Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Pluribus Episodes 1 & 2.
There have been many apocalypses on television lately, but the one on Pluribus certainly stands out. The new Apple TV series created by Vince Gilligan follows protagonist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) as she struggles with her new life as someone immune to the alien virus that has turned most of humanity into a hivemind that is always deeply concerned with her happiness and well-being. As nice as it may seem, however, Carol is pretty distressed by the whole thing, especially considering how the apocalypse itself — or “the Joining,” as the hivemind calls it — takes place in the series premiere. It’s one of the most chilling sequences in recent TV history, but not for the reasons you’d expect.
The Joining in ‘Pluribus’ Feels Like a Zombie Apocalypse in Reverse
The Joining takes place entirely in the series premiere, “We Is Us,” but the episode builds up to exploring everything about it, from what caused it to what the world looks like once it’s finished. In many ways, the whole thing feels like the opposite of a zombie apocalypse, in the sense that it isn’t “caused” by anything in particular, but rather carefully planned and executed in eerie synchronicity by those infected with the alien virus. The lab scene where the staff joyfully spreads their saliva around countless petri dishes takes place a month before the Joining, meaning that similar scenes have certainly happened thousands of times around the world. Such an organized apocalypse is unprecedented on television.
The night of the Joining itself is also unique compared to other apocalypses, and that’s mostly to Gilligan, Seehorn, and the creative team’s credit, mobilizing over 300 people for that sequence. The usual end-of-the-world shenanigans are all there, like crashing cars, explosions, and fires throughout the city, but if everyone’s involved, then there is really nothing to fear, right? Carol’s desperation to save Helen (Miriam Shor), however, is elevated by her shock when navigating the bar, the hospital, and even her own neighborhood during the different stages of the Joining. First, everyone is catatonic, and only she is conscious. Then, everyone is suddenly okay and aware of her specifically, knowing her name and everything about her life.
This is another factor that makes the Joining feel like a zombie apocalypse in reverse. Everyone affected has their identities completely erased to become a single entity, a hive mind whose impulses the individual bodies obey. Only, instead of wanting to destroy every living thing they come across, they do the opposite, refusing to hurt those who didn’t become like them, from immune humans like Carol to animals. It’s perhaps more entrapping than a zombie apocalypse, because, for everyone immune, like Carol, the world has now become a prison where the hive mind is the warden, keeping and caring for her to keep her healthy and functional, but with no real people around.
The Hivemind’s Deeply Unsettling Persona Hides Ulterior Motives in ‘Pluribus’
Everyone likes to ponder what they would do in an apocalyptic scenario, because, as far as we know, we are safe from most of the possibilities in pop culture. But the thesis in Pluribus‘ first two episodes is that, in Carol’s case, those unaffected by the Joining would actually enjoy being taken care of, like Koumba Diabaté (Samba Shutte) and the other English-speaking immune individuals. The hivemind doesn’t mean any immediate harm towards anyone else, and even tries to keep these people as happy as possible and pampers them as much as they allow.
This is a deeply unsettling prospect, because, as David Taffler (Peter Bergman) and Zosia (Karolina Wydra) tell Carol, the hivemind actually has plans to eventually assimilate any immune individuals. So far, they have no idea why people like Carol were unaffected by the alien virus, but they are likely “months away” from understanding what happened. The discourse about “how wonderful” it feels to join is actually a tool, in that sense, to influence the handful of immune individuals and get them wanting to join. Not only has Carol suddenly been kicked out of Plato’s cave, so to speak, but the other immune people like her actually want to go back in.
While the hivemind hasn’t yet figured out how to assimilate these people, their approach is different. There is a connection between their own well-being and the emotional state of the immune individuals, and it may seem that this is why they are constantly pampering these people, but, if their goal is to eventually assimilate people like Carol, too, it all gets a little darker — their constant pampering is almost like trying to assimilate her without actually doing it the proper way. The hivemind is in a state of perpetual bliss, and they try to get Carol as close to that state as possible. The hivemind may not be like zombies, but, if they were, most people would probably be willing to let themselves be eaten just to join in.
The Joining Also Works as the Very First Plot Twist on ‘Pluribus’
Despite its catastrophic consequences for humanity, it’s actually quite refreshing that Pluribus makes a point of showing the Joining right in its series premiere. It delivers everything: the alien origins of the happiness virus, the Joining itself, how the hivemind works, what it wants. All of this makes the Joining the very first plot twist in the series, because, before the series aired, there was absolutely nothing about it in trailers and other promotional material. Apple TV’s marketing focused solely on the concept of Carol being the only “miserable” person in a world filled with bubbly individuals, but withheld the fact that they weren’t actually human anymore.
This makes watching the Joining sequence even more unsettling. The concept of a single normal person in an annoyingly happy world is already enough to sell us on this series, but the whole night of the event elevates the experience from the beginning. The absurdist comedy makes room for thriller and even shades of horror as Carol struggles to cope with Helen’s death and the sight of a world seemingly gone mad. It’s such an elaborate and well-acted sequence that it throws the audience off its footing, letting everybody know that this isn’t the kind of series to try and figure out. By revealing the Joining right away, Gilligan removes the need for any kind of elaborate explanation down the road.
There are obviously many lingering questions about what’s going on, but the Joining goes above and beyond in informing us about what Pluribus is about and what Carol is in for. Instead of a far-fetched arc focused on tying everything with an explanation, the series is now able to focus solely on its story, which is way more interesting than any answer it could provide. Carol is way more alone than we thought going into the series; for her, every day is like a repeat of the Joining, because adapting to what the world has become isn’t easy. She’s been through what certainly is one of the best and most creative apocalypses in television history, and now we want to see where she goes next.
Pluribus is streaming on Apple TV. New episodes air weekly on Fridays.
