Pluribus Episode 8 Plays With And Ultimately Debunks A Popular Fan Theory

This article contains spoilers for "Pluribus" season 1, episode 8 — "Charm Offensive."

Vince Gilligan's excellent "Pluribus" is a show that seems custom made for fans who like to create their own theories and observations about its events. Heck, I myself have been known to speculate on whether "Pluribus" has us rooting for the wrong character after all, and analyzing the show's homage to a terrifying 1970s sci-fi classic. An extra fun thing about the show is that sometimes, it seems to genuinely anticipate the questions fans might start obsessing over — at least, based on the two-fisted way the show handles the debunking of one major fan theory. 

One of the questions that viewers have pondered for much of the season is whether animals are a part of the hive mind or not. After all, the Others adamantly refuse to kill and eat animals (or plants that are still alive, for that matter), only resorting to foraging that which is already dead. Episode 7, "The Gap," spends some time playing with the idea with a series of incredibly suspicious scenes that highlight the various animals around the lonesome Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn). Now, after the show has allowed the "hey, wonder what's up with all those animals" idea ripen for a while, "Charm Offensive" almost casually debunks the animal hive mind theory when Carol and Zosia (Karolina Wydra) discuss a very non-hive minded dog who still follows his Othered owner around. 

And just like that, we have the answer. No, animals aren't in the hive ... but the show has clearly seen that fan theory coming and has some fun with it here.

Part of the allure of "Pluribus" is that it doesn't sit on the questions fans might have. From the very beginning, it has drip-fed Carol (Rhea Seehorn) and the viewers essential info about the Joining and the Others at a leisurely but constant pace, but complementing them with little twists that take the info we get above and beyond what lesser shows would think to do. 

Did you wonder where the alien RNA virus is from? Allow a White House representative explain the whole thing, complete with a nice graphic that the C-Span hive mind whipped out in the hour or so it had before Carol tuning in. A major revelation about the Others eating people? Here's Hive Mind John Cena explaining the ins and outs of human-derived protein and its unfortunate but unavoidable role in the hive mind's diet. 

The "Charm Offensive" reveal that animals aren't in the hive mind takes this trend to a whole new level with the playful "Gotcha" it seems to be pulling on the viewer after the previous episode's lingering shots of attentive bunnies and buffaloes. Whether it's deliberate or not (I'm on Team Deliberate, myself), this approach certainly comes across as a fun dialogue between the show and the fans who are constantly on the lookout to decipher its secrets.  

"Pluribus" season 1 is streaming on Apple TV.