We Need To Talk About The Pluribus Season 1 Finale

Contains spoilers for "Pluribus" Season 1, Episode 9 — "La Chica o El Mundo"

With Season 1 fully wrapped up, "Pluribus" cements its status as one of the best original shows in recent memory. Looper gave "Pluribus" a perfect 10/10 score, and the finale didn't drop the ball at all. So what happened, and what can we expect going forward, seeing as how Apple TV has already ordered "Pluribus" Season 2? Check out Looper's video above for a full breakdown of that explosive finale. 

The biggest development in "La Chica o El Mundo" (Spanish for "The Girl or The World") is that Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) finally reaches Carol (Rhea Seehorn) in New Mexico. The two immediately clash because Manousos doesn't trust the hive mind at all while Carol has come around somewhat. Things come to a head when Manousos causes the collective to glitch out, much to Carol's dismay, but he learns something interesting. Earlier in the season, he scanned radio signals, and he noticed that when the hive mind goes into this distress state, the signal changes its rhythm slightly. We don't know what that could mean, but it's a step toward undoing all of this. 

After getting abandoned once before, Carol clearly doesn't want to go through that again, so she goes on an extraordinary vacation with Zosia (Karolina Wydra). The honeymoon ends quickly, as Carol discovers the hive mind still wants to turn her. She had previously withdrawn consent for them to collect stem cells out of her hip, but the finale pays off the "frozen eggs" line from Episode 3, "Grenade." They can harvest stem cells through those, and they'll be able to finish this process within a few months. The clock's now ticking...

Never mind Chekhov's gun, how about Carol's atom bomb? The "Pluribus" Season 1 finale ends with Zosia dropping Carol off in Albuquerque with a massive container. Manousos is still there, and hopefully, he's made some headway in figuring out how to undo the hive mind's psychic glue. When he asks Carol what's inside the container, she bluntly says it's an atom bomb, once again paying something off from earlier in the season. The hive mind is willing to give Carol anything she wants, and that extends to a weapon that could destroy a good chunk of the country.

What could the bomb be for? Perhaps Carol just wants it as leverage, but surely it's going to be detonated at some point? If the hive mind figures out how to get stem cells from her eggs, they may need to get close to her to complete the process (something we saw in the opening scene of Episode 9 when one of the survivors willingly assimilates). She may tell them that if they get anywhere near her, she'll blow them all to kingdom come. It could buy some time as she and Manousos figure out a way to get everyone back to normal.

We already know some ways "Pluribus" won't end, and one theory we can probably toss out is there being some kind of Queen that's controlling all this. If there's no Queen, then the key is likely in those signals. Perhaps they're being broadcast from somewhere on Earth, and if they stop the signals from spreading, they can free people from the hive mind's grasp. For more on the thrilling Season 1 finale and some theorizing about what to expect from "Pluribus" Season 2 and beyond, make sure to watch Looper's explainer video above.