This article contains spoilers for episode 5 of Earth Abides.
This article contains mentions of sexual assault and murder.
The main characters of The Earth Remains experience a phase of joy and hope in episode 5, before things take a dark turn and the illness seemingly returns. Based on the book of the same name by George R. Stewart The Earth Remains aims to paint a realistic picture of how the world would change if an outbreak wiped out almost the entire human population. It mainly revolves around a small community of survivors who face daily challenges as their group grows and the forces of nature reclaim the planet, restoring the natural order.
The Earth Remains episode 4 ended on a bittersweet note, where the human community managed to dig a well with the help of their new guests. However, Ish felt uncomfortable around the new survivors because their leader, Charlie, threatened her place as leader and even seemed suspicious. When Charlie's motives finally become apparent to other characters The Earth RemainsIn episode 5, Ish is forced to make a terrible decision, which gradually turns into chaos.
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Ish's intuition about Charlie turned out to be accurate
Charlie shows his true face right after digging the well
Ish openly expressed her concerns about Charlie's motives in The Earth Remains episode 4. However, Emma dismissed his suspicions claiming that he is always wary of new guests. Charlie even manages to become one of the nicest people in the group of survivors after digging a well and solving the main characters' water shortage problem. Unfortunately, Ish's intuition about him proves correct when Charlie sexually assaults Evie.
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Ish decides to punish Charlie
Ish realizes they can't let Charlie get away with
When Ish and her people find out what happened to Evie, they don't react impulsively. Instead, they discuss what they can do to ensure the situation doesn't get worse. They realize that Charlie has arrived to take control of the entire community and will not give up until he achieves that motive. Therefore, they collectively decide to get him out of the way.
Jorge is the only one who initially shows some resistance to kill a fellow human. However, he also becomes a bit cocky when his partner, Maurine, reminds him of what he did to Evie. Next, Ish visits Charlie's container and confronts him. He takes his hammer with him, determined to use it to kill Charlie. Charlie shows no fear and takes his knife. However, he finally finds himself cornered when Ish's people arrive armed. Ish then proceeds to kill him before heading home to freshen up and think about her next course of action.
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Ish and her group give Charlie's crew a choice
They give them the option to stay
Instead of hiding what happened to Charlie, Ish and the group explicitly tell Charlie's team what they did to him. They first approach Charlie's partner and give her the opportunity to stay with them. When the rest of his men arrive at the scene, they are told that they can stay with them peacefully or leave freely without facing any consequences. While almost all of Charlie's team members choose to stay, realizing that Charlie has dug his own grave with his immoral actionsSilas confronts Ish and his people before leaving the premises.
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Silas initially leaves, but later tries to return
He realizes he may not be able to survive alone
In the heat of the moment, Silas leaves the community of survivors while the rest of his people decide to stay. His anger over Charlie's death convinces him that he doesn't need Ish and her crew. However, moments after leaving, he changes his mind and tries to return. As he stands at the gate of the community of Ish, Ish reminds him of how he broke their trust when he became complicit in Charlie's mistakes..
| The Earth Remains'Cast and Character Guide | |
|---|---|
| Actor | Paper |
| Alexandre Ludwig | ish williams |
| Jessica Frances Duques | Emma |
| Aaron Tveit | Charlie |
| Rodrigo Fernández-Stoll | George |
| Elyse Levesque | Maurina |
| Luísa D'Oliveira | Molly |
| Birkett Turton | Ezra |
| Hilary McCormack | John |
| Jenna Berman | Eve |
Although Silas didn't directly harm Evie, he was responsible for what happened to her because he didn't even try to stop Charlie. Silas tries to show that he doesn't intend to harm anyone by handing over his knife. However, Ish still doesn't allow him to enter and even returns his knife. With that, Silas leaves and never comes back.
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Ish encourages Joey and sees how he can build the future
Joey's inventions leave every adult in the community amazed. To encourage you to embrace your curiosity, the community even celebrates your victories. Ish also can't help but express how much she admires Joey, stating that he will ultimately build humanity's future on Earth. However, although he appreciates Joey, his other son gradually becomes more and more distant.
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Joey falls ill and the disease spreads again
One night, after Joey feels unwell, Ish assumes that he is just overwhelmed with the next phase of his life and will be fine after a night's rest. However, the next morning, Joey appears in his room and falls to the floor. Soon, Ish and Emma realize that Joey's condition is not improving and worry if the disease that destroyed the world has reached him. When Ish visits Molly for help, she reveals that many other survivors in her community are showing symptoms of the disease.
The new wave of disease suggests that the virus that destroyed the world's human population has likely evolved.
She suspects that despite initially being immune, many people are eventually becoming infected. The new wave of disease suggests that the virus that destroyed the world's human population has likely evolved. Although it is not powerful enough to kill all survivors, its evolution has allowed it to infect several previously immune people.
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Heather returns home alone
She regrets leaving her family behind
In The Earth RemainsIn episode 3, Heather and another young survivor left the community to explore the world around them. Although her parents were concerned about her well-being, they realized that she needed to see the outside world in order to grow up. In episode 5, however, Heather returns home and reveals that the survivor she dated is no longer with them. She also says she regrets leaving and fears losing her brother, Joey, to illness.
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Ish feels like he is being punished for killing a man
Ish's guilt triggers a huge change in him
As he watches the human community crumble and fears losing his son, Ish begins to believe he is being punished for killing Charlie. He is haunted by visions of the man he murdered, reminding him of how he showed him no mercy. Ish realizes she had no option and had to kill Charlie to protect her people. However, a part of him can't help but believe that what he did was wrong. As he struggles to deal with his guilt, he turns to God instead. The Earth Remains final moments of episode 5 and questions the true purpose of its existence.