If you weren’t already aware of how difficult Carol (Rhea Seehorn) is, episode 3 of Pluribus makes it pretty clear. It kicks off with a flashback of Carol and her partner Helen (Miriam Shor) on a seemingly perfect getaway at an ice hotel in Norway. Yet, all Carol can do is complain about the cold. Even when she witnesses a breathtaking aurora borealis, her only response is that it "looks like a screensaver." But maybe that cynicism is what gives her an edge as she prepares to tackle the hive-mind apocalypse that’s taken over Earth.
This episode really illustrates how cranky Carol was even before she became one of the few humans not affected by the hive mind. It also highlights the challenges she faces living independently of the hive, as well as the lengths to which the hive might go just to keep her content—perhaps even supplying her with a nuclear weapon if she asked?
Being one of just a handful of non-hive members is isolating, and it got even tougher for Carol in episode 2 when she tried to reach out to other English-speaking survivors, who showed little interest in restoring the world to what it used to be. Yet there might be a glimmer of hope: a man named Manousos (Carlos Manuel Vesga) in Paraguay seems to despise the hive even more than she does. The downside? He’s half a world away and only speaks Spanish, leading to a chaotic first phone call filled with shouting. Still, he could be her best shot at finding someone else who shares her concerns about the so-called global happiness.
How will she manage to coexist with the hive? For now, Carol, the remaining unaffected humans, and the hive are all sharing the same planet—at least until one side finds a "cure." This arrangement is creating tension for Carol. She sees herself as an independent person, yet she finds herself relying on the hive for her needs. This became clear when she attempted to get food from a grocery store and had to wait for the shelves to be restocked.
Can the hive ever say no? On the other hand, it appears the hive is unable to deny Carol anything that might upset her. They seem committed to fulfilling her requests, no matter how absurd they may sound. This culminated in a grenade exploding in her home, injuring her chaperone Zosia (Karolina Wydra). Before that incident, Carol tested the hive’s limits by asking if they would give her a nuclear weapon. The hive responded, “We would move heaven and earth to make you happy, Carol. Would you like an atom bomb?” It will be interesting to see how she leverages this power.
