"Gladys" is the fifth 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 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.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.59 million household viewers and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Gladys' death scene drew polarized reactions, with some deeming it appropriate for the series' tone while others criticized its violent nature.
The GR searches for her that night, with Laurie (Amy Brenneman) running into Dean (Michael Gaston) killing dogs, before finding Gladys' body.
Back at the diner, Patti tells Laurie that they are in the same place where she dined with Gladys, who wanted comfort after her son died.
Kevin decides to visit the morgue to check Gladys' body, bringing along Matt (Christopher Eccleston), who knew her and wanted to pray for her.
While Meg (Liv Tyler) is ready to become a permanent member of GR, Laurie interrupts Matt's vigil for Gladys outside with her new whistle.
The site's consensus states: "'Gladys' opens with a horrific gut-punch and concludes with a bitter confrontation, successfully mixing in some familiar themes and surprising moments along the way.
Kevin's been cracking all along, but this episode saw a few more characters - Laurie, Patti, Jill - break down in different ways, crushed under the sheer weight of their current lives.
'"[6] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Doing a single-POV story every week – especially one with as narrow a focus as 'Two Boats and a Helicopter' – isn't an easy thing to pull off, nor does it seem like what Lindelof and Perrotta want to do, given the size and scope of the broken world they're depicting.
It's a bigger episode featuring most of the cast, but the entire story and every bit of emotional conflict spills out of the single awful act of Gladys from the Guilty Remnant being stoned to death.
"[10] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote, "With 'Gladys', an enthralling portrait of what happens when the urge to move on collides with the persistence of grief, The Leftovers joins the ranks of television's must-see dramas.