Don't Be Ridiculous
Nora investigates a Departure-reunion machine pitched by Mark Linn-Baker.
"Don't Be Ridiculous" is the 22nd episode of *The Leftovers* overall and the second installment of its third season. Showrunners Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof wrote it, Keith Gordon directed, and it first aired on April 23, 2017. The story follows Nora Durst as she goes to St. Louis to look into a strange proposition connected to her role on the Department of Sudden Departures’ fraud investigation team, while also filling in what her life has been like during the three years after season two.
The episode gained attention for featuring actor Mark Linn-Baker, best known from the sitcom *Perfect Strangers*, playing a fictional version of himself whose co-stars all vanished in the Departure. Critics praised the episode for its surprising but emotionally effective use of *Perfect Strangers*, along with the writing, its emotional weight, and Carrie Coon’s lead performance.
**Plot**
Edward, the man who lived on a pillar in Jarden’s town square, dies of a heart attack overnight. Nora interviews his wife Sandy—the same woman who paid Matt to beat her son with an oar—because Sandy claims Edward departed rather than died. Nora also talks to witnesses of Edward’s apparent disappearance; one mentions seeing Sandy with Matt the morning after. Nora confronts Matt, who admits he and Sandy secretly buried Edward to honor Sandy’s unwavering devotion. Nora wants to expose the lie publicly, but Kevin advises her not to upset the townspeople with the seventh anniversary of the Departure approaching.
Nora goes to the hospital to have her arm cast removed. The doctor notes she was seen injuring herself with her car door when she first arrived, but Nora avoids answering. She gets a call from actor Mark Linn-Baker, who says he’s contacting her for a “third party” and offers her a chance to see her children again. Nora assumes it’s a scam, but Linn-Baker mentions her children by name and invites her to discuss it at a St. Louis hotel within 24 hours. Curious, Nora gets approval from DSD colleague George Brevity to treat it as a fraud case and quickly packs.
Linn-Baker meets Nora at the hotel and explains he represents physicists studying low-amplitude Denziger radiation (LADR), trace amounts found at Departure sites. They’ve built a machine that blasts subjects with LADR, supposedly reuniting them with those who vanished on October 14.
- Series
- The Leftovers
- Season episode
- Season 3, Episode 2
- Air date
- April 23, 2017
- Writers
- Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof
- Director
- Keith Gordon
- Network
- HBO
- Viewers millions
- 0.776
Lore & Background
The episode opens with the death of Edward, the man living atop a pillar in Jarden's town square. Nora interviews his wife Sandy, who claims Edward departed rather than died. Nora discovers that Matt helped Sandy secretly bury Edward to honor her devotion. Kevin advises Nora not to anger the townsfolk before the seventh anniversary of the Departure. Nora later receives a phone call from actor Mark Linn-Baker, who claims to represent physicists studying low-amplitude Denziger radiation (LADR). He offers Nora a chance to see her departed children again via a machine that blasts subjects with LADR, supposedly reuniting them with those who vanished on October 14. Nora is skeptical, believing the subjects are merely being incinerated. Linn-Baker, the only Perfect Strangers series regular not to have departed (and later found to have faked his own Departure), confides his torment over his survival. Nora eventually agrees to meet the benefactors in Melbourne with $20,000, ostensibly to uncover fraud, and Kevin asks to join her. In a parallel storyline in rural Australia, local police chief Kevin Yarborough is confronted by four women on horseback, including Grace Playford, who believes him to be the eponymous police chief from the Book of Kevin. When Yarborough refuses to join them, the women kidnap and drown him, expecting him to return to life. As they discover he has died, Kevin Sr. emerges from Grace's house to ask what they are doing.
Reader's Guide
The episode became notable for the guest appearance of actor Mark Linn-Baker, former star of the sitcom Perfect Strangers, as a fictional version of himself who lost his co-stars to the Departure. Critics lauded "Don't Be Ridiculous" for its unexpected yet poignant inclusion of Perfect Strangers in its narrative, as well as the episode's script, emotional resonance, and Carrie Coon's central performance. The episode's opening titles use "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now," the main theme of Perfect Strangers, while utilizing the same images from the season 2 opening credits. Critics observed that the episode derives its name from the catchphrase of Perfect Strangers protagonist Balki Bartokomous. The episode also features Regina King's sole appearance in the season and final appearance in the show as Erika Murphy, and Annie Q. reprises her role as Christine. During development, writer-producer Jacqueline Hoyt proposed incorporating Perfect Strangers into the narrative to illustrate the real-world impact of the Sudden Departure. Lindelof and Perrotta approached Linn-Baker's appearance as a means of conveying Nora's desire to reunite with her children, drawing a parallel between Nora and Linn-Baker as sole survivors among those closest to them.
Did You Know?
- Mark Linn-Baker had previously auditioned for the role of Nora's supervisor in season 1 but was turned down because the writers had established that the real Linn-Baker exists within the show's universe.
- The episode's title "Don't Be Ridiculous" is derived from the catchphrase of Perfect Strangers protagonist Balki Bartokomous, played by Bronson Pinchot.
- Writer Tamara Carter conceived of Nora's Wu-Tang Clan tattoo and the scene where Nora and Erika jump on a trampoline while listening to "Protect Ya Neck."
- Perrotta and Lindelof are credited in the opening titles as "Tha Lonely Donkey Kong" and "Specialist Contagious" respectively, from a Wu-Tang Clan name generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'Don't Be Ridiculous' about?
Nora Durst heads to St. Louis to evaluate a scam pitch involving a machine that supposedly lets people reunite with their Departed loved ones. The episode also bridges the three-year gap between seasons two and three, showing how her work on the fraud investigation team has evolved.
Who pitches the reunion machine in 'Don't Be Ridiculous'?
Mark Linn-Baker, the actor best known for playing Martin on *Perfect Strangers*, appears as the con artist behind the Departure-reunion scheme that Nora is sent to investigate.
Who wrote and directed 'Don't Be Ridiculous'?
Tom Perrotta and Damon Lindelof penned the script, while Keith Gordon directed. The episode aired on HBO on April 23, 2017, as the second installment of Season 3.
What is the 'Departure-reunion machine'?
It is a fraudulent device pitched to Nora's team that claims to allow people to reconnect with those who vanished in the Sudden Departure. As a member of the Department of Sudden Departures' fraud investigation unit, Nora is tasked with determining whether the pitch is a legitimate breakthrough or a con.
Where does 'Don't Be Ridiculous' fit in The Leftovers timeline?
It is the 22nd episode of the series overall and the second episode of Season 3, functioning as a catch-up installment that shows viewers what Nora's life looked like during the three-year hiatus between seasons.
More in The Leftovers episodes 1-24
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