Three sisters are at the heart of the story
Tiffany McMillan
Tiffany is a “Martha Stewart” type person who has written several cook books, with a successful cooking show. Her commitment to hospitality and things being just right is at an almost OCD level. Her most recent book, “Shop Poor Eat Rich,” describes how to serve a family of four, a gourmet meal, for less than $10. She learned to cook from her grandmother who helped raise her, and her two sisters, Nora and Sophie. Their parents are wealthy, famous actors who wanted them raised in a healthy environment so they set them up with the farm.
Francesca Finnerty plays Tiffany
Nora McMillan
Nora is a “Sara Connor” type, who works as a gopher on her sister’s cooking show because she has nothing else to do. She is a duck out of water and has the heart of a warrior but no place to channel that aggression or passion. She is the exact opposite of Tiffany. She is anti-social and consumed by video games where she spends hours playing hard core first person shooters. She has a chip on her shoulder and feels that her parents are very selfish and abandoned them to pursue their own professions.
Gabriela Kostadinova plays Nora
Sheila Avellino plays Sophie
Sophie McMillan
Sophie is the philosopher and star gazer. She makes connections everyone else misses. She is the youngest of the three sisters and is the balance between Tiffany and Nora. She works as the director for the cooking show. Her's is the voice of reason, holding the camp together after the solar flare knocks out power. She is the one who challenges them to read and learn, pushing the others to pursue their talents while they wait for the lights to come back on. She decides to pick up her journal and write, becoming the chronicler of their story.
The women of the cooking show
Avery
Avery has a quick wit, and doesn’t suffer fools lightly. She states the obvious when no one else will and is a little impatient in the face of indecision. She was the camera operator on Tiffany's show. She is very artistic and takes up Sophie’s challenge and begins drawing everyone and everything while they wait… to see if the lights will come back on. She is very cynical and challenges them all. She was a loner before the hit, but learns that she has to be a team player to survive. Her humor does help them get through.
Alissa Dellork plays Avery
Paola Torres plays Molly Marie
Molly Marie
Molly Maria is the oldest of the group. Before the hit, she was the producer of the show with a bit of a bullying personality. She is insecure and thinks she has to be tough to keep order. She is a control freak and has to be right in any argument. She has worked her way up from humble beginnings and the world after the flare reminds her of the 3rd world that she worked so hard to leave behind. She struggles against the materialistic person she has become. She must lose her haughty attitude to thrive in the new normal.
Nicole
Nicole Is a brilliant engineer. She is a beautiful black woman who looks like she could be a model but has a “Mr. Spock” type personality. On the cooking show she is in charge of all the electrical hookups, the sound and the lighting, working closely with Avery. She is quiet and keeps to herself while trying to figure things out in her MacGyver-like way. She works hard creating things and working on projects, using her engineering skills trying to make everyone’s lives a little easier on the farm.
K. Victoria Chase plays Nicole
Mikayla Mulgrew plays Sandy
Sandy
Sandy is the spiritual conscience of the group and butts heads with Molly Marie, who claims to be an atheist, and doesn’t like to hear Sandy talk about her faith. Sandy is the supply manager and the accountant for the group, incredibly efficient when working, but fun and ditzy when she’s not. She is very close to Tiffany and Sophie, is very kind, and ready to make sacrifices for the group. She is afraid at first and learns to be brave. Sandy is the quiet hero who does what needs to be done.
Nora's Refugees
Link: Is early 30’s mechanic who is barely literate, maybe an 8th grade education, but salt of the earth. He is insecure about not being as “educated” as the others in the group, but it is clear very early that he is brilliant in his own way. He and Nicole hit it off immediately and don’t talk much as they work. He teaches her what he knows about engines, etc. and they are like the hardware store for the farm. They love the challenges of fixing and making. He has a son, Caleb who saw the marauders kill his mom and burn their house. Link knows he has issues and they show up later.
Caleb: Is about 10 and a quiet boy who has been traumatized by his mom’s murder and their house burning down. They have lived in the woods for two weeks, just surviving until Nora and the others find them. He immediately sees Nora as their savior and a type of mom replacement. He likes that she is strong and powerful and knows that nothing could ever hurt her, so she is a safe place to put his emotions. When she rebuffs him he acts out. There is a poignance to their relationship because he is one of the only ones who can get to Nora. He is also symbolic of the tragic balance of humanity and it can either go in the direction of the animals just surviving, or they will succeed in rebuilding civilization.
Ted: Is the doctor who was just returning from a camping trip with his wife and young daughter, Tina, when it all went dark. They symbolize people who have everything in a civilized world and in the blink of an eye, they are no different than anyone else. He though, being a doctor, brings value to the camp, so his family is allowed to come back. But, he gets back into his workaholic habits after Link and Nichol build him a microscope. There is a sadness and distance in his relationship with his wife Julie and you get an idea that even with a solar flare, it is not a big enough wake up call to get him to see what is important in life. He seems very one-dimensional .. . basically a doctor who is there when people get hurt, but there is more to him than that.
Julie: is a nurse and helps her husband, Ted, when there is a medical issue. But she can’t really get him to engage with her on any other level. She is always sad and loves that Sandy has “adopted” her girl and is happy around them. It gives her space to be depressed and sad about the situation. The implication is that she would be unhappy any place.
Tina: is seven years old and loves playing with Sandy and Caleb. If anything happens that is frightening, she runs to her and not their mom. She is a reminder of a happier time and is sort of clueless about what is really happening. There are times when in the security of their camp, the children take their minds off the crazy world around them and there is a juxtiposition of the reality outside their gates.
Sandy's Stragglers
Danny: Is a handsome, fun, witty young man, 22, who first met Sandy when delivering the food for their mass meals which will support the points in Tiffany’s book. He is studying to be a pastor and is the spiritual conscience of the camp, along with Sandy. They bond almost immediately and are a wonderful power couple who are kind, loving, and keep spirits high in those who are having a hard time with circumstances. He and Sandy love working with the kids, but are always there to help anyone.
Phil: Is the former Marine who is 33. He is immediately paired with Nora to take care of security. She resents it at first, but then realizes she could use some help. He admires her because she seems to be in her element when she is with her guns or teaching safety and security. He is steadfast, kind, helpful and keeps Nora on track when she starts getting bossy or angry. He is a real warrior.
Tommy: Thin, nebbish, nerdy looking with an MBA from Harvard is quickly told he has no value in a post apocalyptic world with those credentials. He loves Tiffany’s show and has read her book three times. He becomes her sidekick and a bit of a comic relief because he loves cooking so much he is sort of clueless about things around him. He always rises to the occasion when it comes to food, sort of like yeast in bread. He is like Tiffany’s mini-me.
Bob and Karen: a young couple who were friends with Danny and go to the same church. He is an expert in botany and can help with the greenhouse, and She loves Tiffany’s show too and wants to help in the kitchen. They are very helpful, nice and happily to do what needs to be done. They are pretty much in the back ground.
Marty: was a soccer player in college and is very helpful but gets hurt not long after arriving and it is an ongoing issue about getting him healed. He becomes an obsession with Ted as he tries to get him well. Ted gets a little self-righteous in his desire to heal Marty, suggesting his cause is the most honorable. This causes tension, but Marty just wants to get better so he can start pulling his weight.