{"id":181223,"date":"2025-12-12T17:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/181223\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:54:08","slug":"pluribus-episode-7-recap-its-a-jungle-out-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/181223\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Pluribus\u2019 Episode 7 Recap: It\u2019s a Jungle Out There"},"content":{"rendered":"

TV<\/a>TV<\/a>Carol and Manousos can\u2019t live with the Others, but can they live without them?\"\"AppleTV\/Ringer illustration\"\"<\/a>By Daniel Chin<\/a>Dec. 12, 11:20 am UTC \u2022 7 min\"\"<\/p>\n

Over the first six episodes of Pluribus, Carol Sturka steadily built momentum in her mission to save the world. The fantasy romance author emboldened herself to stand against the Others and their global takeover, and even after every misstep and regrettable act of self-sabotage, she continued searching for a way to unstick the psychic glue that now binds all of humanity. But on the heels of a revelatory trip to Las Vegas in last week\u2019s installment<\/a>, Episode 7 sees her progress\u2014as slow as it might have been\u2014stall out. Rather than pushing Carol toward a resolution, Pluribus takes a step back to tell a tale of two survivors who are navigating the end of the world as best they can.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gap,\u201d directed by Adam Bernstein and written by Jenn Carroll, centers on Carol and Manousos Oviedo, humanity\u2019s last diehard holdouts against the alien virus\u2014sent from an unknown source 600 light-years away\u2014that has stolen its autonomy. Although Pluribus has largely been limited to Carol\u2019s perspective, the series quickly established that the mysterious man from Paraguay was the only other immune human left in the world who seemed to share her belief that the Joining was a calamitous event that needed to be reversed. For the first time in the season, Episode 7 divides the show\u2019s attention between the two characters more evenly, juxtaposing their dispositions and experiences in their solitary (for now) efforts to survive this new reality.<\/p>\n

Through every moment of misery and sarcastic comment, we\u2019ve gotten to know Carol pretty well. She has distrusted the Others\u2019 good intentions from the very beginning, dedicating herself to finding a way to undo the Joining that has reshaped human civilization. But after learning that there\u2019s no longer any foreseeable threat of her being converted into the hive mind against her will, that sense of desperation slips away. Combined with the hurtful discovery that the only other unjoined humans on the planet have decided to ostracize her, Carol finally gives up on her noble quest in Episode 7.<\/p>\n

Previously on \u2018Pluribus\u2019… <\/p>\n

Previously on \u2018Pluribus\u2019… <\/p>\n

Carol still resents the Others for taking over the world (and for leaving her all alone in New Mexico), but she\u2019s resigned herself to her situation. She spends days\u2014and then weeks\u2014entirely on her own, enjoying her now-promised freedom as much as she can for the first time. She sets off fireworks in her vacant neighborhood. She plays a round of golf, and trades in her police cruiser for a Rolls-Royce. She visits the Georgia O\u2019Keeffe Museum, and swaps out a reprint of a painting\u2014Petunia No. 2, 1924<\/a>\u2014in her home for the real deal. She unwinds in a hot spring, and dresses up for a fancy dinner that features faithful recreations of some of the best dishes she ever shared with Helen. Yet even though Carol finds fleeting moments of joy as she submits to her new life, it\u2019s clear that it\u2019s all a grand effort to cope with her loss and loneliness. And it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n

Although Carol has accepted her lonely fate, she continues to ask the Others to accommodate her\u2014even if most of her requests come out of spite or a mischievous pettiness. Carol has proved her resourcefulness, yet she still relies on her perceived enemy, regardless of the distance that they\u2019ve maintained. After more than a month of living this carefree lifestyle on her own, she can\u2019t handle it anymore. Carol almost kills herself\u2014or, at least, doesn\u2019t attempt to save her own life\u2014in a near-fatal fireworks accident, and at last she waves the white flag. She paints a giant sign onto the pavement of her cul-de-sac that reads, \u201cCome back.\u201d When Zosia soon returns, Carol wordlessly rushes toward her, sobbing as she collapses into her arms.<\/p>\n

