I'm not really familiar with Iris DeMent or this song aside from its use on this show, but when the opening credits came on, I remember thinking that it sounded like it might've been a different mix or alternate take. But I assumed I was wrong, and that it just sounded different to me because I hadn't heard it for…

I don't think you're thinking too "narratively." After all, it is a fictional narrative, and a generally well-written one at that. To just kill a major character and shrug it off with "well, she probably had her reasons" would come across as lazy storytelling (in my opinion, at least). The way I make sense of her…

yeah i just read your post below, and i agree that this isn't really "that kind of show," and that she likely went through with it. I'm just saying that there's probably some room for debate.

Well, it was obviously foreshadowed throughout the episode, but you don't think that maybe the phone call from her kids caused some second thoughts?

I simultaneously posted a similar response, ha. But also, I sort of was assuming we'd see more of her because she was just dropped off at the scientists' place. And if she expects to go through with this procedure, she's going to have to somehow overcome whatever objections the scientists had that made them reject her.
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Wasn't Nora in the preview of the upcoming episodes that aired after the credits? I thought so, but I don't remember

I agree, though I've got to admit, it's been getting more difficult to maintain my skepticism. The one thing that I haven't been able to make sense of rationally is, how, on the hotel tv, Kevin was able to his hallucinating father—an event which we know actually happened.

Was he the same guy from kevin's dead hotel world (on the bridge and at the bar)??? I thought it looked like him but wasn't sure. Been a while since I'd seen those episodes.

If the job interview mom was indeed a test (I'm guessing it was), maybe that factored into Nora being denied.
Edit: to elaborate, if "kids die everyday, what's one more?" was really Nora's attitude, why would she risk missing the bus (and possibly a chance to be reunited with her family) for some random baby. Despite…

I remember the line as being something like "they wouldn't let me through because I won't kill a baby to cure cancer!"

I thought self-immolation guy implied that he gave the opposite answer, no? Maybe I misheard, or misremember.

yeah they were definitely much more so "disclaimers" than "testimonials" (which mark linn-baker misleading called them). Though I suppose "testimonial" could be accurate in some sense of the work, I don't know. But he did make it pretty clear that once they zap them with radiation, they're gone.

Unless I'm misreading, the reviewer seems to imply that Nora actually wants to go through with this radiation thing. I don't think that makes sense. I assumed she was just continuing her investigation into what she still assumes is some kind of scam. Especially when taking into account that she'd just given a what…

I think Matt's full of shit with regards to that one book being the only copy. He's probably been communicating with kevin's dad. maybe sent him one.