Poe Rayburn, a teenage girl under protection, participates in a close-quarters brawl against male antagonist Soares. She applies learned self-defense skills to escape his hold, contributing to his defeat in the confrontation.

John Creasy, canonically white in A.J. Quinnell's source novel and the 1987 film adaptation, is played by Black actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in this Netflix series, marking a race swap.

The series centers on surrogate fatherhood and chosen family bonds emerging from tragedy, with Creasy's protective role toward the orphaned Poe underscoring non-traditional structures as a path to redemption. Traditional family norms remain absent, overshadowed by trauma and makeshift alliances.