The theme of this week is isolation. That’s always been a part of what makes Pluribus so unsettling, of course; in the show there are only a handful of human survivors left on Earth, while the rest of the population has turned into an interconnected hive mind, some 7 billion people strong. But watching Carol (Rhea Seehorn) and Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) struggle through that loneliness in episode 7 really drives that point home.
Welcome to our weekly Verge-subscriber discussion of Pluribus, the new sci-fi series on Apple TV from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. The show follows Carol as one of the few “survivors” on Earth after a virus of unknown origin turns the rest of the world into the aforementioned hive mind, also known as the others. The hive is cheerful, Carol is miserable, and hijinks ensue. Each week, I present a handful of questions from the latest episode to get a conversation started, so feel free to chime away in the comments with your own thoughts, theories, and questions. Obviously, spoilers follow for the first seven episodes of Pluribus.
Back in episode 5, the others physically abandoned Carol for their own safety, but it hasn’t been until now that she’s really had to grapple with that fact. She’s been too busy digging into their dietary habits and other secrets in an attempt to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus. But now that she has some downtime she’s spending it as if it really is the end of the world. She goes golfing, sets off lots of fireworks, and dresses up for a fancy solo dinner (with a meal provided by the hive, of course). But it’s not enough. And so the episode ends with Carol needing the most human thing of all: a hug.
On the other side of the world, Manousos is dealing with his own brand of self-imposed isolation as he refuses all help from the hive and sets out on a road trip from Paraguay to the US, where he hopes to meet Carol. That means siphoning lots of gas and spending the lonely drive listening to English-language educational lessons so that they can communicate when he arrives. This mostly goes fine until he reaches the Darién Gap — an extremely dangerous stretch of rainforest that connects North and South America — and, it seems, help is forced upon him after a horrible accident.
With that out of the way, here are my big questions moving forward:
Is Carol losing motivation?
On the one hand, it was nice seeing her relax in a hot spring and let off steam whacking golf balls. But it does make me wonder: Does the task ahead of her feel insurmountable? I get exhausted just thinking about shoveling the driveway. I can’t imagine how intimidating it would be to try to save 7 billion people who don’t want to be saved, while the few voices around you all seem to think it’s a bad idea. I assume she’ll get back to her quest, but I do wonder if Carol is losing some of that initial determination.
How will Manousos react to the hive’s help?
This guy is hardcore. He torched his beloved car just to keep the others from touching it. So when the helicopter arrived to rescue him after a nasty run-in with a spiked plant, my first thought was: He’s going to be pissed. Of course, we don’t actually see the hive rescue him, but that’s clearly their intention. I imagine he’s going to wake up in a hospital somewhere very confused and angry. Maybe that’s what will light the fire under Carol again.
What is everyone else doing?
I can’t help but wonder if any of the other survivors have changed their minds after living with the hive for all this time. Do they all still think this world is better because it’s safer? Is everyone else as OK with the idea of HDP as Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte)? Inquiring minds (me) want to know.
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