One of Esmail’s inspired changes was to make Ruth, who was George’s wife in the novel, his daughter, a young woman in her 20s. She picks up on racial biases and is instantly hostile to Amanda, adding tension to the story. Amanda thinks Ruth is a rude, entitled example of her generation, and she’s not entirely wrong. Esmail, foregrounding suspense rather than social messages, makes race and class minor undercurrents, which vanish as the families shelter together amidst unknown threats. GH, a financial planner, has heard rumours from a powerful client that something might be amiss in the future. In Ali’s finely-balanced performance, GH is worried, but not yet convinced that an apocalypse is heading their way.