Pluribus made waves when it premiered a few months ago on Apple TV, and for fairly good reason. The acting is top-notch, the concept (alien invasion-meets-deadly virus-meets-friendly cult) plays to our society’s seemingly never-ending obsession with post-apocalyptic science fiction, and the series approaches its subject matter in just enough of an off-beat fashion that it actually feels pretty fresh. Thanks to the legendary Vince Gilligan, this show has both a very grounded aesthetic and a sense of humor. Not every episode of Season 1 was created equal, as the series does have some pacing issues. But while not everything works, many fans still look forward to finding out how things will unfold in Season 2.
Even in the slower episodes, there can still be certain pieces of dialogue that get our attention. Gilligan has an ear for it, and the actors here know how to deliver their lines in a way that has the most impact. Especially the star of the show, Rhea Seehorn, whose character Carol goes through quite a lot in a short period of time. Within the context of this specific show, a good quote can make us laugh, weird us out, scare us, make us sympathize with one of the characters, create tension, present a solid plot twist, or even a few of those at the same time. The following quotes from Pluribus succeed the most in what they set out to do, ranked by their humor, intensity, and ability to keep the audience engaged.
10
“Screw you, too, Laxmi.”
Carol (Season 1, Episode 9)
It’s the season finale, and Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) is ready to make all the brainwashed people spasm out of control. We’re used to seeing Carol do this, and we also know what Laxmi (Menik Gooneratne) would say in response. So when Carol’s house gets a phone call, and a still-recovering Zosia (Karolina Wydra) asks if she would like to know who that is, Carol replies that she already does. Picking up the phone, she tries to explain that “it wasn’t me this time”—but, after a brief pause, says, “Screw you, too, Laxmi” and hangs up.
It’s great how casual Carol is about all this. She can understand why Laxmi would immediately assume that she made everyone lose control of their bodies, even foregoing the typical “Hello” or “Who is this” to try to explain. But the funniest part is that Laxmi clearly doesn’t believe her, apparently telling Carol off. Carol’s tone is just as casual, saying “Screw you, too” as it was before, and we hope their rivalry will never end.
9
“You will never have to consume this product. Not unless you want to, which we assume is unlikely.”
John Cena / The Hive (Season 1, Episode 6)
“HDP” sees Carol paying the very interesting Pluribus character Koumba (Samba Schutte) a visit, hoping to change his mind by showing him a video she made that indicates that their kind overlords are cannibals. He’s way ahead of her, ready to play a video made by the others in his room’s big television. Of all the faces to see, we are greeted by none other than John Cena. This entire speech is great, but the best part might just be when he assures Carol that “You will never have to consume this product. Not unless you want to, which we assume is unlikely.”
The idea that Cena even presents a hypothetical scenario of Carol consuming human-derived protein is terrific, as is their understated assumption that this is “unlikely.” Also, in terms of storytelling, hearing this news from a public figure enhances the surreal quality of the message. This PSA parody by a comedically gifted actor makes this admission of cannibalism feel oddly funny, putting a nice spin on the (by now, usually boring) trope.
8
“Eight-hundred eighty-six million, four-hundred seventy-seven thousand, five-hundred ninety-one.”
Zosia / The Hive (Season 1, Episode 2)
Carol isn’t happy that she is apparently the only English-speaker on Earth (and possibly the only person on Earth) who wants to bring things back to the way they were. But she’s going to get much more upset when she learns just how many people were killed during the main, wide-scale takeover—when everyone was losing control of their bodies. Carol asks Zosia point-blank, “How many people died?!” Zosia isn’t happy to answer, but she has to, and the number is spelled out here for full effect: “Eight-hundred eighty-six million, four-hundred seventy-seven thousand, five-hundred ninety-one, as of this moment.”
Laxmi then points out that Carol “killed 11 million” when she made everyone spasm out, which is another great revelation. But the first number carries more weight, not just because it’s a much larger number but also because of how most of those people died. The hive mind’s refusal to harm anyone stands in compelling contradiction to what happened in their initial breakout, and Zosia’s reluctance to answer highlights that. Perhaps, one imagines, there is a way to convince the brainwashed that they’ve done more harm than good?
7
“Carol, please.”
A crowd / The Hive (Season 1, Episode 4)
This time, the quote is also the title of the episode (technically, the reverse). When Carol injects Zosia with the same truth serum she gave herself earlier, Zosia becomes very disoriented. She can barely even describe the weather, but Carol asks harder questions anyway. After asking Zosia how to reverse the joining, a very creepy crowd forms around them. It would be an intimidating circle of people in any other post-apocalypse, but this brand of infected still won’t physically harm Carol. They will, however, eerily chant in monotone, “Carol, please. Carol, please.”
Pluribus‘ “Please, Carol” delivers the most unnerving scene since the premiere. As our stubborn heroine handcuffs herself to Zosia, her pleas are practically drowned out by the surrounding voices. While many of them maintain a steady rhythm, there are others that go off-beat. There is also a difference in volume, despite all these people being part of the hive. Though a bit curious, this half-ordered, half-chaotic delivery of the same two words helps make this scene very weirdly intense.
6
“You cannot give me anything, because all that you have is stolen.”
Manousos (Season 1, Episode 7)
When Manousos is in the jungle, on his way to see Carol in New Mexico, he is warned by the brainwashed not to travel on his own. They give him a list of reasons why hiking alone is perilous, as if he hasn’t thought that through already. It’s no surprise that he refuses their help, but what’s memorable is how he tells them off. When they say they can give him anything he needs, he replies (in Spanish), “You cannot give me anything, because all that you have is stolen.”
