Certified (The Leftovers)
"Certified" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American supernatural drama television series The Leftovers, based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta.
It is the 26th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Patrick Somerville and co-producer Carly Wray, and directed by Carl Franklin.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.770 million household viewers and gained a 0.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
The site's consensus states: "'Certified' lays the groundwork for The Leftovers' series finale with a smartly constructed, surprisingly funny episode -- and a poignant farewell.
"[4] Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a perfect "masterpiece" 10 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "'Certified' was, ostensibly, a Laurie-centric episode, featuring a fantastic performance by Amy Brenneman, but instead of pushing her outwards as the show's once self-exiled ghost, it drew her into everyone's lives as she interred her own broken psyche into everyone else's craziness and seemed to find a macabre peace in all of it.
Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "Ultimately, it's the best hour of television in a season that has been full of high points, including last week's Matt-centric lion sex boat murder mystery.
Amy Brenneman has delivered amazing work throughout the series, but in season two she ceded the spotlight to Carrie Coon and Regina King, and even Liv Tyler to a certain degree.
"[9] Nick Harley of Den of Geek wrote, "Whether her loved ones were able to provide enough meaning for her life remains to be seen, but something tells me Laurie will resurface from the water.
"[10] Matt Brennan of Paste gave the episode a 9.4 out of 10 wrote, "What she cannot do, with that forlorn glance back at Nora and Matt, or that tearful farewell to Kevin, is shake the fear — the one we all share — that it adds up to much less than she'd hoped, and as such 'Certified' counts as The Leftovers' most sorrowful hour, a headlong dive into one woman's confrontation with meaninglessness itself.
The site wrote, "Perhaps stupidly, we didn't realize that, when The Leftovers' Laurie said goodbye to ex-husband Kevin in 'Certified', she was doing so as much because she was planning to end her own life as expecting his suicide mission to succeed in killing him.
Nonetheless, we were shattered by Amy Brenneman's performance, a master class in subtlety and restraint that only hinted at the emptiness that had for so long haunted her character.
But looking back and seeing the weight of Laurie's heartbreaking decision reflected from her portrayer's eyes, we're all the more bowled over by the depth of Brenneman's performance.
