Charm Offensive

This episode is slow, like the previous one. I watched the previous one thinking "the next episode is going to be something big" because the previous one was slow and appeared to be preparing something, and I was wrong. It's in the line of other slow episodes. It's kind of disappointing but it's also easy to understand. The tv series doesn't have a predefined end, so these episodes can't advance the lore too fast, which creates kind of filler episodes where the situation at the end isn't much different than the situation at the beginning. Sure I don't expect these episodes to be as new as the 1st ones, but here they hardly tried. If they were forced to finish the show in 1 season, or even 2, these empty episodes would have never existed.

I really hope the next and last episode contains more content and I hope they'll be forced to end everything in season 2. It's the only way to have writers pack enough content in an episode. If the lore can't be dense enough with 9 episodes, I doubt it'll be with 12 seasons.

Episode 8 of Pluribus was better and held my attention more than the last few episodes but it's still simply missing an edge. The story is inching forward, slowly, yet it never fully grabs me. I keep waiting for that sharper turn, twist, or emotional punch that makes it truly compelling. I'm honestly not sure how they get there with only 1 episode left.

Episode 8 finally picks up the pace, offering much-needed revelations while maintaining the show's signature aesthetic. However, the development between Carol and Zosia introduces a deeply uncomfortable double standard that the show has yet to reconcile.

Since the beginning, the narrative has heavily implied that Mr. Diabate's actions were predatory. The logic was clear: those in a "Plurb" state are not themselves. Even if their "true self" is buried somewhere in the subconscious, they lack the agency to give informed consent. It is fundamentally wrong to be intimate with someone who is effectively unconscious or acting without their full faculties.

In this episode, the writers attempt to bridge the gap by establishing that Plurbs are aware of physical sensations (like the impalement example), even if they don't "feel" them collectively. This feels like a convenient narrative reach to justify Carol's actions.

If we condemned Diabate for taking advantage of this state, we must apply that same logic to Carol. Just because Zosia "initiated" the encounter doesn't mean it was consensual; a person in that state cannot legally or morally consent. I hope the audience maintains their moral consistency here-wrong is wrong, regardless of whether it's the protagonist or the antagonist doing it.

While the show remains visually stunning and conceptually unique, the "filler" in the middle of the season is more apparent now that we're near the end. With only one episode left, the slow-burn approach feels like it may have cost us deeper character development. I'm hoping the finale (Episode 9) addresses the weight of Carol's choice through a character like Manosous, rather than sweeping it under the rug.

I find it wonderful how they handled the character's transformation. The series may be a bit slow, yes, but the people who criticize it do so because they don't understand it. Many shows give you great villains and big twists; Pluribus makes you question: who is really the bad one?

It is a more contemplative series, in my opinion. It is far more valuable to convey a message through silences, looks, and empty actions than through big twists and fantastical elements. That's why I believe that even if nothing seems to happen on the outside, everything is happening on the inside. And the viewer who understands that is the one who will truly enjoy this series.

You also have to understand that this is a series that doesn't give you answers, but rather leaves you with questions, and you are the one who thinks within the story. In short: WE ARE ONE OF THEM, we is us.

Not many important things happened here to affect the plot development or the track of the story arc, and this is interesting, and it will be discussed below.

It's only focusing on Carol's current need for human connection and affection, alongside glimpses of her past life, emotionally and spatially.

In my opinion, it's one of those episodes that many directors love, because it allows the audience to get to know the character's mentality and her life.