Pluribus Episode 3 Reveals the Depth of Carol’s Isolation

The latest episode of Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV series, Pluribus, delves deeper into the profound loneliness of its main character, Carol Sturka. Titled “Grenade,” the third episode uses key flashbacks and unsettling present-day events to show that Carol’s misery is not a product of the global hivemind but a fundamental part of who she was long before the world changed.

The episode, which released on November 14, 2025, slows the pace to explore Carol’s internal struggles. It reveals through a holiday flashback that her cynicism and inability to find joy existed before the “Joining” event that connected all of humanity. This new context makes her current isolation in a world of forcibly happy people even more poignant and complex.

A Look into Carol’s Unhappy Past

Episode 3 opens with a flashback to a vacation in Norway, 2617 days before the Joining. Carol and her partner, Helen, are at an ice hotel, but the scene immediately establishes Carol’s ingrained negativity. Helen is excitedly marveling at their unique surroundings and practicing Norwegian, while Carol complains about the cold and focuses on her phone, obsessively checking the ranking of her latest book on the bestseller list instead of enjoying the moment with her partner.

This pattern of behavior shows that Carol’s struggle with happiness is a long-standing character trait. The show makes it clear that she “was already struggling long before the ‘joining’ happened,” and her misery is not a new reaction to a changed world but an extension of her old self. The flashback portrays a woman who consistently resists joy, even when it is offered to her by someone she loves.

Testing the Limits in a New World

Back in the present, Carol continues to test the boundaries of her new reality. After returning home from a failed meeting with other immune survivors, she finds her local grocery store completely emptied out as part of the hivemind’s efficiency efforts. In a display of sheer self-centered power, she demands the store be restocked, and the Others comply instantly, sending a fleet of trucks to fill the shelves for her alone.

The scene is a powerful commentary on consumption and independence. Despite getting exactly what she asked for, Carol’s victory feels hollow. She still ends up eating a lonely microwave meal at home, highlighting that fulfilling her whims does nothing to address her profound isolation and unhappiness.

The episode’s central event occurs when Carol, in a moment of sarcastic frustration, tells the hivemind that nothing would fix her problems except a “hand grenade.” To her shock, her collective concierge, Zosia, soon arrives at her doorstep with a live grenade. The exchange that follows ends with a literal bang when Carol, not believing it is real, pulls the pin, forcing Zosia to heroically throw it away and shield Carol, resulting in Zosia being injured by the blast.

The Shocking Truth of Carol’s Power

The aftermath of the explosion leads to one of Carol’s most significant revelations. At the hospital, she questions a representative of the hivemind about why they would give her such a dangerous weapon. She learns there are seemingly no limits to what the Others will provide her. When she asks if she could have a bazooka, a tank, or even an atomic bomb, the answer is the same: they would not stop her.

Carol rightfully tells him-them-everyone that this is completely insane.

This realization presents a new and dangerous dilemma for Carol. She now understands she possesses unlimited power in a world that cannot refuse her, no matter how destructive her requests. This makes her internal fragility an external threat, not just to herself but potentially to everyone.

The Heart of the Story is Grief and Control

Beyond the high-concept sci-fi, the episode solidifies that Pluribus is a story about processing grief. Carol is haunted by the memory of Helen, who died during the global Joining. In one poignant scene, Carol receives a package that Helen had ordered for her before she died. This gesture of love from the past causes Carol immense pain, leading her to angrily demand that the hivemind, which holds all of Helen’s memories, never think of or mention her wife again.

“Get her out of your heads. Never mention her again. Never think about her again. Only I get to remember her, you got that? Only me,” Carol quietly but vehemently insists.

This moment reveals that her fight against the hivemind is deeply personal. It is not just about resisting assimilation but about protecting the one thing she has left—her exclusive, private grief and memories of the person she loved. Her misery is a shield, and letting go of it would feel like a final betrayal.

Pluribus Episode 3, “Grenade,” is now streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes are released weekly each Friday.

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