Connie

Connie arrives among a small band of survivors as a journalist chronicling the world's collapse, quick-witted and fiercely capable despite being deaf. She reads lips, signs, and misses little, using a notebook to needle friends and strangers alike. Calm under pressure, she trusts her own instincts even when others hesitate.

The show treats her deafness as a fact of character, not a plot device, and Lauren Ridloff plays her with dry humor and total self-possession — she's often the sharpest person in the room. Ridloff, deaf herself, brings physical precision and warmth to every scene, making Connie's silence feel like an advantage rather than a limitation.