Pluribus Episode 4 Turns A Throwaway Comedic Moment Into A Key Plot Point

This article contains spoilers for "Pluribus" season 1, episode 4.

Over its first few episodes, Vince Gilligan's Apple TV sci-fi show "Pluribus" has revealed that it's able to explore surprisingly many points of view for a show that has transformed almost everyone on Earth into one happy, interconnected hive mind. The series premiere, "We Is Us," depicted this connection largely through Carol Sturka's (the superb Rhea Seehorn of "Better Call Saul" fame) shocked eyes. However, episode 2 (titled "Pirate Lady") was quick to reveal that her warranted but abrasive cynicism makes her a minority of one, even among the precious few humans who have retained their individuality. 

However, there's one guy whose views on the global situation have been unknown until now. Manousos (Carlos Manuel Vesga, "The Luckiest Man in America), the Paraguayan man who is briefly mentioned in "Pirate Lady," finally makes an appearance in "Pluribus" season 1, episode 4. Despite his self-imposed seclusion, the episode also strongly suggests that he might be on his way to become the greatest and very possibly only ally Carol has ... thanks to a seemingly throwaway comedy spot from the previous episode. 

In "Pluribus" season 1, episode 3 ("Grenade"), Carol attempts to contact the mysterious Paraguayan, who's just about the only remaining person on Earth she hasn't managed to piss off just yet. This turns out to be just as unsuccessful as the hive mind's attempts to communicate with him. However, when Carol loses her cool and impulsively delivers a colorful insult by phone ("F*** your mother, a******!"), Manousos perks up his ears. Since he seems to know that there's no way a hive mind "pod person" would use such colorful language, Carol's swearing is proof enough that Manousos isn't alone in the world after all.   

Viewers knew to suspect that the mysterius, reclusive Paraguayan man the hive mind mentions in episode 2 would come in play before long — after all, we've known that Vesga is on the show, and his character features prominently in the "Pluribus" trailer. When we finally see him, it's immediately clear that he's going to be a very important character going forward.

Not only does Manousos share Carol's deep suspicion toward everything around him, but he takes things far further. He refuses all contact with the hive mind — which, you know, smart – and also seems to have figured out that the root cause of the Joining was some sort of signal transmission. What's more, he also seems to be systematically investigating frequencies, presumably in search of a way to undo the hive mind RNA virus. It's not a conspiracy theory if the world really is out to get you (as far as Manousos knows), so what would otherwise be pretty weird and obsessive behavior comes across as fairly sensible in the "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-style world of "Pluribus."

It's unclear exactly how a guy who seems to operate a container unit company for a living has been able to put all this together, let alone how he's been able to figure out how the hive mind works since he seems to refuse all communication with them. "Pluribus" will no doubt provide answers to all these questions before long. For now, Carol's sweary phone call seems to have finally brought this mystery character in play, and the show has once again become more interesting.

"Pluribus" season 1 is streaming on Apple TV.