had sent. Kevin Sr. goes outside and discovers locals building a boat for the coming flood, and also learns that Sunday has died from his injuries. Kevin Sr. goes back inside, falls asleep, and is awakened in the night as Grace and a group of women drown a police officer. When confronting the women Kevin Sr. is shot with a tranquilizer dart and falls back asleep. The next morning, Grace explains that the police officer was named Kevin, and that she had killed him. She reveals that her husband vanished during the Departure while she was out grocery shopping, and she assumed her five children had as well when they weren't present. Two years after the Departure her children's bones were discovered, as they had set out across the Outback without either parent present and had died in the elements. The cross on which Kevin Sr. collapsed was the place where her children's bones had been discovered. When Grace found Kevin Sr. he had a page from The Book of Kevin clutched in his hand. She took this as a sign from God and led her to drown the Australian police officer named Kevin, attempting to prove both his legitimacy and her religious devotion, so that she could contact her children one last time. She laments that her belief is incorrect. Kevin Sr. consoles her, telling her she just got the wrong Kevin.

Reader's Guide

The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised Scott Glenn's performance, character development, cinematography and themes. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.846 million household viewers and gained a 0.4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.6/10 for the episode, based on 17 reviews. The site's consensus states: 'Riddled with beautiful shots of the Australian Outback, "Crazy Whitefella Thinking" spotlights the integral arc of an important side character.' TVLine named Scott Glenn as the 'Performer of the Week' for the week of May 6, 2017, for his performance in the episode. The episode was a 9% increase from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.776 million viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.

Did You Know?

• The episode was written by series creator Damon Lindelof and executive producer Tom Spezialy, and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder.
• It was first broadcast on HBO in the United States on April 30, 2017.