"The Garveys at Their Best" is the ninth 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 supervising producer Kath Lingenfelter and series creator Damon Lindelof, and directed by Daniel Sackheim.
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.
Laurie considers that Patti may be the victim of spousal abuse, advising that she can calm herself by placing all her fears in a bag and leave them at her husband's doorstep.
Kevin is also called when Tom (Chris Zylka) is arrested for confronting his biological father, Michael (Scott William Winters).
The party is attended by many police colleagues and friends, including Matt (Christopher Eccleston) and his wife Mary (Janel Moloney), who still walks.
The woman Kevin is having an affair with vanishes while they are having sex, and after being distracted by a scream Laurie realises her child no longer appears on the ultrasound scan.
The site's consensus states: "A solid standalone episode in its own right, 'The Garveys at Their Best' effectively sets the stage for an exciting season finale.
"[6] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Great episode, and another example of how well the show excels when it deviates from whatever formula it's established for itself within these first 9 hours of television.
"[7] Kyle Ryan of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "While the press around The Leftovers has reiterated that explanations will be in short supply, 'Cairo' and 'The Garveys at Their Best' have connected a lot of dots.
"[9] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "I have no idea where The Leftovers will leave viewers before departing for the year.
"[10] Matt Brennan of Slant Magazine wrote that the episode is "principally, a reconsideration of characters we believe we've come to know, and the hour's string of surprises nimbly steers between continuity and change.
"[11] Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times wrote, "Sunday's episode, as difficult as it was to watch, also struck me as our best insight yet into the inner lives of characters who have been frustratingly opaque for an entire season.