TL;DR – Today shows why the chemistry between the cast is so important because it helps make this episode everything it is.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this series.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Earth Abides Review –

Last week, we got to dive into a fascinating look at a post-apocalyptic world where someone woke up to a world gone. While the first episode was very much a primer for the world and the stories that we will be telling in it. I am looking forward to seeing what the show can do when it expands on its premise.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Alone, Ish (Alexander Ludwig) was contemplating his life as possibly the last human on Earth, or at least the last one in his part of the country, which was emotionally devastating but still a cathartic ending. That was until he saw smoke coming out of the chimney of a house on the other side of town. But what starts as a confrontation at the barrel of a gun begins something a bit more. Because with Emma (Jessica Frances Dukes), he has met someone who understands what he has gone through. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

There are a lot of ways that you can see that people really care about production, and one of them is where they put their money. For most shows, you change their titles once they are set and done because you have already paid for them, and usually, they are set and done. Indeed, most series keep their opening titles for the entire run. So, I was almost shocked when they completely changed the opening titles to the current situation. It made such thematic sense, but I bet you they had to fight someone for it.

The main focus of this week is the growing bond between Emma and Ish, and I, for one, thought this was the strongest part of the episode. It was clear that Alexander Ludwig and Jessica Frances Dukes had a fantastic rapport, which was brought into those scenes. Their banter was a joy to watch because they had that bond. It was also because the two characters are written to be complimentary yet very different. This continued to build their bond as they went through year 2 of the post-apocalypse. There are these moments, like Ish quietly cutting down the noose, which we didn’t know he had, that really sell what they are going through.

It was interesting watching how they explore this world because there is a lot of tells and not that much show of the human damage. We see some bodies in the supermarket briefly, but the show focuses more on the sound. We also see more of the outcome than anything else. Given there are probably 7 ½ million bodies out there in the San Fransisco area, it makes perfect sense that there would be an explosion in rat numbers that would escalate into plague numbers. But it would also likely be a boom/bust nature cycle. While the show shies away from showing some aspects, it very much doubles down on others, like the dissection of the cow. It was profoundly gross, but it did lead to the most adorable self-high-five.

So, in the end, do we recommend Earth Abides: The Space Between? Yes, we do. This has been a fascinating show so far because of how it laser focuses on a couple of people’s stories. It will be interesting to see next week what happens when we start expanding on that.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Earth Abides yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Earth Abides
Directed by – Bronwen Hughes
Written by – Karen Janszen
Created by – Todd Komarnicki
Based On – Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
Production/Distribution Companies – Bright Light Pictures, Lighthouse Productions, Peak TV, MGM Studios & MGM+ & Stan
Starring – Alexander Ludwig & Jessica Frances Dukes