Does Carol finally join Hive Mind? 'Pluribus' Episode 7 takes her from skinny dipping to self-destruction
The recently aired seventh episode of 'Pluribus', titled 'The Gap', painted a different picture than the one we've come to associate with the Vince Gilligan show. While Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka remained steadfast in her decision not to join the hive-mind, she eventually couldn't help but long for a taste of human interaction. It ultimately occurred to her that perhaps she wasn't that better off being the only citizen in Albuquerque! On the other hand, the stubborn and determined twelfth immune individual, Manousos Oveido from Paraguay, embarked on a perilous journey of his own to meet Carol.
Following her meeting with Diabate in Las Vegas, Carol had previously learned that the Joined people can't turn her into one of their own without having her consent to extract her stem cells. Armed with this knowledge, Carol finally let herself go and took it easy, probably for the first time since the show started. As the Joined took off from Albuquerque in a bid to have their own 'space' after Carol tragically endangered Zosia's life, the author had an entire city to herself. She did make use of her newfound freedom, organizing a display of dazzling fireworks and blasting Philip Sousa, as per Decider.
Carol had several highs throughout the episode, as she played rooftop golf and shattered faraway windows atop skyscrapers, went skinny dipping, and even stole an original Georgia O'Keeffe painting to hang in her room. However, how much fun and frolic can one possibly have before it turns sour? Carol found this out to her dismay. After thirty-four days of living life queen-size, the adrenaline faded away, and she found herself staring into the abyss as a botched firecracker narrowly missed crashing into her face and set fire to her garage instead. Although she was able to put out the fire, one can't help but wonder about her self-destructive drive. Did she wish to end it all?
The episode frequently intercuts Carol's misery with the singular journey undertaken by Manousos. As the latter learned in the previous episode that he wasn't all alone in the wake of the alien invasion and that others were immune like him, he set forth from his home in Paraguay in his convertible to meet Carol in the United States. Manousos remained staunchly independent on the road, gathering gasoline from abandoned cars and rejecting any help from the Joined. He even taught himself English by following through a self-learning tape, as reported by Tech Radar.
Unfortunately, this stubborn attitude ended up almost costing Manousos his life. Upon reaching the Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama, Manousos torched his car and journeyed on foot through the dense jungle, ignoring all warnings. He soon impaled himself on a Chunga palm tree, and the deadly bacteria caused him to be indisposed. He tried to cauterize the wound with his heated machete, but to no avail. Towards the end, he collapsed, with the Joined arriving in a helicopter being the last thing that he saw. 'Pluribus' airs new episodes on Apple TV+ every Friday.
