snowaggie said:

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Houston Lee said:

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schmendeler said:

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My first request would have been to change the greeting to just a beep.

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I have been thinking that since the first airing of the voice message greeting. Ask the hive to shorten it..

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I gotta believe with Gilligan being Gilligan, this annoyance (and it's really driving me crazy) will pay off in the future as a crucial plot point or something of relevance.

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It would be cool if it did, but Zosia is back, now.

Another great episode! A little slow but very informative! The radio signal that Manusos found is the key. So they can't feel everyone's pain, but they know of the pain. I think Carol's writing ability is going to be the mechanism that saves the planet. I just can't figure out how that and the radio signal will come into play together

Manousos is coming!

I just hope the season cliffhanger isn't Carol answering a knock on the door…

I think it might have to do with the virus putting a higher priority on propagating over everything except ensuring other life forms are safe and happy.

Or, we could be going down a road where the hivemind sees the value in Carols individuality and Carol seeing the value in how the hivemind has changed things. The hivemind is reminding Carol that she can be happy and she is accepting that possibility. There were also a few shots of Zosia's stomach that made me think she was pregnant, or at least hinting at that.

I think Manousos will end up being the primary antagonist in season 2 and the conflict will center around Carol using individuality to save the human race and allow the hive mind to start building their antenna.

I do wonder what the math is on how long it would take to build a radio dish the size of Africa. They would end up killing a lot of animals too.

Having a 45-year old woman attempt to carry out a pregnancy seems like an inefficient choice by the hive mind.

Gaius Rufus said:

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I think it might have to do with the virus putting a higher priority on propagating over everything except ensuring other life forms are safe and happy.

Or, we could be going down a road where the hivemind sees the value in Carols individuality and Carol seeing the value in how the hivemind has changed things. The hivemind is reminding Carol that she can be happy and she is accepting that possibility. There were also a few shots of Zosia's stomach that made me think she was pregnant, or at least hinting at that.

I think Manousos will end up being the primary antagonist in season 2 and the conflict will center around Carol using individuality to save the human race and allow the hive mind to start building their antenna.

I do wonder what the math is on how long it would take to build a radio dish the size of Africa. They would end up killing a lot of animals too.

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It will have to be built in space, or on the dark side of the moon. A structure that large on Earth would destroy entire ecosystems and alter global climate patterns. It definitely wouldn't be carbon neutral, LOL. Millions of workers would die or be injured during construction. It would pretty much destroy the planet.

rynning said:

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Manousos is coming!

I just hope the season cliffhanger isn't Carol answering a knock on the door…

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The episode still shot on Apple TV shows Carol and Manousos talking, so we'll get past a door knock cut to credits.

Was the kiss Zoisa and sleeping with Carol trying to be an individual, or did the hive want to do that? I have to think it Zoisa trying to break free of the hive mind

Good point. I ran it through AI last night and ChatGPT said the absolute best case scenario, everything focused on building the radio dish, would take an absolute minimum of 12 years.

But, as you pointed out, it would absolutely wreck everything.

On a different note, the story Zosia shared was about a childhood in Poland, not Morocco. The actress is Polish, and they never established if Zosia was Moroccan or Polish (that I remember), but now I'm really interested to find out how a polish woman ended up in Morocco wearing traditional garb and looking like she hadn't showered in months when we first meet her.

I think it was the hivemind trying to connect with Carol. But that's just based on the overhead shot of how the hivemind humans were sleeping in the arena. A lot of them were spooning, which means the hivemind still craves connection, even if it is with themselves. And the through away orgy comment.

Also, they slept/are sleeping with Diabate, so I don't think there are any moral objections with sleeping with non-hive mind humans.

I'm really interested in what's happening to Zosia and whether it's something Carol is testing or if she is only looking for companionship. Zosia can't talk about herself for 2 seconds without saying "we," but when she goes into the story about the ice cream, it pours out of her completely naturally in first person. The hive mind isn't deceptive, so I don't think they're trying pull a fast one on Carol.

rynning said:

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Manousos is coming!

I just hope the season cliffhanger isn't Carol answering a knock on the door…

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I am fully expecting this, or something very similar. Still a phenomenal show.

My wild cliffhanger prediction is that Carol and Manousos try something random with the radio signal and everyone (seemingly) immediately drops dead.

Brad 98 said:

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Was the kiss Zoisa and sleeping with Carol trying to be an individual, or did the hive want to do that? I have to think it Zoisa trying to break free of the hive mind

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Even though she's dead, isn't Carol's partner somehow still part of the hivemind? Or do they retain only her memories (as if they were uploaded) since she was alive for a very short period of time during the "transition"? Part of me was wondering if Zoisa's interest and flirty demeanor around Carol has something to do with that?

