Pluribus Recap: Peace on Earth

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Even though Pluribus is set in Albuquerque and stars Rhea Seehorn, it hasn’t obviously connected to Vince Gilligan’s Better Call Saul so far. It seems to have more in common with his earlier work on The X-Files. However, the second episode, titled “Pirate Lady,” includes a couple of interesting connections between Pluribus and Better Call Saul.

The episode begins with a strange, attention-grabbing scene – a cold open – that, while not as mysterious as those in shows like Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad, immediately introduces us to a completely new situation and characters. It’s similar to the “Madrigal” episode of Breaking Bad, which starts with a German executive casually eating chicken tenders. In this case, we see an unidentified woman in a rough robe walking towards a wrecked car in a Middle Eastern city. She pulls out a burned body from the driver’s seat and drags it through a window. With the help of a truck driver, she wraps up the body and hauls it to a bus where others are being collected. She then drives a moped to the airport, gets into the cockpit of a cargo plane, and flies it to Albuquerque. There, she’s greeted by assistants who have coffee, a shower, and a new identity waiting for her.

Although we can speculate about her destination in New Mexico, the opening scene allows the show to hint at the vast, worldwide nature of the alien activity. It’s one thing to picture the destruction in Albuquerque happening in other cities, but quite another to actually see the unsettling images of the mysterious being moving through devastation on the other side of the world. Other details are important as well, such as the aliens’ focus on cleaning up after themselves. They don’t want Earth to become a wasteland of death and destruction, but rather a more ideal world that aligns with their apparent goals. Furthermore, the show is establishing a clear hierarchy, with one character receiving service from many others – a character who will eventually become a representative of the aliens’ beliefs.

There’s a connection between Kim Wexler and Carol Struka, but right now, Carol seems more similar to Everett Acker from Better Call Saul. In that show, Kim works for a bank trying to evict Acker, the stubborn old man who refuses to leave his property so they can build a call center. She initially tries to intimidate him, but eventually starts to sympathize with his fight. Like Acker, Carol is difficult, but she’s determined to stand up for what she believes in. She expects to be removed eventually, but won’t leave willingly, no matter what.

“Pluribus” immediately grabs your attention with a darkly funny and emotionally charged situation: Carol discovers her partner, Helen, has died and, while heartbroken, isn’t willing to back down from a challenge. She stubbornly begins digging a grave for Helen in their backyard – a difficult task, given the rocky New Mexico soil, as fans of the show’s creator know. Despite her grief, Carol shows her love through small, tender gestures, like carefully choosing a quilt for Helen’s burial. The timing is disrupted by an unexpected visitor bearing water and unwanted advice on digging through the volcanic rock. Carol is unimpressed to learn the water comes from Jarmell Gurky, a supervisor at the Aquafina plant, and that he assures it’s safe to drink. In a defiant act, she pours the water onto the ground – a gesture reminiscent of a character from the creator’s previous work.

Carol definitely needs assistance, even though she hates to admit it. And despite her harsh words about people like “HoustonMom” and her readers, she actually cares a lot about others. When her anger accidentally puts a visitor under a spell – a spell that causes the same thing to happen to everyone else – and she discovers people are dying worldwide, she’s horrified. She realizes she’s unintentionally caused mass deaths, just like the aliens who have invaded her planet. This episode teaches her a crucial lesson: she must control her temper, or people will die, which deeply upsets her, even as the aliens try to comfort her. (Perhaps because they’ve killed far more people themselves, but we’ll explore that shortly.)

It takes Carol longer than anyone to find out the name of the new visitor, who is eventually revealed to be Zosia. Carol recognizes Zosia because she strongly resembles Raban, a character from Carol’s favorite sci-fi series. Carol is disturbed to learn Raban was originally conceived as a female character – a detail only she and her late partner, Helen, knew. This suggests Zosia has somehow accessed and is using Helen’s memories to gain Carol’s trust, which feels like a terrible betrayal. Despite this, Carol is driven by a need to understand why she’s one of only twelve people unaffected by the alien invasion, and she’s eager to find the others and connect with them.

The scene at the Bilbao airport, filled with English speakers, really elevates the episode’s humor and thought-provoking themes. It’s surreal to see Carol connecting with the first four ‘non-conformists’ – Otgonbayer, Xiu Mei, Kusimayu, and Laxmi – while their families stand by, politely welcoming her. Then, the arrival of Koumba Diabaté is even more outlandish – he arrives on Air Force One, brought by the aliens at his request, accompanied by a group of attractive flight attendants catering to his every need. Koumba quickly realizes the aliens are eager to please the non-conformists and is happily taking advantage of the situation, much like a good-natured Nero.