There are so many things to say about what is so insane about this hive-mind’s takeover of the planet. He could have gone on a rant, totally lost his temper (as Carol has more than once), but instead, he condemns them with more composure. And his concise summation of their inherently evil nature reminds the viewer why these people trying to “help” have—in creating such a dehumanizing situation in the first place—already forfeited their right to present themselves as helpful.
5
“Helen stopped on page 137, paragraph three.”
Lawrence / The Hive (Season 1, Episode 4)
When the individual formerly known as Lawrence (Jeff Hiller) sits down with Carol, she asks how much he likes her books. Drawing from the perspective of her most devoted fans, he happily compares her to William Shakespeare. It’s very nice just how much the tone shifts when she asks what Helen specifically thought of her books. Larry tries to dodge it, but eventually he is forced to give in: “She thought they were harmless.” Better still is when she asks him what she thought of her more ambitious novel in the works: “Helen stopped on page 137, paragraph three.”
It’s a devastating detail that changes Carol’s perspective. It’s one thing to think less of your more commercially viable books; at least Carol knew that she was giving her fans what they wanted. She could save her soul for a side-project, and her pride as a writer would then be measured by how good that novel is. But not even bothering to finish half of the manuscript is a major insult, and it came from the love of her life. It’s devastating, funny, and it’s built up to in the conversation very well.
4
“As we speak, no one is being robbed or murdered. No one is in prison. The color of one’s skin, by all accounts, now meaningless.”
Koumba (Season 1, Episode 2)
During the meeting of the last independent thinkers, Carol assumes that everyone is going to be just as anxious to fix things as her. Not so. The best argument comes from Koumba, who calmly says, “I am not convinced things are as bad as you say.” He then holds his hand up, asking for a second to make a few points. They’re pretty good ones: “As we speak, no one is being robbed or murdered. No one is in prison. The color of one’s skin, by all accounts, is now meaningless. All zoos are empty; all dogs are off their chains. Peace on Earth.”
Of course, the guy who is living the most lavish lifestyle imaginable is going to be content with the new status quo. Interestingly, however, he doesn’t base his argument on hedonism. He instead claims that the world is without suffering or inequality, and he notably points at himself when mentioning how the color of one’s skin is no longer important. Overall, this rebuttal provides the show with some philosophical weight. Basically, is apparent peace worth the loss of everyone’s soul?
3
“Yep.”
Carol (Season 1, Episode 1)
What do you say when the alien invaders have taken over C-SPAN and ask you to call them? Would you be able to even form a coherent sentence? In the wake of this new madness, Carol turns on the TV and sees a man (Peter Bergman) standing at a podium in the White House press room, which certainly makes this impending back-and-forth more intimidating. When that man thanks Carol for calling, all she can muster is a vacant “Yep.”
What a hilarious start to such a traumatizing conversation (in Pluribus‘ premiere episode, no less). This isn’t the only time in the pilot when Vince Gilligan combines black humor with tension and horror, but it’s arguably the most striking. Part of that comes from Seehorn’s delivery here (mixing Carol’s cocktail of discomfort perfectly), and part of it comes from a sense of “it’s funny because it’s true.” No one really knows how they would react in this scenario, but it does feel more likely that it would be more awkward than any run-of-the-mill confrontation.
2
“So we can fix it! So you can join us.”
Davis Taffler / The Hive (Season 1, Episode 1)
Same conversation, different moment. This is near the end of her phone call with apparently everyone else on Earth, when the mood shifts by way of a simple clarification of intentions. The individual formerly known as Davis Taffler assures Carol that “we” will find out what makes her different. When Carol asks why, Taffler replies as if the answer is common sense: “So we can fix it! So you can join us.”
The man’s warm and enthusiastic tone only makes his reply more chilling. Peter Bergman’s performance as Taffler is pitch-perfect, particularly in the man’s (and hive-mind’s) significant lack of self-awareness. As accommodating as they try to be, and as much as they say that they understand that Carol is disoriented, this individual (ergo, everyone else) seems to have lost so much of his empathy and humanity that he sounds even more like an alien than when the conversation began. Adding in an apparent race against time, this quote ends the episode with so much tension that we practically need to watch the next installment.
1
“We just want to help, Carol.”
The Hive (Season 1, Episode 1)
The first episode—soon to be counted amont the legendary TV pilots—is a rollercoaster, and one of its brightest moments is when Carol is surrounded by people outside the hospital. She asks a doctor what’s going on, he kisses her, she moves away, and she notices that a few people are trying to move Helen’s body. She tells them to put her down and asks what the hell is wrong with everyone. To her horror, they all respond at once: “We just want to help, Carol.”
Oh, well, isn’t that nice? Carol doesn’t think so, getting back in her car and driving off in what comes across as a darkly comedic moment. This is the perfect plot twist to help establish how the hive mind works: they speak at the same time, addressing one of them is essentially tantamount to addressing all of them, they have a calm demeanor, and they wish her no (bodily) harm. This is an original depiction of the most extreme kind of conformity, but it also sets up a hilarious dynamic in Carol’s relationship with these people. Their attempts to pacify this poor woman only freak her out more, and this is perhaps the most enticingly upsetting example.
Pluribus
- Release Date
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November 6, 2025
- Network
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Apple TV
- Directors
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Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein
- Writers
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Ariel Levine
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