Earth Abides Episode 3 Review: World Without End

Earth Abides may be a post-pandemic show following a horrific virus that wiped out most of the world, but it offers such a refreshing ambiance after MGM+’s best series From. Though it’s not a world full of flesh-eating zombies or terrifying smiling monsters, Earth Abides is an invigorating take on a post-apocalyptic world, immersing itself in the collapse of mankind and the rebuilding of civilization. 

Is there anyone that can be left to trust in this world? Well, Emma thinks so, Ish, on the other hand, is not too keen on allowing new faces into the fold. Emma needs people, and Ish merely wants to protect his family first and foremost. To me, Emma feels like a woman so ahead of her time. I can understand Ish’s mindset to keep his family well off and protected no matter the cost, but I can also relate to Emma’s willingness to rebuild what has been lost. To save the next generation. 

Earth Abides: Build it back up

Episode 3 starts 6 years into the post-pandemic world in San Lupa and Ish has been one busy man. He was not messing around about rebuilding the future. Along with Heather, he and Emma have brought a son into the world, Alex. And if that wasn’t enough, Emma is with child again. 

Not only has Ish had a strong hand in repopulating the world, but he also comes across a young fragile girl in the woods named Evie(Milania Kerr). Upon spooking her after hunting down a lion, she has major qualms about going back, with Ish. You can tell Evie is starving and simply afraid following other catastrophic events she’d been through. With reluctance, she does get in the back of Ish’s truck after being offered an apple, and kindness. Her speech is non-existent to this point. 

Ish may not have been keen on bringing in new members, but as a father, he wants to help this girl. Fatherhood has been kind to him and has brought out such a gentle kindness from the man. 

The tribe is ever-changing

As the years have passed so have the faces around San Lupa Drive. Emma and Ish have welcomed new members Jorge(Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll) and Maurine(Elyse Levesque). They came upon Emma’s spray-painted address. And though Ish was not on board at first, Jorge has become Ish’s best friend. Next to Lucky of course. 

One of my favorite parts of this episode is the instant bond we see between Maurine and Evie. It’s at first met with aggressiveness, but it’s shown in Maurine’s eyes that she instantly connects to the pain this child feels. Because she was once that child. To connect to Evie she shows her own scars from childhood. Evie is at first, unwilling to react but when Maurine offers a strand of her hair to touch, she lets her guard down. 

There was still so much about the girl they didn’t know. Ish had to make sure that she didn’t have people out there looking for her. People who could come back and cause harm to his family. When Ish and Jorge came across a cabin that she appeared to come from, they could tell something really bad happened there. 

Earth Abides: Be her yes

Evie gathered enough trust around Maurine, to let her draw a bath. It may have been her first one in years. And when she cleans herself up Maurine comes across a journal of bone-tingling eerie pictures. In the front of her bag, she finds a letter from Evie’s mother addressed to people who may come across her beloved child. 

The letter was written at a time when her mother was dying and in a desperate plea to anyone who may find her. After the fall of civilization, Evie’s father became full of rage and took it out on her. Her mother wasn’t able to protect her in life, but tried her very best in death. The violence she endured is the reason she has become mute to the world. 

Jorge has strong hopes Maurine’s interconnection with Evie will be the thing that can finally make her happy. It’s evident these two are a couple that met through circumstance, but there’s a lot of tenderness there. And a lot of unanswered questions. Even he doesn’t know about Maurine’s tortured past. She is still unwilling to share that with him. 

And then there were three

Emma and Ish’s third and final child, Joey was brought into the world. Fortunately, for Emma, this was a fast and easy birth. From the moment Ish held Joey in his arms, he knew he was special. All children are unique with their gifts intact, but Ish knew this was the child that was going to change him the most. 

Ish is such an endearing father. One you will be hard-pressed to find in any post-apocalyptic universe. Alexander Ludwig does such a fantastic job selling himself in this light. 

When another year passes Emma and the rest come across a small group from Ashland, Oregon. They too, saw Emma’s sign but were nearly shot down by Emma for alerting their bell alarm and trespassing in the woods. The group is filled by club owner Ezra, former singer Jean, their young son Raif, and a surgical resident named Molly. The three of them have formed some sort of strange throuple situation. That’s a first as far as apocalyptic romances go. 

Emma is more than happy to welcome the four of them into their community. They need it to grow. Ish, on the other hand, does not trust them. He doesn’t think it’s a good idea to bring them on. Ezra comes off as a tool, and he believes Jean is a junkie looking to steal. Though I’m not sure what good stolen merchandise will do for you in a pandemic. 

“We need bridges not walls.”

With 10 people left on earth, Emma senses a hint of jealousy over Ezra. In Ish’s defense, he comes across as a player. For this world to work they need bridges, not walls. Even this new group of strangers was aware of who wore the pants in this family. Ish may have had reservations, but Emma always gets the final say. 

Ish is right to be wary of travelers, but Emma is also right to take risks. She knows having a doctor on board could be beneficial to their survival. Ezra will have much to prove, but Jean provides a sense of happiness for the group. After going on a group run together for supplies Molly was able to bring back a huge bag of medicine and Ezra gifted Jean with a guitar. At the end of the night, they all sat around and relished Jean’s musical talent. It’s such a small thing, but in a world like this, it was like being in heaven. 

As close to heaven as you can get

Their world is ever-changing and Jorge and Maurine fall more in love. Evie has Maurine in such a way that she’s allowing herself to find happiness again. And before long they are welcoming a baby boy into their future.

Jean was never a junkie, but she was pregnant and contemplating abortion by alcohol. But in the end, she brought a beautiful daughter into the world. San Lupa’s future is getting bigger and brighter as the years roll on.

By the end of the episode, they are in year 14 on Heather’s birthday. Molly has an infirmary now. Evie is all grown up, and Heather and Raif are closer than ever. Joey has become Ish’s prodigy. He’s book-smart and fascinated with knowledge and history. The only heartbreak of the episode comes when a big storm hits and Lucky is caught out in the rain. He was Ish’s first real friend. I can see a hundred character deaths ten times over, but it’s extra heart-breaking when it happens to man’s best friend. 

Earth Abides: Emma The Great

The takeaway for this episode is once again how amazing is Emma? A mother of 3, a fearless warrior, and a benevolent leader. I still can’t say enough about Jessica Frances Dukes in this masterful role. There is sweetness and toughness to the glue that holds everything together. 

Alexander Ludwig plays the role sensationally as the doting husband and loving father. He has sternness and tenderness. Ish knows how to speak his mind and let his feelings be heard, but he often knows in the end, his wife is usually right. A happy wife is a happy life. They are a couple that had they met before the fall of the world, you can guarantee they would have found each other and fallen in love. It’s something you just don’t find in genre shows today. 

Just as the lion hunt began this episode a lion hunt ends with it. Except this time the hunt is for humans. In a cliffhanger, while Evie and Joey are playing a lion begins tearing Ish to shreds as Evie screams for help. Will someone save him in time? Find out next week on MGM+. 

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About the author: Shay has been writing as a journalist professionally for years. Her most common topics to cover are drama and horror but she looks forward to getting her feet wet with new and exciting genres and projects. @ShaySleighs