Pluribus Season 1 Review

Pluribus [PLUR1BUS] (2025-)

Season 1 - 9 episodes (2025)
Rent Pluribus on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Carlos-Manuel Vesga
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
In a world overtaken by a mysterious wave of forced happiness, Carol Sturka, the only person immune, must uncover what's really going on and save humanity from its own bliss.

Verdict
It's an atypical series that probes companionship, isolation, and assimilation. The choice is a wall between you and all other living humans but you get whatever you desire, or the alternative is the complete loss of your identity when you enter the hive mind. Through Carol we see an evolution of emotions as she determines the threat posed and what she should do next. While it's well made, the first season is little more than an introduction or precursor to a larger plot. There is no payoff and we don't get any explanations, only an indication of what's to come.
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Review
This series is from Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. While season two has been confirmed, it's predicted to be two or more years away.

In episode one scientists receive a signal from space which turns out to contain a virus which they test on mice. After an outbreak, humans are infected and the virus quickly sweeps the globe. It's encoded to force those that contract it to spread it.

Carol (Rhea Seehorn) is a bitter writer, tired of writing meaningless romance novels. Somehow she's the only one seemingly unaffected by the virus. She escapes to her home, unsure of what to do. Whatever the space virus is, it's created a hive mind among everyone in the world. Carol is one of twelve in the world unaffected.

E2: Rhea Seehorn plays Carol Sturka

The hive mind isn't pushy, seeming genuinely helpful, though it's creepy that they know everything all the time. They'll provide her with whatever she wants, but Carol is dealing with her entire life being upended. When she has an outburst and pushes one of the hive, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), it causes a seizure in the entire have and eleven million people die.

Carol demands to meet the others that didn't become part of the hive, but none of them seem as concerned as Carol. She wants to save the world, but she's asked what needs to be saved. The world is at peace for the first time ever. She doesn't like the lack of individuality, and she instead isolates herself. While she can have anything she wants, she's not happy and she's still grieving. She's clinging to the normalcy of a life she either didn't like or had long grown boring.

I always wonder what Carol's planning. The series avoids exposition, instead revealing Carol's plan slowly as it comes to fruition. She's trying to trip the hive. They compare her books to Shakespeare and she doesn't like that response. She wants answers on how to undo the hive mind, and Carol enacts an extreme plan which causes the hive to leave Albuquerque. They want space, and you can't blame them. Now that they've left, she's relying on them even more despite not liking them when they were present. I wonder if Carol is just generally discontent. She wasn't happy before nor now.

In episode five Carol discovers the hive seems to drink a lot of milk, except it isn't milk. Carol investigates and at the end of the episode she's shocked at what she finds, though we don't see what caused her shock.

In episode six all of Carol's fears seems justified. She heads to Koumba, another immune to the hive, to reveal her findings, but he already knows. Why go to him? Is she just lonely? It could be he was the closest. This reveal of what she found is related to the fact that the hive don't harm anything. They won't even pick an apple from a tree.

Carol seems to be plotting, but to what end? She's cataloging what she knows about them while pretending to be friendly with Zosia to gather more information. The hive can't lie, and they'll provide her with whatever she wants.

E8: Karolina Wydra, Rhea Seehorn play Zosia, Carol Sturka

This appears to be a show that hinges on the conclusion. Carol is outnumbered, despite the newfound world peace she can't come to grips with giving up her consciousness to get it. At the same time, she's hesitant to live a decadent lifestyle provided by the hive. She's lonely but hanging out with Zosia doesn't fill that void. Carol wants to save the world, but how? The finale can make or break this season.

Another survivor, Manousos, is more paranoid than Carol. He's also distrustful of the hive and aggressive towards them. His treatment of them even shocks Carol. While she doesn't like the hive, she's not ready to go to the extreme of Manousos.

In the final episode, just as Carol decides maybe the hive isn't so bad, she's confronted with a fact that pits her squarely against them. The episode ends with Carol returning to Manousos, ready to team up. She's taken advantage of the hive's compulsion to get her whatever she wants, but it's clear this season is just the setup for next season. While Carol no longer is wavering on how to feel about them, there's the big question of what's next. This season in isolation just isn't enough.