Rhea Seehorn Doesn’t Know What Carol’s Gonna Do, Either

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The first season of Pluribus concluded with its lead actress, Rhea Seehorn, as confused about the future as the viewers. Seehorn, who plays Carol Sturka in the Apple TV series created by Vince Gilligan, doesn’t know what will happen after the season’s dramatic cliffhanger. In the ninth episode, Carol begins a relationship with Zosia (Karolina Wydra), a representative of the collective that now connects most of humanity. However, Carol then discovers that the collective has taken the eggs she previously froze while she was married to Helen (Miriam Shor). They intend to use the genetic material from those eggs to connect Carol to them, regardless of her wishes. Zosia believes they’ll have a solution within a month. Seehorn described Carol’s reaction to this betrayal as shocking, disappointing, and filled with her character’s signature anger. “That scene is really harsh,” Seehorn said. “When I first read it, I immediately called Karolina. I told her, ‘That’s a really low move.’”

The episode doesn’t end there. After Carol discovers the hive’s scheme, the scene shifts to Manousos, who’s back in Carol’s neighborhood studying English and taking notes about the hive. He looks up to see a helicopter, flown by Zosia, with Carol as a passenger. They’re carrying a large shipping container. Zosia drops Carol and the container off, then tells Manousos, “You win. We save the world.” The container? It holds an atom bomb.

Anna Gunn, who plays Carol, admitted she’s as in the dark as the audience about what Carol will do with the bomb. She said creator Vince Gilligan, known for creating difficult situations for his characters in both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, also wasn’t sure what the future held for the storyline. Gunn is both confused and intrigued by the possibilities. She’s considered many scenarios, noting that Carol wouldn’t likely resort to mass murder, as it would defeat her purpose. She wonders if Carol will use the bomb as a threat, and if so, how.

One question still unanswered is how Carol will collaborate with Manousos on her plan. Rhea Seehorn, the actress who plays Carol, doesn’t know, but she did enjoy working with Carlos Manuel Vesga to finally bring their characters together. Throughout the season, Carol has largely seen herself as a lone wolf, opposing the group. However, meeting Manousos reveals someone with even more extreme beliefs. Seehorn explained that it was fascinating to explore Carol realizing, “You think you’re an extremist? What about this guy?” Carol is forced to confront the fact that, despite everything, these are still people. Manousos, however, consistently denies their humanity, echoing Carol’s earlier feelings about her son, but with a potentially dangerous edge. While Carol always felt remorse for the people she harmed, even when she “killed” them with her voice, Manousos’s extremism seems reckless and uncaring.

The scenes between Carol and Manousos were technically complex and interesting. The characters communicate using a handheld translator, so the actors had to figure out when their characters would actually understand each other. According to Seehorn, “Carlos Manuel speaks perfect English, but I don’t speak Spanish – though I’ve rehearsed the scene enough to follow along.” Both actors had to consciously avoid reacting too quickly, preventing facial expressions that would indicate understanding before the translator had finished. However, since both characters are intelligent, they naturally picked up on a few words here and there.

Besides discussing the finale, Seehorn talked about details fans have focused on throughout the first season of Pluribus. She believes Carol’s dismissive attitude towards readers of her sci-fi romance novels, first shown in the opening episode, stems from Carol’s own self-sabotaging tendencies, not a genuine dislike for her fans. According to Seehorn, most writers recognize that Carol isn’t actually mocking them. Carol genuinely believes in her talent – evidenced by displaying her work throughout her home – but she’s caught in a pattern of thinking success and happiness are conditional: ‘I’ll be successful when, I’ll be happy when, I’m a real writer when.’ She’s also afraid of embracing praise and getting ahead of herself.

Rhea Seehorn, who played Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, also played a key role in shaping the look of her new character in Pluribus, particularly her hair. Knowing how important Kim’s sleek ponytail was to the storytelling in Better Call Saul, Seehorn wanted a distinctly different style for Carol. She realized the scripts called for her character to appear messy for extended periods and worried about managing long hair under those conditions. She also wanted to clearly differentiate Carol from Kim and try a new hairstyle after years of playing Kim Wexler. Since some people still thought Pluribus might be a Kim Wexler spin-off, Seehorn pitched the idea of a significant haircut to creator Vince Gilligan. She envisioned Carol having a practical hairstyle – something she could style professionally for bookstore events but otherwise keep simple and chic. Gilligan loved the idea, asking to see the haircut progress in small increments.

The team working on Pluribus ultimately chose the hairstyle you see in the show, but there’s a subtle nod to Kim Wexler hidden in how Rhea Seehorn’s new look is revealed. In the first scene featuring Carol, the camera focuses on the back of her head, highlighting the bob. According to Seehorn, Matt Credle, the primary camera operator on Pluribus (and also Saul), noticed the shot was strikingly similar to previous shots of Kim Wexler’s ponytail. Seehorn admitted she got chills when she saw it, realizing how noticeable the change would be to viewers – the ponytail was gone.

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2025-12-24 15:55