Alone – The episode opens with Ish (Alexander Ludwig) narrating about pyrite being hidden in the quarry while “Beautiful Day” by Amos Lee plays in the background. Ignoring a call from his mom, he heads to the quarry with a pickaxe. He discovers several rocks containing pyrites. As he reaches for another rock, a snake hidden under a rock bites his hand and crawls away. Panicking, he grabs his phone but drops it over a small ravine. Utilizing a knife, he slices open the wound and sucks out the venom. Upon returning home, he gulps down what appears to be water, collapses on the bed, and tells himself to breathe. He becomes delirious. Several men find him ill and leave in a helicopter. Ish is still alive but delirious. He crawls over to a bottle, pours it into his mouth, and laps up what spills on the floor. He mutters “Mom” under his breath. A text – “We love you” – from Mom pops up on his phone where he dropped it. After three weeks, Ish wakes and washes his face. His car sputters but eventually starts. A short time later, he arrives in town to find it desolate and multiple people dead. A road sign reads, “Due to global pandemic USA Govt suspended shelter in place God save the USA.” He drives to his parent’s house to find his father dead, diazepam tablets scattered on the floor, and his mother, Roxanne deceased in the bathroom. He digs a hole in the backyard, positions his parents side-by-side, kisses them, and covers them with dirt.

Ish discovers a church filled with corpses. He gathers supplies, a gun, and ammo. He drives until he comes to a blockage of vehicles on a bridge. Irate, he screams, slaps his face, and says wake up. Returning to his vehicle, he screams and pounds on the horn. He drives to Las Vegas which is also vacant. Ish undresses and gets into a spa. Completely nude, he pours himself a drink. Ann (Leah Gibson) and Milton (Martin Donovan) emerge from behind a booth. Startled, he drops his drink on the floor. Pouring him another drink, she says it will fix most everything if he drinks it fast. Milton tells him that he and Ann were there on business when they met. Ish watches an audio version of the news regarding the viral outbreak. He recalls how his parents updated him on the new pandemic. Vaccines were ineffective. Ish lies down by the elevator and wakes up later. Ann is trying on minks when he approaches. He asks if being alive matters. She says her heart beating doesn’t mean she is alive. Her husband and daughters died in Dayton, Ohio. Milton lost his wife inside the casino. He prepares dinner for them. Ish informs him of his plan to leave. Ann walks away. Milton urges him to stay and suggests the generator has three weeks left on it. He reveals a handgun that he and Ann plan to utilize to end their lives. Ish assures him that there are enough resources there to last a decade. Milton questions why anyone would want to live after everything they cared about is gone.

Ish offers to take Ann with him. She refuses but offers to make his stay feel like something. She has one last thing to accomplish, death. She kisses him. He pulls away and heads to his vehicle when a gunshot rings out. As he speeds away, another gunshot rings out. Upset, he speeds down a highway, sees a dog up ahead, and comes to a complete halt. He calls the dog Lucky and opens the door. Lucky jumps in. Later, he stocks up on books from a library before he and Lucky return home. Unsure of their future, he says they will do it together. He inserts a tape in the tape player. “Were You There” by Mahalia Jackson plays while he makes his bed. Lucky joins him.

It has been a year. Ish keeps himself busy by running, swimming, driving in circles, and chopping wood. One day, Lucky barks and Ish discovers smoke in the distance. The episode ends.

 

Earth Abides Review

The story progresses at a snail’s pace. The dialogue is corny and boring. Ish spends three weeks in a state of delirium. He emerges from his stupor looking the same as the day before the snake bite. No drastic weight loss, weakness, or necrosis on his injured hand as expected. Healthy enough to dig a shallow grave for his parents.

In a viral pandemic, human remains would possibly be contaminated. Ish has direct contact with his deceased parents and remains healthy as a horse. A little common sense and realism would make some improvement but there is still the amateurish acting and camerawork.

The episode deserves a 5 out of 10. Get more Earth Abides recaps here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying here.