Is the hivemind manipulating Carol in Pluribus episode 8? We asked the cast

Pluribus episode 8, titled “Charm Offensive,” gets to the heart of this question, as hivemind emissary Zosia (Karolina Wydra) returns to Carol’s side. By the end of this installment, we’ve learned some surprising new details about the hivemind, but one still remains a mystery: Does the hivemind really love Carol, as they claim? Or is their treatment of her just a charm offensive with a much darker ulterior motive?

“Therein lies the question,” Seehorn tells Polygon. “It’s supposed to be open to interpretation and open to debate.”

Even so, let’s see if we can get a little closer to the truth.

[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Pluribus episode 8.]

After reuniting at the end of Pluribus episode 7, Carol and Zosia spend most of episode 8 getting to know each other on a deeper level. Zosia opens up about her life before the hivemind, sharing a story about her favorite ice-cream vendor in the small town where she grew up. They also visit the diner where Carol first wrote her best-selling romantasy novels — although this backfires slightly when Carol remembers the diner burned down years ago, and realizes just how far the hivemind is going to please her.

“Look at something like the diner scene,” Seehorn says. “It is manipulative, and Carol calls Zosia out for that. But it actually is also an act of kindness, a beautiful thing to do for somebody. And one of the first times we see Carol talk about a memory with joy.”

The episode culminates back at Carol’s home. During a tense moment, Zosia leans in and kisses Carol, who briefly looks stunned. Then she gives in. The camera cuts away. A moment later, they’re together in bed.

Image: Apple

Reflecting on the episode, Seehorn notes that her character is particularly vulnerable at that moment. After spending more than a month in total isolation, she’s desperate for human contact — even if the human in question is part of an otherworldly shared consciousness.

“She’s so fragile at this point, because the alternative is literally to die alone in her house watching Golden Girls and never speak to anybody again,” Seehorn says. “So there’s a little willful delusion there. Carol allowed herself to believe for a moment that something, some part of this, even just a strand of it was real, because she couldn’t face the alternative.”

But is Carol deluding herself, or does Zosia actually have romantic feelings for her? Wydra is hesitant to reveal how she intended to play the part, stating that she hopes viewers will grapple with these questions themselves.

“I want the audience to go, Wait, is this Zosia showing her individuality and separating herself from the collective mind, from the hivemind?” she says.

At the same time, Wydra’s willing to admit that Carol and Zosia aren’t exactly on a level playing field. The hivemind clearly has an advantage.

“They have the highest emotional intelligence of humanity in them,” she says, before qualifying that this doesn’t mean it’s not also capable of emotion. “That kiss could be a real, genuine, Oh my God, I’m falling for you kiss. Or is it that they go, Oh wow, she’s having a really hard time, and I think she needs a kiss that will make her feel better?”

Image: Apple

Throughout Pluribus episode 8, Carol and Zosia each open up in ways we’ve never seen before, but they’re both also playing a game of sorts. Carol wants more information about the hivemind, which she gets after discovering their plan to spread beyond Earth by building a giant satellite. Meanwhile, Zosia wants… well, something from Carol, though what, exactly, remains a mystery. But even through all these layers of manipulation, a genuine emotional attachment seems to form.

“You see more of Zosia’s personality coming through,” Wydra says. “Is there an evolution to Zosia’s character within the hivemind, or is it that the collective mind has all the memories of Helen and everyone around Carol, so they know exactly what she wants and needs to make her happy? Are they performing for Carol? Not to manipulate her — because they’re not manipulative, depending whose perspective you’re looking at — but they have a biological imperative to make her happy and to gift her the gift of this virus. There’s a lot of different interpretations.”

Pluribus is streaming on Apple TV.