Or maybe Carol will start to feel that it is all genuine and organic, only to find out later it was purely calculated as a way to manipulate her or keep her happy...at which point she will go back to being a jaded ball of anger and frustration. That seems far more likely I guess.

All I know is I need that massage they were getting, I haven't untensed my back since poor Manousos landed on that tree last ep.

Some intriguing points here and I've been wondering some of the same things, is Zosia channeling feelings from Carol's former partner or is she somehow experiencing those emotions as an individual. As others have mentioned they aren't able to be intentionally misleading, so there has to be some genuine driver here.

It's been really interesting how this show explores both the need for people to be individuals but also their need for human connection and to belong to something. Carol hates the entire idea of "we" yet finds comfort in being a part of them at times.

Gaius Rufus said:

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Good point. I ran it through AI last night and ChatGPT said the absolute best case scenario, everything focused on building the radio dish, would take an absolute minimum of 12 years.

But, as you pointed out, it would absolutely wreck everything.

On a different note, the story Zosia shared was about a childhood in Poland, not Morocco. The actress is Polish, and they never established if Zosia was Moroccan or Polish (that I remember), but now I'm really interested to find out how a polish woman ended up in Morocco wearing traditional garb and looking like she hadn't showered in months when we first meet her.

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Wondered that as well after we clarified her origin, but she could be someone who served in a Peace Corps or other aid type organization. Not uncommon for there to be Europeans in those places (though I'd expect they shower at least occasionally).

Gaius Rufus said:

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Looks like the season finale comes out this Tuesday at 9pm EST, instead of Christmas Day. It's going to be 57 minutes long.

https://www.darkhorizons.com/pluribus-season-finale-to-screen-early/

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Was hoping for 1.5-2 hrs, but I'll take it....can't wait.

Zosia during croquet, "It's still my turn".

In my man brain, it's "With our combined knowledge, Carol is indicating she is THIRSTY."

I've binged this show over the last week and I love it. It's got the right balance of craziness and intrigue to keep me coming back. I don't think the show is going for this, and I'm not trying to turn it politically but it just feels like a commentary on communism/socialism when I'm watching it. You've got the hive mind who all believe in the same thing, who are trying to sell you into giving away your life to be a part of it. They can do big things together, but at the cost of your identity. They have ridiculous rules that they can't make sense to you if you're logical. They end up eating their own because it's not something that works long term. They will collectively reject and shun you if cross one of their lines.

The last scene with Carol and Zosia makes me think that even more because Carol has Zosia fondly remembering something about her individual self, not the group. The hive mind and the individual cannot occupy the same space, that's the secret to breaking them.

Max Power said:

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I've binged this show over the last week and I love it. It's got the right balance of craziness and intrigue to keep me coming back. I don't think the show is going for this, and I'm not trying to turn it politically but it just feels like a commentary on communism/socialism when I'm watching it. You've got the hive mind who all believe in the same thing, who are trying to sell you into giving away your life to be a part of it. They can do big things together, but at the cost of your identity. They have ridiculous rules that they can't make sense to you if you're logical. They end up eating their own because it's not something that works long term. They will collectively reject and shun you if cross one of their lines.

The last scene with Carl and Zosia makes me think that even more because Carol has Zosia fondly remembering something about her individual self, not the group. The hive mind and the individual cannot occupy the same space, that's the secret to breaking them.

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Agreed.

oragator said:

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No need to roast anyone, to each their own.
This series is following an emotional arc, not an action one.

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When people criticize the filler or vibe type episodes, they are accused of wanting to watch things blow up. I just wanted story. I thought Charm Offensive was a good episode. Nothing blew up. Actually it was The Gap that had some explosions.

TexAgs91 said:

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I think the one goal of earth now is to send instructions to create the virus out into space for the next civilization.

It's how this virus spreads.

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Nailed it

I'm wondering when Carol will get Zoisa in a Faraday cage

That would be interesting be a use would know where every cage is

this parallel has just altered my brain chemistry forever pic.twitter.com/qke6VFiytA

— cami (@sapphictini) December 19, 2025

rewatching ep 8 to look for references and i still don't get this???? she said MY before Carol even asked her to???? WHY pic.twitter.com/d8OJrgv0rT

— vale 🍁 comms open!! (@sitthefools) December 21, 2025

When Carol was asked if she wanted it to be an orgy, there was an awkward pause.