Warning! This article contains spoilers for Earth Abides.
Earth Abides' episode 1 paves the way for future episodes by revealing the reason behind its central apocalypse and the destructive impact it leaves on humanity. Based on George R. Stewart’s novel of the same name, MGM+‘sEarth Abidescenters on Ish, a geologist who sleeps through an apocalyptic event before finding himself in a deserted world. Although the show adopts a very familiar narrative device in its early moments. Its portrayal of the aftermath of a pandemic feels grounded and realistic.
Unlike some of thebest-known post-apocalyptic moviesand shows,Earth Abidesdoes not stretch one’s suspension of disbelief by introducing fantastical creatures like zombies and vampires. It does not even try to withhold too much information about its setting likeMGM+’s hit thriller series,From. Instead, it focuses on capturing the quiet devastation and human struggle that would realistically follow the collapse of civilization. Despite opening on a grim note,Earth Abides’ episode 1 ends on a hopeful note, perfectly setting the stage for its future episodes.
8Ish Gets Bitten By A Rattlesnake During A Geological Expedition
The Main Character Barely Survives The Bite
InEarth Abides' opening moments, the show’s protagonist, Ish, lives in an isolated cabin. As a geologist, he heads to a nearby cliff to study the rock deposits. However, to his surprise, as soon as he reaches one of the rocks, a rattlesnake jumps out of a hole in the ground and bites him. For obvious reasons, Ish panics and tries to get the snake’s venom out of his blood by creating an incision on the bite and sucking out his blood. However, the venom soon starts spreading all over his body, forcing him to drag himself to his cabin.
7Ish Sleeps Through The Pandemic While The Rest Of The World Crumbles
His Own Dilemma Prevents Him From Understanding What Is Happening Outside
After somehow returning to his cabin, Ish collapses on his bed and gradually loses consciousness. When he finally awakens, he notices a few men at his door, attempting to establish contact with him. However, despite his best efforts, he struggles to get out of bed. The men finally leave, claiming that he looks sick, while Ish falls into another long slumber as his body tries to eliminate the spread of the venom.
15 Of The Scariest Virus Outbreaks In Movies
Virus outbreak movies can often be some of the scariest films out there. Here are some of the absolute scariest.
Ish awakens again after weeks and finds himself in an extremely weakened state. He somehow crawls out of bed to rehydrate himself before gathering the strength to finally function normally. Once he feels strong enough, he leaves his cabin and takes his car out to the main city.
6Ish Notices The Destructive Aftermath Of The Pandemic
He Realizes The World Is Not How He Remembers It
The closer Ish gets to the main city, the more he realizes something is not right. With no humans in sight, he starts wondering where everyone has gone. The harsh reality of the world truly hits him when he finds a decaying corpse in the parking lot of a retail store. When he steps out of his car, he finds military-grade vehicles around him but no humans. This is when his eyes rest on a billboard that confirmscivilization has collapsed in the aftermath of a global pandemic. Finding it hard to believe that he slept through an apocalyptic world, Ish rushes home to check on his family.
5Ish Finds His Parents Dead
His Biggest Fear Comes True When He Returns Home
InEarth Abides' opening moments, Ish receives a message from his mother saying, “We love you,” a few days after a rattlesnake bites him. However, Ish never sees the message because he leaves his phone at the location where he was bitten. Owing to this, Ish still hopes to find his parents alive when he returns home after learning about the pandemic.
Jenna Berman
Evie
Unfortunately, as soon as he enters his home, he gradually starts realizing that his parents may not have made it. He finds rotting food on the dining table before noticing his dead father. When he heads further inside, he also finds his mother dead, her body lying motionless in the washroom. With this, Ish finally reaches his breaking point and realizes the true scope of the destruction caused by the pandemic. After grieving his parents' demise, he buries them in their home’s yard and travels to Vegas to check if anyone else survived.
4Ish Crosses Paths With Two Survivors In Vegas
The Survivors Do Not Intend To Live For Long
After finding the streets of Vegas empty, Ish enters a casino. What should have been a crowded location seems deserted and bereft of human life. To calm his nerves and find comfort, Ish relaxes in a hot tub before heading to the casino’s bar. This is when he runs into two other survivors, a woman and a man, who reveal they met each other in Vegas. The survivors seem to have accepted the reality of the world they live in and ask Ish to stick around with them.
George R. Stewart’sEarth Abideswas one of the key inspirations behindStephen King’sThe Stand.
However, it soon becomes evident that the survivors have already given up on life and the world around them and are only alive as long as the casino has a power supply. They reveal that they plan to die by suicide once they are ready to accept the end of their lives. Ish tries to convince them that they can sustain themselves for years if not decades, butthey seem to have lost their will to live. Moments after Ish departs from the casino, he hears two gunshots, suggesting the two survivors have died by suicide.
3Unlike The Two Survivors, Ish Refuses To Give Up On Life
Ish Finds A Friend, Which Encourages Him To Live
The other survivors' deaths further break Ish, and he almost hurts himself by speeding down an empty road. However, as fate would have it, a dog suddenly emerges on the road, and Ish decides to adopt him. The dog gives him a newfound sense of hope, prompting him to head to a nearby library and research ways to ensure his survival.
From fishing to solar power generation, he finds books on several subjects that could help him sustain himself.Earth Abides' main characteralso moves to a new home with his dog and spends his remaining days wondering what he should do next. With no other humans to interact with, his sense of meaning gradually begins to dwindle.
2Ish Remains Hopeful Despite Finding No Other Survivors
He Sticks To A Routine To Survive One Day After Another
With no humans around him, Ish, too, wonders whether remaining hopeful about the future is worth it. However, even when he struggles to find a strong sense of purpose, Ish seems to maintain a routine that keeps him sane. His loneliness makes him question the point of living to see another day. However, he buries his negative thoughts and remains hopeful,believing that something good will eventually come out of his overwhelming feelings of isolation.
1Ish Finally Seems To Find Another Survivor
He Sees Smoke Coming Out Of A Home’s Chimney
Ish wakes up one morning and finds his dog barking at something in the balcony. When he rushes to check on him, he sees smoke rising from a nearby home’s chimney. This makes him realize that someone near him was also immune to the virus outbreak that nearly wiped out the entire world’s population. With this,Earth Abides' episode 1’s credits start rolling, and the show paves the way for the second installment, where Ish will likely head to the survivor’s home to meet them.
Earth Abides
In this post-apocalyptic series, survivor Isherwood “Ish” Williams navigates the desolate remnants of civilization after a mysterious illness decimates humanity. Despite his initial instincts for seclusion, Ish faces the challenge of rebuilding society and fostering community in a world that has drastically changed.