When everyone gets together, the reason Carol’s doubts seem misplaced becomes clear: what’s the downside? Joining the aliens promises endless happiness and, until then, they’ll give us anything we want – even things like a private tour of the Guggenheim or food as good as the afterlife in the movie Defending Your Life. But Carol refuses to accept it. She’s horrified that most of humanity has become apathetic and doesn’t understand why others can’t see how dangerous this is. She argues that no amount of luxury or pampering – even having supermodels cater to our every whim – can justify what’s happening, because it’s fundamentally wrong.

Carol might be right about things, but she often expresses her opinions in a confrontational way. When Laxmi challenges her, Carol gets particularly upset because Laxmi doesn’t treat her son, Ravi, with kid gloves. She even starts quizzing him about medical procedures! Eventually, only the calm and agreeable Koumba will talk to her, but Carol’s growing connection with Zosia seems more important for the show’s future. Zosia and the aliens—who are called Celtiberians—are trying to create a peaceful society, but Carol points out some troubling ethical issues. Specifically, if the Celtiberians are dedicated to non-violence, how can they explain the nearly 900 million human deaths that have occurred during their time on Earth? Carol sarcastically remarks, echoing a line from the movie Dr. Strangelove, that ‘you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet’.

The episode ends on a surprisingly emotional note, hinting at a change in the dynamic between Carol and the Celtiberians. Koumba has expressed his desire for Zosia to be his companion, and Carol’s approval is requested. Carol is deeply disturbed by this idea, almost losing her temper for the third time. She confronts Zosia, questioning if this is truly what she wants, comparing it to being treated as an object. However, while on the plane, Carol starts to reconsider. She feels lonely and realizes Zosia was hurt by her words. This moment could be the spark for a larger change, or perhaps simply the beginning of an unlikely friendship, much like another story unfolding at an airport.

Mizzenmasts

The scene of alien beings, resembling humans, loading people into trucks and driving off on motorcycles is reminiscent of the film Under the Skin. However, these aliens seem far kinder to humans than the beings depicted in that movie.

Zosia just started flying a retired plane across the ocean – and she doesn’t seem like a professional! It’s like she’s trying to pull a stunt straight out of a Nathan Fielder show.

• Jarmell Gurky is an A+ funny movie name.

Okay, so the idea of being able to remember anything and even read minds is just… amazing, right? I noticed it when Zosia asked if Carol’s five English-speaking contacts were available, and there was this tiny pause before she confidently said, “All five say yes.” It was like she knew before even asking – it was a little spooky, honestly!

• “Who’s flying this thing? That gal from TGI Friday’s?”

It was funny listening to people debate the details of the movie Air Force One while we were on the plane. Someone pointed out that Harrison Ford’s character actually didn’t use the escape pod, staying hidden in the cargo hold instead – a pretty smart move, they thought.

Carol hilariously exaggerates Ravi’s talents when describing him to his mother. She jokingly claims he’s capable of anything and everything – from performing complex surgery and piloting spaceships to being a political leader, an old flame, or even a doctor.

I was completely captivated by Koumba’s optimistic take on things. She pointed out, and it really struck me, that right now, in this very moment, nobody is being robbed or hurt, no one’s locked up, and skin color doesn’t seem to matter anymore. She even added that all the zoos are empty and dogs are running free – a true vision of peace! But then Xiu Mei chimed in, and honestly, it was a funny reality check. Apparently, a giraffe that escaped from a Beijing zoo is now happily munching on the leaves of her tree, which kind of burst the bubble a little!

It’s amazing Carol didn’t give in to the delicious pepper bacon she had back in 1998, or the crispy brioche these aliens brought her! Honestly, I would betray everyone for food like that – I just don’t have the willpower.

A fascinating debate is brewing between Zosia and Carol. Zosia believes her community lacks the ability to make choices, but Carol counters that everyone can choose, arguing that if they’re capable of complex thought – like doing mental math – they’re also capable of making decisions. Ultimately, everyone faces choices, and sometimes those choices lead to pain or harm. This is true for all people, including the Celtiberians.

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2025-11-07 08:56