Pluribus Recap: The Last Woman on Earth

by

This week’s episode of Pluribus premiered early and is currently streaming on Apple TV.

Vince Gilligan’s shows are known for taking their time, but it’s not simply about being slow. It’s a deliberate approach that builds tension and emphasizes the hard work and dedication of the characters. Think of the elaborate planning – like using a powerful magnet to steal evidence in Breaking Bad, the detailed practice of a robbery in Better Call Saul, or the painstaking gathering of evidence for a lawsuit against a retirement home chain in the same show. This careful, methodical approach is what allows an ordinary high school chemistry teacher to become a master meth cook, and a struggling law firm employee to earn a degree from a remote university.

This week’s episode had many powerful moments, but Carol’s dedication to properly burying Helen stands out. We’ve seen how determined Carol is to give Helen the respectful burial she deserves. She was initially prepared to painstakingly dig through solid volcanic rock, a grueling task that would have taken hours and left her with painful blisters. But Zosia arrived with better tools and even poured water into the ground as a gesture of respect. Carol is the type of person who pushes herself relentlessly to get things done, no matter how difficult. She believes in the importance of honoring people, and Helen meant everything to her.

Everyone in Albuquerque is avoiding Carol – she’s really managed to alienate people! This leaves her home vulnerable, and soon coyotes start scavenging for food, first in her trash and then digging for anything edible buried in her yard. Carol’s attempt to scare them away is hilariously over-the-top: she drives her police car, sirens wailing, right through her back fence. However, the show wisely spends time on her efforts the next day to make amends with Helen. Instead of quickly showing her fixing the problem, we see her painstakingly carrying heavy stone tiles from a hardware store and carefully placing them over the gravesite. This deliberate pacing emphasizes the emotional and physical burden she’s carrying.

As a long-time fan, I’ve been really struck by this episode. It’s set just days after the Others took over, and it’s the first time we truly see Carol grappling with everything she’s lost. Up until now, she’s been so focused on saving humanity that it’s kept her from really feeling her grief, but that’s changing fast. After a really intense and almost fatal confrontation with Zosia – first with a grenade, then with harsh questioning about reversing ‘the Joining’ – Carol realizes the Others aren’t as endlessly patient as they seemed. The staff at the hospital suddenly become cold and unhelpful, and when she dozes off in the lobby, the entire place empties out! Waking up to find herself completely alone in the building was a shock, but nothing compared to climbing onto a hotel roof and seeing the city being completely evacuated in both directions. It’s a truly haunting moment.

The whole situation culminates in this amazing voice recording – and seriously, the casting of Patrick Fabian (Howard Hamlin from Better Call Saul) is perfect. It’s meant to create distance between Carol and those mysterious ‘Others.’ The recording tells her, ‘Our feelings for you haven’t changed, Carol, but we just need some space after everything.’ Honestly, the fact that the Others all left Albuquerque feels like a huge win for Carol in her battle against them. It reminds me of that moment in Starship Troopers when they captured the Brain Bug and Neil Patrick Harris’s character realized it was actually afraid. Carol has genuinely shaken up and disgusted what seemed like an unstoppable enemy, and that’s a really impressive feat.

Despite her efforts to stay busy, Carol is increasingly lonely. Arguing with Zosia and other survivors about the benefits of joining the “happy collective” used to distract her, but now she feels completely isolated. She can’t reach anyone by phone and only communicates with the Others through recordings, as if speaking to them directly is dangerous. While the episode allows Carol time to grieve, her mind is active, and she’s starting to investigate this strange invasion. She buys a video camera and sends a message to the other survivors, hoping to find a way to undo the Joining. Then, she uncovers a bizarre mystery: everyone is drinking an unusually large amount of milk. She wonders if the Joining somehow affects lactose intolerance, and begins to suspect the milk itself might be connected to what’s happening.

Carol’s detective work starts to reveal important clues, and the show expertly builds tension with each new discovery. Just like the surprising backstory of Slurm on Futurama, the milk isn’t what it seems – it’s a strange, pale liquid. Carol suspects it’s made from water and some kind of mysterious, sugary crystals stored in dog food bags. It remains to be seen how the other survivors will react – they might easily dismiss Carol’s findings as the ramblings of someone they don’t trust – but ending the episode with Carol shocked by the drink’s ingredients is a fantastic cliffhanger. Don’t miss the next episode!

Mizzenmasts

It’s frustrating to see Laxmi return and scold Carol simply because her son is crying, just like everyone else. To then call Zosia a “chaperone” feels like the final, most irritating part of the whole situation for Carol.

In her first video message to the other survivors, Carol pointedly told them, “Some of you might think this new peace and understanding is a good thing. Feel free to believe that, because it might be the last independent thought you ever have. When that peace is forced on you, you might finally realize how much you valued being yourself.” Nobody responded. She then started recording a second video, this time about the milk supply, but quickly stopped and decided to start over. It seems Carol is beginning to understand that alienating the other survivors with harsh words isn’t going to help her gain their support.

Is Carol intentionally leaving out garbage bags over 17 pounds to sabotage the Others’ drone? Or is she just ignoring the weight limit? Either way, the drone crashing into a light pole is a hilarious moment and cleverly leads into the story’s next part – the milk subplot.

A touching scene unfolds as Carol paints a small tombstone for Helen, becoming emotional when she places it upright.

Did anyone else notice a similarity between Carol crawling under the garage to reach the AGRI-JET warehouse and Clarice Starling investigating the storage unit in The Silence of the Lambs? Maybe it was just me!

Read More

2025-11-26 18:56