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'Earth Abides' is an absolute disaster of a show, but one scene proved it beyond any doubt

MGM+'s 'Earth Abides' is an unmitigated disaster.

Contains spoilers for 'Earth Abides'

Following much anticipation, the classic novel of George R Stewart finally makes its way to the small screen with MGM's 'Earth Abides.' Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the drama series strikes a familiar chord by depicting a pandemic situation similar to COVID-19, where the world is ravaged by a global crisis. The mysterious pandemic in the series ultimately wipes out the majority of the population, transforming the world into a dystopian wasteland devoid of human life.

In 'Earth Abides' Episode 1, viewers are made familiar with the new reality, where corpses are seen lying on the roads and houses are abandoned, but our protagonist, Ish Williams (Alexander Ludwig), miraculously survives following a prolonged coma after a snake bite. Despite the strong buzz, the premiere episode has failed to impress many fans, who criticize the series for being overly unrealistic.

Fans express their disappointment with 'Earth Abides' Episode 1

As soon as 'Earth Abides' Episode 1 made its premiere, fans quickly shared their opinions under a Reddit thread. One fan wrote, "I am 25 minutes into this thing and it is NOT believable. He breaks every rule for a snake bite, intentionally gets himself infected and should be dead by the end of the first episode, there were GUNS AND AMMO and all essentials available at the local sporting goods store for him to freely loot when there are abandoned cars all over the parking lot. This show is a bust, not realistic at all." Another added, "Not off to a good start, He would almost certainly get himself infected in the first 20 min!"

One fan said, "Very nice, but also very unrealistic. You do not start hauling diseased corpses around, that would get you infected. In a case of airborne virus there will be lots of people who would just lock themselves at home and watch the apocalypse through the windows. These people will start getting out of their homes weeks and months after the epidemy ends. There will be a lot of fires, entire cities will burn. The electric power will not last weeks. There will be a lot of abandoned dogs and cats on the streets. They will ask you for food. There will be a lot of cows that will die without your help. If you want milk, cheese and butter, you better take care of at least some of them :-)"

Another fan added, "So it kills insantly, but the military had time to deploy troops, have a Hummer parked in front of the store along with a big warning sign telling people there is a pandemic going on? It kills them THAT fast? Then yea, they definitely had time to loot the store. Edit: Military would never have even been there if there weren't riots/looting. Please, make it make sense."

Why does 'Earth Abides' Episode 1 fail to impress?

One of the biggest reasons 'Earth Abides' Episode 1 fails to impress is the lack of action in the first half. Instead, the debut episode focuses on establishing the new world, where an eerie sense of isolation takes center stage. Furthermore, the debut episode is riddled with several plot holes, which undermine the overall viewing experience.

To grasp it better, the snake bite looked too staged, as if you are bitten by a snake that is dangerous enough to keep you unconscious for days; how is it possible to survive miraculously without proper medical treatment? I mean, it's like a fever dream on another level, and I'm sure it must have irked other viewers as well. Additionally, the source material of the series dates back to the 1940s, which was fitting for its time. However, viewers today have already seen much tighter, more engaging dystopian series that waste no time diving into action. So, watching a six-episode series progress slowly is not the plot development fans were expecting from the premiere of a dystopian show. 

'Earth Abides' trailer

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