The Leftovers season 1, episode 3 sharpens the focus tonight and explores a day in the life of one man, Reverend Matt Jamison. Read our full recap!

Tonight’s episode, “Two Boats and a Helicopter,” introduces another odd title, but a very clear-cut purpose. Showcase one man’s attempt to go through life with his head held high, despite the world pushing his gaze downward. In a standout episode, Damon Lindelof crafts the tale and Christopher Eccleston executes the desperation brilliantly.

Penance: Reverend Matt Jamison stands at the lectern Sunday after Sunday speaking to the handful of people who bother to attend. During one particular service, an outraged citizen storms in and knocks out the reverend stuffing one of his testimonial flyers in his mouth before exiting the church. Recovering in the hospital, Jamison decides to not press charges. Kevin attempts to invite the reverend, who was once good friends with Kevin Garvey Sr., to their home for dinner, but times are too difficult to enjoy such reminders of the past.

The flyers posted around town reveal the dark pasts of the Departures, those who were destined to leave the rest because they were part of a bad breed. That is the message week after week that Jamison attempts to convey to those who still come to services. Through the power of prayer, healing can save those who are left. For those who find it more difficult to restore their faith, the extreme vision of Jamison is not a comforting take away.

Healing Waters: The afternoon unfolds with persistent phone calls from the bank, threatening foreclosure, but the reverend proceeds to continue his duties, which now include scrubbing his own blood from the carpeting. A man enters with his infant looking to have him baptized while his wife is off being pampered. The joy briefly returns to the reverend’s face, especially upon hearing a scandalous story about the sordid past of another Departure. The Departed man gambled away his children’s college funds, leading the reverend to investigate further into the man’s past.

At the Indian Casino, Jamison tries to gain any information. First he tries to appeal to the side of the manager who lost a niece in the Departure. Viewers learn that Jamison’s basis for the Departed sinner accusations arises from the disappearance of Holy Wayne from his jail cell on October 14. He believes it is his duty to separate the innocent, otherwise all grief is meaningless. On his way out, Jamison sees three pigeons on the roulette table.

Tea and Bleach: An accidental synching of the car phone leads Jamison to the bank where he learns he must present $135,000 by the next afternoon in order to keep his church. Not thinking very clearly, Jamison arrives at Nora’s home, the mystery finally fading as the plot reveals the two are siblings. In a fire many years ago, the pair lost their parents. Nora is stunned to hear Matt ask for her Departure benefits money, but agrees on one condition, that his papers must stop.

When he refuses, Nora holds a sermon of her own. The papers do not work. Does Matt truly believe that God chose him to deliver this message? The result of the conversation presents the two ends of the overarching duel in the show, those who preach their beliefs without the answers, and those who argue against them for not believing enough. Matt leaves after delivering a low blow to Nora revealing that her husband was having an affair.

An infomercial voices over for statues that can fill your home with reminders of the Departed. The underpaid maid leaves Matt to tend to his completely paralyzed wife, Mary (Hey, Janel Moloney!). As Matt gives Mary a bath, he turns in for the night lying on a cot at her side, whispering into the night, “Help Me.”

The Plan: Kevin Garvey, Sr. had a reserve set aside for the reverend for putting an end to the honor brought to an embezzling judge. The money, a sum of $20,000, is hidden in the Garvey’s backyard. The reverend takes it, but first he runs into Laurie sitting on the swing set in her old yard, shedding a few tears for those she left.

Taking the money and an omen of pigeons on a red light to the casino, Jamison bets it all over and over until he walks away with $160,000 in cash. A near mugging takes place in the parking lot. Rage gets the best of him and he bashes in the face of the man who tries to steal the money, leaving him motionless in the parking lot.

On the drive home, a Guilty Remnant member is knocked out when a rock is thrown from a passing car. Stopping to help the injured man, the jeep returns and hurls another stone straight to Jamison’s temple.

Spooky Episcopal Hell Dream: In a montage of hellish images from his past, the reverend walks through the past in a daze. Fire consumes his body, his parents, everything that he cannot prevent. Here we learn that a car accident resulting from The Departure paralyzed his wife. As he awakes, he screams for someone to call the bank that he must deliver the money to in just under a half hour.

However, no good deed goes unpunished. Arriving to the bank ten minutes late, Jamison comes to find that he was knocked out cold for three days. He missed the deadline for helping a member of the Guilty Remnant, the new owners of the church.

Watch The Leftovers season 1, episode 4, “B.J. and the A.C.,” Sunday, July 20 at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO.