Rhea Seehorn in Pluribus Episode 2Image via Apple TV
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Billy Fellows
Published 18 minutes ago
Billy is a Senior Features Author for Collider. Having written over 300 articles in just over a year, Billy regularly covers the biggest TV shows and films releasing while also analysing some of the most underrated properties that may slip your attention.
Having studied for an MA in Screenwriting at UAL in 2023, Billy honed his writing skills and also developed his ability to critique the work of other creative minds.
Before that, Billy studied politics at the University of Nottingham, which helped him to bring nuanced and scholarly analysis to the frameworks within which filmmakers and writers have framed their thematic messages.
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Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Pluribus Episode 4.
Nothing is a guaranteed success nowadays, but Pluribus comes as close as a show can get to that idea. With Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan at the helm, and Apple TV providing a substantial budget of $15 million per episode, it's no surprise that the sci-fi series is dominating the streaming charts. However, as if the fascinating premise of almost the entire world being assimilated into a collective conscience wasn't enough, Pluribus has also delivered the perfect protagonist to drop into this scenario in Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka.
Billed by the show's logline as "the most miserable person on Earth," Carol's disdain for the world around her, even before the event referred to as "the Joining," has made her equally frustrating and entertaining to watch. While her discomfort with the situation is understandable, especially regarding issues of free will and individuality, her complete refusal to consider any potential benefits has left both the audience and certain characters, such as Laxmi (Menik Gooneratne), questioning her persistent anger. However, in the show's latest episode, "Please, Carol," Pluribus delivers a heartbreaking reveal about Carol's backstory that explains her resistance to the Others' way of thinking, making both the show and its lead far more complex.
'Pluribus' Episode 4 Reveals Carol's Painful Past
Rhea Seehorn and Miriam Shor in an ice hotel in Pluribus Episode 3Image via Apple TV
Much of Pluribus' latest episode focuses on Carol learning as much as possible about the Others and whether the process of assimilation could be reversed. So, it was the perfect subversion when a scene with Zosia (Karolina Wydra) ended up delivering the most crucial information about Carol so far. While visiting a recovering Zosia, the audience learns that Carol was sent to a conversion therapy camp, named Freedom Falls, by her mother when she was a teenager. For those blissfully unaware, these are horrific places where pseudo-science claims a homosexual can be converted to a heterosexual, often through barbaric practices, including electrocution, physical abuse, and ice-water submersion. The entire practice hinges on the idea of forcing someone to be other than they truly are and aligning them with what wider society supposedly demands them to be.
Considering how Carol's relationship with her wife, Helen (Miriam Shor), was mostly kept secret, further isolating Carol from her readers, this backstory revelation also explains her disdain for the world around her, even before the Joining occurred. Not only has her writing failed to fulfill her as she hoped, but she has kept a fundamental part of herself hidden from others for fear that her marriage and her sexuality wouldn't be accepted, even going as far as to change the lead of her romance novels from a woman to a man, which results in her having conflicted feelings about the series that she's financially benefited from.
Carol's Past Trauma Explains Her Resistance to the Others in 'Pluribus'
While this reveal about Carol's past is gut-wrenching enough, it becomes even sadder with how it ties into the world that Pluribus' lead character now inhabits. Once again, she is being told that she needs to change, to fit in with those around her, once the Others figure out how to resolve the situation on their own end. However, any parallel goes even deeper than just the Others' overarching mission. Carol informs Zosia that the way the Others smile at her is just like how the leaders at Camp Freedom Falls used to; theirs is a smile that doesn't indicate genuine care, but one that's convinced they're all part of something better.
This backstory detail also hints at the Others’ deeper, more sinister nature. Already, we have seen that their assimilation resulted in the deaths of over 800 million people, and their encirclement of Carol and Zosia at the end of this episode feels intimidating, even though they don't intervene to save Zosia from cardiac arrest until Carol allows it. The audience is also invited to question whether their "biological imperative," as it's described in Episode 2, "Pirate Lady," is truly beyond their control or merely reflects a conscious disregard for others in pursuit of their mission to assimilate.
Related
Vince Gilligan Has Never Made a Show Like Apple TV's 'Pluribus': "It's Got a Bigger Scope Than Anything I've Ever Done Before"
Gilligan also explains where his original idea for 'Pluribus' came from and reflects on reuniting with 'Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn.
Posts By Carly Lane Nov 7, 2025'Pluribus' Heartbreaking Reveal Puts Carol and the Others in an Impossible Position
Rhea Seehorn and the Others in Pluribus Episode 4Image via Apple TV
The most important thing that Pluribus' backstory reveal accomplishes is to make Carol a far more sympathetic character. She has valid reasoning for wanting to reverse the Joining, if it is indeed possible, but she's undoubtedly cynical. Her emotions are to blame for causing the deaths of 11 million individuals in Episode 2, and, after learning this, she still gives in to another breakdown that leads to similar damage. It's taken this episode for her to become more inquisitive in seeking greater answers beyond her own single-minded agenda, making her a maddening protagonist to watch at times. Yet, this explanation of Carol's past makes her actions completely justifiable, because she has seen this kind of coercion before, and feels qualified to see through it from the get-go.
However, Zosia also points out that Carol is seeking to force the Others to change who they are by trying to find a way to reverse the Joining. It's one of the first times the Others have pointedly disagreed with Carol, and it makes for an impactful moment when her hypocrisy is addressed head-on. Suddenly, it is made crystal clear that both sides are facing a seemingly unsolvable dilemma. With neither side willing to yield, and both feeling like the other is embarking on a wrongful crusade against them, both arguments are valid and can be entertained by the audience.
Any show created by Gilligan was never going to be simple, but the greater conflict he has now set up in Pluribus' latest episode really is some of his best work. The question now becomes: Which side will cave first? Will Carol give in, or will the Others willingly spare her from assimilation? While the answer is unknown right now, the only certainty is that, like everything else in Pluribus, it will likely lead to even more burning questions.
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Pluribus
Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Thriller Sci-Fi Release Date November 6, 2025 Network Apple TV Directors Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein Writers Ariel Levine
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Rhea Seehorn staring into the distance in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn's Carol holding a doctor by their arms looking worried in an ER lobby in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking seriously over her shoulder in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn in PluribusApple
Rhea Seehorn in Pluribus©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking distracted and Karolina Wydra's Zosia smiling at someone in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn curled up on the couch in PluribusClose
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Rhea Seehorn
Carol Sturka
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Karolina Wydra
Zosia
Pluribus is a 2025 science fiction series exploring the journey of the most miserable person on Earth, tasked with saving the world from an impending wave of happiness. Confronting internal and external conflicts, the protagonist navigates a future where emotions could reshape humanity’s fate.
Genres Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi Powered by
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