and the A.C." is the fourth episode of the first season of the American supernatural drama television series The Leftovers, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta.
The episode was written by series creator Damon Lindelof and Elizabeth Peterson, and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter and Carl Franklin.
The series is set three years after the "Sudden Departure" – an event which saw 2% of the world's population (approximately 140 million people) disappear and profoundly affected the townspeople.
The characters of police chief Kevin Garvey and his family (wife Laurie, son Tom, daughter Jill and father Kevin Sr.) are focal points, alongside grieving widow Nora Durst, her brother Reverend Matt Jamison, and the mysterious cult-like organization the Guilty Remnant (GR), led by Patti Levin.
In the episode, the baby Jesus doll goes missing as Mapleton approaches Christmas, with Kevin being assigned to find it.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.62 million household viewers and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Kevin (Justin Theroux) warns Patti (Ann Dowd) that GR is not welcome at a forthcoming Christmas dance, which is a fundraiser for a new library, threatening that he will not protect them as people want to enjoy time with their families.
Kevin instructs police officers to arrest any GR who show up at the area, also suspecting that Jill (Margaret Qualley) and Aimee (Emily Meade) were involved with the theft.
A semi-naked man screamung about a dream tries to attack Christine until Tom hits him, forcing him to take her to a hospital.
En route they encounter an accident with bodies in white from a funeral home scattered on the road like in the aforementioned dream.
and the A.C." and it was announced that series creator Damon Lindelof and Elizabeth Peterson had written the episode while Lesli Linka Glatter and Carl Franklin had directed it.
Lindelof considered that they made a mistake in giving the character such a big amount of time, feeling that the audience would lose interest in the series.
Due to Lesli Linka Glatter's commitment to Homeland, Carl Franklin directed the new re-filmed episode, earning a co-directing credit.
"[6] Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.5 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "While not as potent as last week's single-character study, 'B.J.
"[12] Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times wrote, "There's a clunkiness here that undercuts the visual smarts — why, for instance, the bluesy soul song played over the doll-making sequence?
Sure, it's a jarring aural-visual contrast, but it felt manipulative and a bit smug, as if the show is too enamored of its own capacity to disturb.