The Others\u2019 unwavering efforts to win Carol over have been a battle of attrition. Over time, Carol has relaxed her hard stance against their takeover, little by little. She may have been more wary of Earth\u2019s new rulers than the vast majority of her immune counterparts, yet she still trusted them enough to fly her around the world from the beginning Carol once threw out the meals that the Others provided for her on a silver platter. Now, she\u2019s making specific food requests. And while she initially welcomed the Others\u2019 resolution to take a break from her, Carol is the one who reinitiates contact in the end.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Manousos never compromises. Although his first appearance in the series didn\u2019t come until the cold open of Episode 4<\/a>, Carol learns early on that Manousos hid himself from the Others so well that they didn\u2019t discover his existence until 33 hours had passed after the Joining. He locked himself up in his self-storage facility in Paraguay for nine days, surviving partly on dog food, until receiving Carol\u2019s tape that alerted him to the existence of another survivor who was also resisting the Others. In \u201cThe Gap,\u201d Pluribus follows Manousos as he embarks on his perilous journey from Paraguay to New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Every time the Others offer help to Manousos, he refuses, often ignoring their pesky presence altogether. When his MG Midget inevitably runs out of gas on the road, Manousos walks a great distance to find the nearest vehicle and siphons its gas. He even leaves behind cash for its owner in payment, before walking the entire way back to his car He teaches himself English phrases in preparation for his imminent meeting with Carol. He doesn\u2019t accept any food from the Others\u2014having previously tossed out each silver platter meal he was delivered, as Carol once did\u2014or so much as a drop of water.<\/p>\n

At the entrance to the deadly Dari\u00e9n Gap, Manousos ignores the hive mind\u2019s offerings once more. But the Others, who list the many dangers that lie on the roadless path ahead, overstep this time. They (correctly) deduce his intention to meet Carol in New Mexico, presume his attachment to his car, and offer to transport him and the vehicle, which he\u2019ll have to leave behind unless he lets them help him. And so Manousos offers them a rare reply in return.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2026 on this planet is yours,\u201d he says, as prepares to light his car on fire. \u201cNothing. You cannot give me anything, because all that you have is stolen. You\u2026don\u2019t belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is a clear and concise thesis statement to illustrate Manousos\u2019s character and exactly how he feels about the Others and the Joining. With every action and every basic need, Manousos holds firm on remaining wholly self-reliant. Until he can\u2019t anymore.<\/p>\n

Just as the Others warned him, crossing the Dari\u00e9n Gap requires a treacherous trek through a tropical rainforest. Manousos stumbles on a rocky path at one point, but he otherwise does pretty well on his own for a while. He keeps his spirits up by repeatedly practicing his prepared introduction to Carol: \u201cMy name is Manousos Oviedo. I am not one of them. I wish to save the world.\u201d But he falls silent as he reaches an impossible stretch of chunga palms<\/a>\u2014which the Others described as having up to 20-centimeter spines, covered in bacteria. Even with his heightened focus, Manousos slips on another rock and falls backward into a chunga palm\u2019s spines, sustaining an injury that would surely lead to his death if left untreated. He uses his trusty machete to cauterize the wounds that night, but the next day he collapses and starts losing consciousness.<\/p>\n

Within moments, though, Manousos sees a helicopter hovering above him and a person descending to save him. Although the scene ends before we see what happens next, it seems that\u2014unless Manousos is willing to die for his total independence\u2014he\u2019s finally been forced to give in and allow the Others to help him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Gap\u201d illuminates so much about Carol and, in particular, Manousos, with a very limited use of dialogue. Carol sings some tunes to herself that apply to her current activities or state of mind\u2014including, fittingly, \u201cIt\u2019s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)\u2014and Manousos practices his English phrases, but the episode draws attention to just how lonely their existences are. There are so many wordless actions that speak volumes about these two characters, whether it\u2019s Manousos leaving behind money for a car owner who will almost certainly never return (or seek compensation), or Carol squeezing Zosia after being without human contact for 36 days. The ways in which they choose to rebel against the Others, as well as their willingness to rely on them, may differ, but Carol and Manousos both end this chapter of Pluribus at a similar disadvantage: accepting that they do need the Others to survive after all\u2014at least until they have each other to rely on.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to know where Pluribus will leave its audience at the end of each installment, and that unpredictability is part of what has made this series so refreshing to return to every week. As the penultimate episode of the season approaches, 48 days have passed since the Joining, and Carol and Manousos\u2019s long-awaited meeting appears imminent. We\u2019ll soon find out how prepared they are to take on a formidable opponent they\u2019ve just learned they might not be able to live without.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Daniel Chin<\/p>\n

<\/a>Daniel writes about TV, film, and scattered topics in sports that usually involve the New York Knicks. He often covers the never-ending cycle of superhero content and other areas of nerd culture and fandom. He is based in Brooklyn. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TVTVCarol and Manousos can\u2019t live with the Others, but can they live without them?AppleTV\/Ringer illustrationBy Daniel ChinDec. 12,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":181224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[146,85,46,411],"class_list":{"0":"post-181223","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=181223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/181223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/181224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=181223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=181223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=181223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}