"Axis Mundi" is the first episode of the second season of the American supernatural drama television series The Leftovers, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.713 million household viewers and gained a 0.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
In Jarden, Texas, a teenager named Evangeline "Evie" Murphy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) goes to a lake with her friends.
She returns home to her mother Erika (Regina King), father John (Kevin Carroll) and brother Michael (Jovan Adepo).
It is revealed that Jarden is a town where more than 9,000 people live and no one vanished during the Departure, which gives it the surname "Miracle" as a national park.
At dinner, John reveals that he was in prison for attempted murder during the Departure, which disturbs Kevin, Nora and Jill.
John and Michael drive to the lake, where they discover their car abandoned with the doors locked and Evie's phone inside.
[1] The idea for the opening scene emerged from a talk between Lindelof and supervising producer Reza Aslan, who wrote Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.
The concept was based on the idea of where religion started, with Aslan identifying that people lived in caves and saw birds flying.
The site's consensus states: "With 'Axis Mundi,' The Leftovers opens its second season by offering promises of compelling storylines, terrific acting, and a cinematic aesthetic.
"[9] Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "'Axis Mundi' was a riveting piece of Peak TV.
When you hear about shows shaking things up and changing a lot going into extra seasons, it's natural to feel worried.
Author and EP Tom Perrotta helped Damon Lindelof shape Season 2, though I have no idea if this is the book he'd have written if he actually committed to a sequel novel.
"[11] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "'Axis Mundi' is a wonderful, immersive dive deep into the troubled waters of this show, and I'm glad to be back in them, even though we're still just getting to know all these new players.
"[12] Jeff Labrecque of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Before sending viewers to the new home base in Texas, 'Axis Mundi' turned back the clock, Kubrick style, to the days of early man... the perfect metaphorical bridge between seasons 1 and 2.
"[13] Kelly Braffet of Vulture gave the episode a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "With any luck, the creators kept all of the good things from last season - the great dialogue, the fantastic acting and character development - and let the rampaging deer and inflatable penguin go free.
"[14] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Honestly, I am really surprised and impressed at how well The Leftovers pulls off this soft-reboot and sets up a season full of new dynamics and new mysteries, though I'm not holding my breath for any answers.