JuicyTalk
This article contains major spoilers for Pluribus’ episode 4.
Pluribus‘ episode 4 ends on a surprisingly dark note where Carol’s actions almost kill Zosia again. With this, the episode ends with a massive cliffhanger that leaves Zosia’s fate unknown.
In episode 3, Pluribus revealed that a man from Paraguay was also immune to the virus and was actively avoiding the infected. To Carol’s dismay, the man refused to talk to her when she called him. Pluribus‘ episode 4 opens with a sequence that shows how the same man goes to extreme lengths to avoid contact with the infected.
The opening scene highlights how, like Carol, he refuses to accept the new normal, which could potentially make him her ally in the future. As the Apple TV sci-fi show‘s episode continues, Carol tries to find a way to manipulate Zosia into telling her how she can reverse the pandemic. Unfortunately, things do not go too well.
Is Zosia Dead In Pluribus Episode 4’s Ending?
Carol takes Zosia out of the hospital and even drugs her with an anaesthetic to ensure she tells her truth about how she can reverse the pandemic. However, when she starts interrogating her, the other infected individuals surround them. To ensure they do not take Zosia away from her, Carol handcuffs herself to Zosia.
Zosia seems to be on the verge of telling the truth, but she soon loses consciousness while the other infected keep repeating, “Please, Carol!” With this, Zosia goes into cardiac arrest, and Carol unknowingly ends up hurting her again. The episode does not reveal Zosia’s fate, but she will likely not die.
Zosia has already been established as one of Pluribus‘ main characters, so it seems unlikely she will suddenly be eradicated from the story. If she does die or ends up being severely hurt, however, Carol would become significantly careful about confronting the infected individuals in the future. She might even completely drop the idea of finding a cure and isolate herself like the man from Paraguay.
Carol’s Plan To Make Zosia Tell The Truth Explained
Carol lists down all the common traits of the infected people. She realizes that they can also be brutally honest and even tests their honesty by asking one individual about her book. After confirming this trait, she goes to the hospital’s pharmacy and steals thiopental sodium, hoping the anaesthetic will work as a truth serum.
She tests it on herself and realizes that it not only induces amnesia but also disrupts coherent thinking. Hoping that the drug’s effects would help her force the truth out of Zosia, she injects her with it. Carol’s plan almost works, but the hivemind resists and prevents Zosia from revealing how the pandemic can be reversed. With this, Carol’s plan fails and Zosia goes into cardiac arrest.
Why Zosia Does Not Reveal How The Pandemic Can Be Reversed
Unlike the immune humans like Carol, the infected ones only have a few fixed sets of traits. They are all blissfully happy, have an endless stream of factual information, are highly agreeable, and are willing to do anything to please Carol. Yet, when Carol asks Zosia about how the pandemic can be reversed, she refuses to answer.
…the virus has its own survival protocol/defensive directive that overrides the hivemind’s obedience.
This reveals that even though being highly agreeable is pre-programmed in them, they are also not allowed to say anything about the virus’ reversal. Put simply, the virus has its own survival protocol/defensive directive that overrides the hivemind’s obedience. If something threatens its continued existence, this defense protocol gets triggered, explaining why Zosia also threw the grenade out of Carol’s hand.
Will The Immune Paraguay Man Help Carol?
The immune man from Paraguay, Manousos Oviedo, notes down Carol’s name on a piece of paper when she calls him the third time and abuses him. He does this because he notices that, unlike the infected, Carol retains her ability to be rude and unkind. With Carol’s name as his only lead, the man might finally leave his home and set out to find her.
Most other immune individuals were not as resistant as Carol. All of them seemed at peace with how the virus had changed the world. Oviedo, however, is a lot like Carol. Owing to this, it seems likely that he will eventually become her only ally.
How Carol’s Past Reveals The Real Reason Why She Hates The Infected
During her conversation with Zosia at the hospital, Carol recalls how she was sent to Camp Freedom Falls for therapy when she was much younger. As she reveals in the original Apple TV show‘s episode 4, her time at the camp was traumatic because the therapists were some of the worst people she had ever met. The infected people keep reminding her of them because the therapists did some really mean things to her despite being all smiley and nice on the outside. It would be interesting to see how this revelation about Carol’s past will tie into Pluribus‘s future story arcs.
