Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Pluribus Episode 7.
When Vince Gilligan‘s Pluribus first premiered on Apple TV, it was anyone’s guess what would happen; now, seven episodes in, we’ve definitely inched closer to answers to some of the biggest questions surrounding the sci-fi show’s twisty premise. Last week’s “HDP” confirmed the troubling ingredient in the Others’ special diet (spoiler alert: it’s people) while also revealing that the remaining immune, including Carol (Rhea Seehorn), can’t be assimilated unless they give consent to an invasive stem-cell procedure.
While Carol has staunchly refused to give up her autonomy — and the Others’ refusal to intentionally do harm means they can’t force a big ol’ needle into her hipbone against her will — it turns out she and Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte) are not the only ones holding onto their independence as Pluribus enters the final third of its first season. This week’s episode, “The Gap,” written by Jenn Carroll and directed by Adam Bernstein, reasserts that resistance to the Others is also coming from fellow survivor Manousos Oviedo (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), who sets off on a dangerous, albeit quite picturesque, road trip to meet Carol face-to-face. Unfortunately, he runs into more than one bump in the road, the last of which could permanently derail him.
Carol’s Solitude Finally Catches Up With Her in ‘Pluribus’ Episode 7
Before we touch base with Manousos, however, Pluribus Episode 7 takes us to Carol, who’s also presently on the road, heading back from her overnight trip to Las Vegas. When she makes a pit stop at a seemingly abandoned Red Rocks gas station, her first phone call to the Others’ voicemail (“Hello, Carol. This is a recording…”) gets the pump turned on, but then she decides she wants an ice-cold fruit punch Gatorade, too. Apparently, even the Others can’t perform precise miracles in the middle of the desert; even if one of their drones promptly drops a bottle at Carol’s feet, the temperature isn’t to her liking, so she leaves them one more terse message to “do better next time” before filling up and peeling out for home.
12 days, 20 hours, 42 minutes, and 51 seconds since the Joining, it seems like Carol’s adjusting just fine to this whole solitude deal. Sure, she has to make up her own soundtrack so that the quiet doesn’t get to her, humming everything from R.E.M. to Nelly as the backdrop to her comings and goings, but she can play golf without having to reserve a spot on the course (clocking a wild bison wandering around freely in the process), swap out her cop car for a Rolls-Royce from the abandoned valet parking, drive to the local hot springs for a solo soak, and swipe a genuine Georgia O’Keeffe painting from the local museum to replace the print in her house. After a day of rest and relaxation, Carol decides she wants to eat out in style and hits up the Others’ number to place her order at the restaurant where she and Helen (Miriam Shor) once spent their anniversary. The dinner in question includes courses from some of the best meals she can remember, including a vacation to Martha’s Vineyard and Helen’s birthday in 2008.
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Kim Wexler, you’re still so famous.
The signs that Carol’s solitary confinement is starting to get to her are there if you know where to look, especially as the days tick on. Over a month later (48 days, 16 hours, 57 minutes, and 9 seconds since the Joining), she seems to finally reach her breaking point. Not even new pastimes like playing golf on the roof of a parking garage to break the windows of a neighboring office building are enough to occupy her restless mind, even though she now has actual music (a mixtape of “booyah jams”) to fill the silence.
What’s most damning of all is Carol’s choice to set off the biggest fireworks she swiped from that Red Rocks gas station on the road back from Vegas, and when one of them accidentally tips over to point in her direction, she doesn’t duck and cover. Instead, she closes her eyes, almost waiting for death to liberate her from this loneliness. When the firework goes off missing her by mere inches, it seemingly serves as a wake-up call. The next day she picks up some paint and a roller to write a message on the street one that can be read by the Others’ drones hovering above. We don’t know what it says until a car pulls up and Zosia (Karolina Wydra) gets out. Carol manages to hold it together until those last few steps down her driveway where she throws her arms around Zosia and sobs in relief — and then the camera pulls back to reveal her message, a lowercase plea that’s clearly enough for the Others to finally give in and bury the hatchet: come back.
Manousos’ Road Trip Hits More Than a Few Bumps in ‘Pluribus’ Episode 7
Like Carol, Manousos’ storyline this week starts in a car — well it did until he ran out of gas. He’s walking along the road now can in hand looking for another vehicle to siphon from and pointedly ignoring any efforts from the Others to directly engage with him or offer him water so he doesn’t dehydrate (sound familiar?). He’s a man with a single-minded purpose — to get to Albuquerque so he can meet Carol Sturka in person, no matter how long it takes. Once back on the road (and after leaving behind some money as payment for the gas he took from someone else’s car), Manousos dedicates himself to practicing his English via a set of tapes as he drives up the South American coastline resulting in some of the most stunning shots of not just the episode but Pluribus itself. Unfortunately his wheels can only take him so far and once he reaches Los Katios National Park on the border of Panama he’s forced to ditch his car and continue on foot.
This decision concerns the Others several of whom meet Manousos at the entrance to the park and encourage him not to go on. While their unease seems to be coming from a sincere place it’s unclear whether their warnings about unforgiving weather and chunga palm trees with their dangerous spines are also driven by a desire to keep Manousos right where he is. Given how readily they capitulated to Carol’s early request to meet other English-speaking immune this change of heart feels strange — but then again survivors also know way more about Others than they did before. When the hivemind offers to transport Manousos and his car wherever he wants pointing out how much that means to him Manousos resorts to setting his vehicle on fire rather than comply. “Nothing on this planet is yours. Nothing,” he declares. “You cannot give me anything because all that you have is stolen. You don’t belong here.” In face of such naked defiance others can’t muster a response.
As Manousos ventures further into rainforest he continues practicing his greeting for Carol which almost turns into mantra of sorts keeping him going over rocks rivers jungles caves: “My name is Manousos Oviedo. I am not one of them. I wish to save world.” Unfortunately he does come into contact with those chunga palms narrowly avoiding several before misstep on a loose rock sends him stumbling back impaled on tree’s dangerously sharp spikes. Despite best efforts cauterize terrible wounds on back at campfire later that night it’s clear infection has set in by next day badly. After Manousos collapses unable continue even one more step he hears sound helicopter’s blades churning overhead as Others come rescue — before he passes out his last words are name hope he’s still clinging onto: “Carol Sturka.” The bigger question is: how will Manousos react if he survives all this finally gets Albuquerque discovers Carol has welcomed Others back open arms?
- Rhea Seehorn is a joy to watch in any context but watching Carol finally break down speaks volumes about how lonely she is.
- Carlos Manuel Vesga gets more of spotlight this week with his best moment involving Manousos’ confrontation with Others.
- What is Manousos going think when he shows up sees Carol making nice with Others after that video she sent?
- (It’s great have Zosia back though.)
