Yes, Pluribus actually went there! And yes, fans understandably have zero chill about it!
Pluribus Episode 8 spoilers ahead.
So where exactly did Pluribus go with its story in Episode 8, “Charm Offensive”?! Well, following agonizing months in isolation, Episode 8 showed Carol spending some quality time with Zosia (Karolina Wydra) and strategically learning more about The Others and The Joining. It’s no secret that Carol’s been hell-bent on saving the world for the majority of Season 1. But in an emotional, incredibly vulnerable moment, Episode 8 saw Zosia and Carol kiss. And seemingly, everything changed.
Since Episode 2 of Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV series introduced Zosia as Carol’s carefully chosen “chaperone,” a group of fans have been shipping a romance between them, despite the many complexities. Zosia was selected as Carol’s chaperone because of her striking resemblance to Raban, the main man in Carol’s books, who was originally written as a woman. So in selecting someone who Carol was more likely to trust and find “so goddamn fuckable,” the hive was clearly trying to manipulate her. As Carol said before the kiss, “You’re trying to distract me, knock me off course… it’s all an act. It’s manipulative bullshit, because you know I haven’t given up.” While all of that that may be true, it was still one hell of a kiss!
After an emotional Carol confirmed her plans to put the world right, even if it meant she’d be alone again, Zosia stepped towards her, bent down, and initiated a gentle smooch. When Zosia pulled back, the two stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds, and then Carol passionately kissed Zosia back, kicking off a steamy make-out session — one complete with moans and a lip bite! Needless to say, viewers who’d been rooting for “Stursia” (the fan-made couple name that combines Carol’s last name, Sturka, and Zosia) had reason to celebrate.
Despite the joy from fans who’ve wanted to see Carol and Zosia together for weeks, there’s no denying that a romantic/sexual relationship between the two is mind-blowingly complex and concerning for many reasons. The most obvious? Zosia isn’t currently an individual. She’s the whole damn hive! Aside from the 13 immune humans, Zosia is every man, woman, and child who was on Earth when The Joining took place. That means that Zosia is Carol’s relatives. Heck, Zosia is, as Gilligan himself once noted, Vladimir Putin for goodness sake!
Another surprising, potentially troublesome detail that fans picked up on is the fact that Zosia was the one who initiated the kiss. On one hand, the hive likely used intuition and emotional intelligence to sense how troubled Carol was and thought that the affectionate, meaningful gesture was what she needed in that moment. As always, there are questions of consent when it comes to The Others doing anything in Pluribus‘ world. And while there’s a chance that Zosia’s individuality was seeping out during the kiss scene, it’s also very likely that — just as Carol clocked before the lip-lock — the hive was utilizing physical and emotional intimacy as a manipulation tactic. And, hey! Who’s to say all possibilities aren’t true?!
Following the crucial kiss scene, Zosia and Carol slept together, Carol wrote new Wycaro pages and made Raban a woman, and she and Zosia made breakfast together while Zosia shared memories from her life as a human — using the “I” pronoun to please Carol.
With Manousos set to arrive in the Pluribus Season 1 finale, we’ll have to wait and see if Carol would rather save the world or continue her partnership with Zosia. But whichever direction the show goes in next, there’s no denying Episode 8 holds one of TV’s most jaw-dropping, thought-provoking, brilliantly orchestrated kisses.
New episodes of Pluribus premiere Fridays on Apple TV.
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