This review contains spoilers for Apple TV’s Pluribus.
My favorite thing about Apple TV’s newest series, Pluribus, created by Vince Gilligan, is that I hadn’t planned on letting this show completely dominate my life; yet it did. Because it’s that good. This dystopian sci-fi series has everything one could want: exceptional acting, complex storytelling, eye-catching camerawork, and plenty of reflection long after the credits roll. Rhea Seehorn as Carol is everything, and you’ll absolutely love Karolina Wydra’s Zosia.
In Pluribus, an alien hivemind infects the entire globe, leaving only a few people immune, including Carol Sturka (Seehorn). In effect, Carol not only loses her wife Helen (Miriam Shor), due to the invasion, but also, quite literally, everybody else. Everyone falls victim to the hive, whose members, sharing one collective consciousness, wear saccharine smiles as they try to talk to Carol, constantly telling her they want to do everything to please her. Stricken with grief and triggered by her past, Carol is more than upset, she is enraged. She vows to save the world and all the individuals within it, but that proves to be quite the challenge, as season 1 makes abundantly clear.
Before I began watching Pluribus, a friend told me how good episodes 1 and 2 were. She also insisted that I absolutely had to watch it because there’s a character named Zosia, which happens to be my name (it made me laugh, not going to lie). Even that didn’t prepare me for the complex, beautiful beast that Pluribus is. Let’s start with the acting. As I mentioned in another piece on the show, as a lesbian with a wife, it’s easy for me to relate to Carol’s grief and rage. Seehorn does an exceptional job portraying Carol’s fierceness, anger, and later, her sadness, isolation, social exclusion, and confusion. I cannot express how much awe I am in of her performance. Episode by episode, she masterfully crafts this character before our eyes, supported by writing that is just as strong.
The background ensemble is equally impressive in Gilligan’s new series. Karolina Wydra as Zosia is simply exceptional, and I’m not only saying that because she’s a fellow Pole. Her character is extremely divisive: she is part of the hivemind and represents the system itself. At the same time, she serves as Carol’s polar opposite; always calm, always smiling, always accommodating. Wydra’s performance truly skyrockets in episodes 8 and 9, leaving us both heartbroken and unsettled by how clever, tricky, and intelligent the hivemind really is. Because of how exceptional Wydra’s acting is, I would love to see Zosia’s backstory explored in future seasons. How different would she be from “hivemind” Zosia? Would she share the trait, or be entirely different? I would love to find out.
The last scene between Zosia and Carol in the episode finale is a bittersweet one. It’s almost like Carol feels shame and hopelessness at the same time. It’s clear that she had fallen for Zosia but here came a harsh reality: it’s still all a hive, no real Zosia in sight. Both Seehorn and Wydra have such intense, amazing dynamics, and both conveyed so many ambivalent emotions with just one scene.
Carlos Manuel Vesga, too, is phenomenal as Manousous. He serves as a perfect counterpart to Carol, something beautifully showcased in episode 9, “La Chica o El Mundo,” written by Gordon Smith and directed by Alison Tatlock and Smith. Poignant, thought-provoking, and genuinely funny, the dynamics between Carol and Manousous are fascinating, to say the least. I also have to mention the finger-snapping moment, one of the highlights of the episode for me that added some light and comedy. And of course, I can’t not mention Samba Schutte as Koumba Diabaté, especially in the scene where he and Carol eat breakfast and he mimics her way of eating a sandwich.
Everything in Pluribus, from the aforementioned acting, through the meticulous writing, to the exceptional directing, is on point. Each episode contributes something new to an already complex and intriguing storyline. That said, the final three episodes are some of the best television I’ve ever watched. They challenged me, my views, and repeatedly tricked me into thinking one way, only to reveal an entirely different perspective. This is exactly what I want from a television show.
I’m definitely looking forward to season 2 and hoping we will get sooner than later. I want more hilarious dynamics of Carol and Manousous. I want to see some of the backstory to the Zosia individual, and I would love for her to be the first person that Carol and Manousous break out.
Season 1 of Pluribus leaves us a little heartbroken, but also cautiously hopeful about Carol and Manousous saving the world. The atom bomb appearance is the cherry on top, and the finale as a whole is a powerful mix of emotions. One thing is certain: the series leaves us reflecting on control, assimilation, the constant presence of AI in our lives, and just how easy it is to be manipulated in today’s fast-paced world. Carol’s confusion embodies all of this and it’s precisely why Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus is the best show of 2025.
Grade: A+
Season 1 of Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV.
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Pluribus
The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.
