How Are You Doing, Carol?

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Even before the upbeat and relentlessly positive “We” appeared in the first episode of Pluribus, Carol Sturka wasn’t doing well. But after We takes over, her mental state quickly gets much worse. By the end of the episode, Carol is overwhelmed with sadness, shock, anger, grief, and loneliness. To make things even harder, she’s suddenly responsible for solving the biggest crisis humanity has ever seen. It’s just not a fair situation.

“Pluribus” is a thought-provoking show, and Rhea Seehorn’s performance as Carol is at its heart. Known for her work as Kim Wexler in “Better Call Saul,” Seehorn is a remarkably talented actress. She can express so much with even the smallest changes in her expression, and it’s clear why the show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, wrote the part with her in mind. Seehorn portrays Carol as someone harboring deep anger, past wounds, and a profound sadness, making her a fascinating character to watch, especially as her unhappiness contrasts with the world around her.

Because the seemingly harmless We doesn’t pose a physical danger to Carol, the story focuses on her emotional state. Her changing feelings, the ways she tries to cope – both good and bad – and how she communicates all show how deeply upset she is. It’s understandable, considering she feels isolated despite being around others. As a therapist, I’m worried about her. I’ll be checking in with her weekly to monitor her mental health as this difficult situation continues. Let’s examine her struggles, one step at a time.

Spoilers follow for the most recent episodes of Pluribus.

Episode 1: “We Is Us”

The show doesn’t start by focusing on Carol. Instead, it begins with the discovery of a strange signal from outer space. An enthusiastic astronomer, Allan McLeod, quickly figures out the signal is a coded message containing RNA. Without fully thinking through the risks (a warning foreshadowed by Dr. Ian Malcolm’s famous words), scientists worldwide create and release what they call a “virus-not-a-virus,” and it rapidly infects everyone. We first see Carol calmly talking with her manager and partner, Helen, when the pathogen strikes, causing widespread seizures and silence. Carol is the only one unaffected, and though shaken, she manages to get Helen into a truck and rush her to the hospital, where she finds even more people suffering the same fate. Sadly, Helen dies in the truck as they arrive, just as the infected begin to awaken and call out Carol’s name. Carol flees to her home, where a man speaks to her through the television, explaining that humanity has become a single hive mind called “We.” When he asks her to join them, Carol finally breaks down, collapsing on her couch in a panic and screaming into the room.

The episode opens by showing that Carol wasn’t doing well even before the world fell apart. She openly criticizes her popular romance novels, calling them silly, and ends her book tour by drinking heavily. We also learn she has a device in her car that requires a breathalyzer test before she can drive, suggesting she’s had issues with alcohol. Her friend Helen seemed to keep her spirits up, but now Helen is missing, along with everyone else.

This episode rushes Carol through her grief after losing Helen and facing the collapse of everything she knows. She’s dealing with multiple traumas simultaneously, and while she acknowledges the situation, she’s clearly still in shock and hasn’t had time to process everything.

Carol appears to be holding onto a lot of anger, hinted at by the intense promotional image for Pluribus featuring Rhea Seehorn screaming. However, so far in the story, we haven’t really seen her express this anger, which makes sense given how shocked she is by recent events.

The scene subtly suggests Carol relies on alcohol. Desperate for information, she quickly flips through TV channels and, upon seeing a call-to-action on C-Span, immediately heads for her liquor cabinet. We only see her actions – a quick shot, then pouring a generous amount into her glass – before she makes the call. It’s a relatable moment – many of us turned to alcohol during stressful times, like the COVID pandemic. However, the way the scene is presented implies Carol uses alcohol to avoid dealing with her emotions directly.

Episode 2: “Pirate Lady”

The group, known as “We,” goes to great lengths to please Carol, flying a woman named Zosia (Karolina Wydra) from across the world hoping Carol will connect with her. However, Carol is still grieving over the recent burial of Helen in her backyard and is initially irritated by Zosia’s arrival. She becomes furious when Zosia delicately suggests Helen is still somehow present with them. Carol’s explosive outburst of anger doesn’t just affect Zosia – the entire collective consciousness of “We,” representing all of humanity, physically collapses, and it’s revealed that 11 million people died as a result.

Following Helen’s burial, Carol gathers the remaining English-speaking survivors, only to be shocked that they all seem satisfied with the new, unsettling reality. Distressed by their acceptance of this strange world, she loses her temper, causing We to shut down once more. The next morning, almost all the survivors are gone, and the one who remains, Koumba Diabaté, asks to take Zosia with him as part of his group. Because of her connection to We, Zosia says she can’t choose, fearing it will cause someone pain. Carol initially claims she doesn’t care, but as the planes prepare for takeoff, she desperately runs in front of Diabaté’s plane to bring Zosia back.

Carol is pushing people away, even those who could potentially help her. While it makes sense she’d be wary of others after what’s happened, she immediately becomes defensive when meeting fellow survivors instead of trying to understand their experiences. When another survivor, Kusimayu, explains she wants to join their group to find her family, Carol dismisses her, showing a lack of empathy for others and even herself. Considering the world just ended, it’s easy to feel for Carol, but she seems to be operating under the belief that harshness is more effective than kindness.

Carol is currently avoiding sadness, but it’s becoming a problem. A colleague once explained that anger often comes from unaddressed pain, and that seems to be what’s happening with Carol. This internal hurt is likely connected to the fact that she hasn’t been open about being a lesbian. When Zosia appears, Carol recognizes a connection to a character, Raban, from her book series Wycaro. Only Helen knew Raban was originally conceived as female. Carol’s initial reluctance to reveal the real inspiration for Raban—responding with a joke about George Clooney instead—and Helen’s encouragement to be honest suggest Carol still struggles with hiding her sexuality and may be experiencing regrets, especially now that she feels time is running out.

Carol is incredibly angry, possibly the angriest person ever. She’s clearly in the anger stage of grief, and while her blame towards ‘We’ for Helen’s death is understandable, her rage is now causing harm to others. It’s unclear if this anger is a hidden strength or a dangerous force she needs to control before it destroys everything.

Carol first turns down Champagne, likely wanting to stay focused and help the group figure things out. But once it becomes clear their plans aren’t working, she quickly accepts a drink and continues to drink. It’s safe to say waking up with a hangover while trying to survive the apocalypse would be terrible.

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2025-11-07 20:55