The fourth episode of Pluribus plunges us into Manousos' solitude, as he searches for a radio signal amidst the isolation from the Joined, desperately trying to find confirmation that he's not alone in this world. His rations dwindling, the Collective offers a plate of food, but like Carol, he hesitates to accept their charity, opting instead to deflect it with a crowbar.
With resources dwindling and scavenging through other self-storage units proving futile, the phone rings, offering a glimmer of hope. It's Carol's perspective as she curses him from the other end of the line and slams the phone down, fueling Manousos' determination to uncover more about her.
As we count down the final seven days and eight hours before the Collective's takeover, Carol leaves the hospital and takes the cop car outside. Driving home, she's horrified to discover that a group of people have worked tirelessly to patch up her home, erasing any signs of its previous state.
Ushering them away, Carol retreats to her office and jots down what she knows about the Joined, their unwavering honesty and unbridled enthusiasm for pleasing her. She invites one of the Joined, a man named Larry, into her office. Larry recites passages from her books, comparing them to Shakespeare's works. While not everyone shares this sentiment, "crazy Moira," one of her avid fans, was on the verge of suicide until she read Carol's books. This deepens Carol's connection to her work and skews the Joined's perspective.
However, Helen's take on Carol's unpublished novel is different. She wasn't a fan but agreed to publish it with Val, hoping it would make Carol happy and boost her career without any harm to herself. It's a tough pill to swallow, and she eventually ushers Larry out of the room. This confirms one thing: the Joined cannot lie.
As Carol enters the hospital room to confront Zosia, her eyes dart towards the physician inquisitively, determined to uncover the secret of reversing the Joined state. Her relentless pursuit for answers leads her to break into the hospital lab, where she gathers a myriad of tools and equipment. Despite being offered heroin by the Joined, Carol utilizes sodium thiopental to concoct a serum that will loosen Zosia's lips, her plan meticulously executed even before she steps into Zosia's hospital room.
Injecting the serum into Zosia's intravenous line, Carol leads her outside and, as the effects take hold, she relentlessly demands to know the way back to the un-Joined state. However, it doesn't take long for others to realize what she has done.
Handcuffing herself to Zosia as the Joined surround them in a tight circle, Carol pleads for an answer, but instead of a response, they chant "please, Carol" over and over again. The tension builds as Zosia's condition worsens and she slips into cardiac arrest.
Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Carol allows the others to take over and work to bring Zosia back from the brink of death. The scene plays out with a mixture of desperation and hope, each moment fraught with the weight of potential consequences and the fear of losing everything.
