Carol seeks the truth (serum) in Pluribus episode 4

Last week one of my big questions about Pluribus was whether our reluctant hero Carol (Rhea Seehorn) would find someone to help her save the world from the scourge of happiness. In episode 4, I got an answer — sort of. We’re clearly introduced to a character who thinks much like her, but how they’ll actually connect is still a big question mark.

Welcome to our weekly discussion about Apple TV’s latest sci-fi series Pluribus, which comes via Breaking Bad creator (and former X-Files writer) Vince Gilligan. In the show, most of humanity has become part of a hive mind that seems only capable of positive emotions, while the perpetually miserable Carol is one of a handful of “survivors,” and also someone who desperately wants the world back the way it was. Each week, I share a few of my biggest questions about the latest episode, and Verge subscribers can use the comments to respond, pose their own questions, and posit other theories and ideas. Naturally, spoilers ahead for the first four episodes of Pluribus.

This week’s episode once again started out with a slow, mostly dialogue-free sequence. This time we saw Manousos (Carlos Manuel Vesga) — notably the only survivor who seems to hate the hive as much, if not more, than Carol does — living a dire existence inside of a storage facility. He refuses any help or even contact with the hive, and so is left eating old sugar packets and cans of dog food to survive. He’s very dedicated to his principles, it seems. More importantly, his ire for the hive makes him appear to be an ideal companion for Carol. Except, of course, they live on opposite sides of the world and don’t speak the same language.

Meanwhile, now that the reality of the situation seems to have sunk in for Carol, she ended up spending much of this episode trying to learn as much as she could about the hive. The biggest takeaway is that they can’t directly lie to her, but they can avoid telling her the truth. Unfortunately, this led to Carol creating a kind of truth serum that is also incredibly dangerous. Poor Zosia (Karolina Wydra). Anyway, here are my three biggest questions right now:

How are Carol and Manousos going to connect?

It seems inevitable. But there are so many logistical issues traveling from Peru to the US in this new world that it’s hard to see how it will happen. The issues are only exacerbated by the fact that Manousos won’t accept any help whatsoever from the hive. And even once they do meet up, how are they going to communicate?

Can Carol figure out the actual truth?

And by that I mean, whether it’s possible to undo the “joining” as it’s called, and set the world back the way it was. The hive’s reluctance to tell her either way suggests that it is indeed possible, but Carol is also up against a few billion people all working together to keep her from “fixing” things. The truth serum was a good idea that didn’t fully work out… and may have created an even bigger problem.

How long will the hive put up with Carol?

Even though it’s sometimes unintentional, Carol keeps harming the hive, and you’d have to think at some point they’ll get fed up and their self-preservation instincts will kick in. Especially considering that Carol’s actively working to undo their connection. Then again, they’re intent on making her happy no matter the cost (grenade, anyone?). These two elements are in direct conflict — and it’ll be fascinating to see how they clash.