Could you handle being all alone with yourself for over a month?
Carol had a choice to make. She could choose to be a solitary figure, leaning on the Pluribus for her needs, or she could acquiesce, apologize, and welcome them back into her life.
After 36 days, she chose the latter.
It’s impossible to know what you would do in the same situation. But the more solitary you are now, the easier it would be.
People need something, though. I’m alone more often than not by a mile, but I also have you lot to play with and my online friendships. I see humans. I know I’m not truly alone. And I have my cats, which are as much a part of my sanity as another human being.
That’s surprised me about Pluribus. We have no idea if Carol is an animal lover, but based on the fact that she sees them and chooses not to interact, I can surmise she is not. Had I driven my a bison on the golf course, I would have stopped and had a conversation.
I talk out loud to every animal I see. My desire to connect overall isn’t limited to people. We really don’t know too much about Carol at all, which I assume is a storytelling choice Vince Gilligan made for a reason.
Perhaps he’s waiting until she has someone else on her side who can speak on the same wavelength rather than revealing too much about her through one-sided chats with animals.
Still, if she opened her home to a furry critter or two, maybe the world would seem brighter. There have to be pets out there who would love to spend time with her.
What happened to the world’s pets anyway? With the hive always busy with earth’s upkeep, how likely is it that they have made time for kitty snuggles or puppy belly rubs?
Pluribus Season 1 Episode 7 showed that Carol has no problem finding things to do, at least she didn’t at first. But there is a vast difference between 12 and 48 days on your own. A solitary vacation turning into a never-ending trip wouldn’t be to most people’s liking.
The music told Carol’s story more than her actions did.
From humming REM’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” on her road trip, to choosing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” at the restaurant, and blasting Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” every song was defiant.
She was sending a message to the universe that she wouldn’t back down. That’s easier said than done.
Carol seemed to be doing alright as long as she could call the Pluribus and get what she needed. They’d even changed their message a bit, which was welcome. Listening to that continually would be more frustrating than being alone.
And while it might seem selfish that she placed demands like an ice-cold Gatorade, they should be at her whim. They changed the game. She (and the others like her) not only had no choice in the matter, but the hive then whisked away every convenience without even thinking about those left behind.
Even if there were only 12 people, it goes against their nonsensical “do no harm” stance. Their decision to be there at a moment’s notice with a phone call or hovering around waiting to spring into action is a passive-aggressive way to express that stance.
They began with harm, so to claim otherwise at this point is ridiculous. Carol is in the state she is in because of the harm the Pluribus inflicted on humanity. There’s no getting around that.
If Manousos had learned to work with the Pluribus in the same way Carol did, she wouldn’t have been alone for 36 days straight. I realize it was technically longer, but I don’t remember the actual day she became a lone wolf, so 36 it is.
Rhea Seehorn remains absolutely magnetic as Carol Sturka. She shows a stunning range of emotion, even within the same scene.
As Carol recreated the dinners she enjoyed with Helen, she was almost gleeful — until she realized she was recreating them because her love was gone. There are no new memories to make with someone she loves.
The way Carol’s face fell at the realization was heartbreaking. Thankfully, we know there is still a chance that she can turn things around — with Manousos’s help.
Because while Carol had chosen to treat the hive mind like the world she once lived in, Manousos would accept no help at all.
He willfully put himself in harm’s way on his way to see Carol, which has delayed his arrival. If he had made it across that dangerous stretch, he might have been much further along.
Instead, he impaled himself on the spikey tree (I couldn’t find a good match for it in reality) and had to accept help whether he liked it or not after he was discovered lying delirious on the jungle floor.
He’s likely been in the hospital for a stretch, which must really be pissing him off. They would have scooped him up and taken him to Carol’s doorstep if he had allowed it. I bet he’s rethinking his decision now.
When they do finally cross paths, Carol and Manousos will first have to navigate the language barrier. If they choose to do it without an interpreter, it will take even longer, and do they really have the time to waste?
The Pluribus is actively seeking ways to bring them into the fold. So far, all they discovered was an invasive procedure they’re (ironically) unwilling to inflict on the last 12. But that’s not the end of it.
Their choices are to be at the beck and call of those 12 until they perish or to find another way to bring them in, even if that means breaking their do-no-harm rules. The sooner Carol and Manousos begin imagining a way out, the better.
Hell, even if they just had each other and lived like Tarzan and Jane with an occasional Pluribus assist, that would be better than nothing. And it could take some of the pressure off the hive to be there.
Neither of them will give up their humanity. Of that, I’m certain. Manousos’s declaration was about as Carol as you can get.
“Nothing on this planet is yours. Nothing. You cannot give me anything because all that you have is stolen. You don’t belong here.”
He’s right. But they are here, and they have to learn to live with them, even as they continue searching for a way to send them back where they came from.
In addition to showing how two actors can bring you into their worlds with nothing more than their on-screen presence, “The Gap” showed that while you can go it alone in life, it’s a more pleasant experience to share it with others.
Nobody is going to argue that point, not even me, who would, at least for a while, relish every moment where I had the world at my fingertips without it getting all peopley.
Carol wasn’t actively trying to end her life, but she was tempting fate.
What began as a rebellious F-U to the Pluribus almost ended her life when she sat directly in front of a firework before it launched, whizzing past her head to partially destroy the house behind her.
It’s shocking that the hive had turned their back so entirely on her that they’d risk her doing herself in like that.
Withdrawing almost entirely seems like another passive-aggressive take on the stance itself. Manousos was so deep into the jungle when he was injured that you’d think he would have had no chance of rescue, but we know all too well how pervasive this species is.
So why did they allow things to go so far with Carol? Maybe I’m putting too much thought into it. What can I say? It’s my job.
But even Carol’s apology was challenging the Pluribus. She could have picked up the phone and made her point. Instead, she painted Come Back in the street. It’s as if she were testing them to see if they were paying attention.
Zosia, the first we’ve seen of her since they all abandoned Carol in the hospital, appeared. Carol sized her up, approached cautiously, and then launched herself into her arms, sobbing.
Carol can admit she needs them without being interested in becoming one with them. It will be interesting to see how their relationship changes after this, and especially after she finally meets Manousos.
Even so, I’m not too worried about the when of it all. “The Gap” between them is shrinking, but as soon as they meet, the show will change. She will have met the only other person like her on earth.
Neither of them will be so alone, but that won’t change the fact that, as only two, the possibility of losing the other would cause its own level of stress.
So far, Pluribus has perfectly balanced the tone of the series, and I’m willing to ride that wave wherever it takes us.
I don’t know what comes next, but I’m eager for the ride to continue. How about you?
We have a comments section below just begging for your input.
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Pluribus Season 1 Episode 7 Tests Carol’s Reserve as “The Gap” Briskly Moves Time
Can Carol’s defiance be measured by time? Pluribus Season 1 Episode 7 tests that theory, as we learn more about Manousos, too.
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Pluribus Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Hive John Cena Said Eating People Is OK. Uh… Nuh-uh!
If someone you admire said eating people was OK, would you agree? Pluribus Season 1 Episode 6 put that to the test with “HDP.”
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Pluribus Season 1 Episode 5 Review: Got Milk… Nope, It’s Not Milk
Carol’s left completely alone in Pluribus Season 1 Episode 5, but the trash, the coyotes, and a creepy milk mystery pull her back to life. And that ending? Yikes.
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