re: 'Pluribus' Vince Gilligan’s new sci-fi show now streaming. Spoilers Allowed

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There was something more individualized about her when she was talking about her childhood. She wasn't mistakenly using plural pronouns and seemed legitimately wistful in her remembrance.

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Yeah it was set up earlier when Carol was asking for “I” so that later you realize how hard it was for them to say it. Then it was easy. It’s definitely a confirmed weakness to the hive to ask about personal fond memories. It was kind of the plot of the episode to find that fond memory as shown with Carols diner memory.

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Has anyone brought up the lack of real consent with Carol like with Casanova McBoner?

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Wonder if Reddit is clutching its pearls again.

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The Hive is also vagitarian.

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Well played.

I think it is laying out a lot of groundwork but it is a slow pace. I do have fun thinking what an Elon Musk type would do in this situation. Imagine having the world's resources and labor at maximum efficiency available at his disposal

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Does it get any better

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There are few slow eps, but it picks up in E8. The table's set for a pretty big season finale'.

I think it says something about the psychology of modern viewers, and what they have been conditioned by the entertainment industry to expect in a TV show or movie. They expect instant gratification, endorphin hits, action. The Marvelification of everything.

Watching a slow burn series is like reading a good book. If you don’t like that, go watch something else. This show is fantastic.

Both of you have points. It certainly became necessary to hit the high points since you only got 8-10 shows but it isn't anything new. Twin Peaks was about 10 episodes a season if IIRC

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random thought…carol is the only American among the immune. She also has no family that we’ve met. Her sense of isolation is far greater than the other immune, some of which are natives to countries where the individual is already subject to the state. So in a real sense, so far, she is the last free human on earth.

the “world peace” speech on AF1 was particularly powerful in light of that

Rhea Seehorn is a magnificent actress as everyone clearly agrees. This show has balls

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I think the show is about alienation vs. conformity, and then the viewer can supply a focus on something else on top of that....

Some say AI and the internet... Gilligan (a vocal AI critic) says he wrote this 8 years ago and AI was not even on his mind, yet... but the internet, social media and smart phones had to be, somewhat...

Some say "Communism," and they're not wrong... "collectivism," certainly, but beyond just political or economic. We Americans are the ultimate Individualists on this planet, so much that we don't trust Europeans or Canadians because they prioritize Social Programs. All alien invasion/"zombie" movies of the 50s and 60s were really about the Red Scare, turning your neighbors, friends and loved ones into part of a collective...

Some say "It's about COVID, and Carol represents us COVID-aware people who have to deal with the rest of the world just going on about things like none of it ever happened or is still a threat to some of us..." and are pretty insistent about that... but he wrote it before COVID, so...

I see a big analogy to religion... the other survivors at the meeting are all probably adherents of Eastern Religions, except for the Central or South American (Peruvian?) girl, who is probably Catholic (and the most enthusiastic about being turned into one of the HIve), Samba the Mauritarian guy, is probably Muslim... the new reality somewhat represents "heaven" as described in most religions, especially Buddhism... I have no doubt that angry, cynical, lesbian misanthrope Carol is an Atheist. It's hell for her, but other people were hell for her before.

Provocative show.

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My guess is the show is largely about her anger issues and how this strange, new world is going to force her to deal with them.

She's a miserable count, her default is to be angry and self-righteous in (and about) her anger. She now, literally, has the entire world bending over backwards to please her and that makes her even more angry.

Along with that, it was just pointed out to her (or at least allowed to be inferred) that everyone in the hive mind is happy and content because of their membership in it. That is diametrically opposed to her default bitchiness.

She failed at creating a movement with the English-speaking immunes, which made her angry, so she tried to reach out to the guy in Peru who is keeping his distance. His keeping distance from the hive mind probably kindled the idea in her that they were of like minds, so she would finally have someone to join up with and try to fight this. But he outright rejected her (he may not have known she was an immune), which... of course... made her angry.

She can only express her anger to a certain point or the hive will spaz out for a few minutes and millions of people will die. So already she is having to limit her pissy outbursts, and that -of course- also makes her angry.

Her conversation about the bomb seemed more about trying to find a chink in their armor of collective happiness. She seems to feel that their happiness and contentment can't possibly be real (and it may not be, but that's not the point) because happiness and contentment are fairly foreign to her (unless she's watching Golden Girls... maybe?).

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great post... yeah, it's about her anger issues and her alienation.

I'm glad Gilligan changed the character from a male to a female early on (especially for Rhea), because we already had the male version that episode of "The Last of Us," played brilliantly by Nick Offerman... and, a male misanthrope probably would not need anybody. Remember when that character realized humanity was mostly wiped out. He looked around... then smiled. We're kind of getting that character in the guy from Peru...

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I think it says something about the psychology of modern viewers, and what they have been conditioned by the entertainment industry to expect in a TV show or movie. They expect instant gratification, endorphin hits, action. The Marvelification of everything.

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Oh stop. The show has like 8 episodes with really the only "exciting" moments being in the first episode and the potentially the finale. You can't have THAT much filler and build up with that little amount of episodes.

I think too many people are trying to find the good in this show and deep diving with theories but there is nothing to this show. It's an alien virus that makes everyone similar and a couple of people are trying to fix it. The solution will be simple and not complicated. It looks like it will be the old "snap out of it, think of that time..." that ALWAYS works when someone has been taken over.

I enjoy it bc there isn't much out right now and the cinematography is amazing.

It's like some of y'all are the type to go to a piece of paper at an art studio and think there is some deep meaning behind it.