the infected as they have over her.

If the first couple of episodes of *Pluribus* left you feeling akin to Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) — essentially shouting, “What the *hell* is going on?” into the abyss — then you’ve arrived at the appropriate destination.

The fresh sci-fi series from *Breaking Bad* and *Better Call Saul* mastermind Vince Gilligan offers a stunning debut, one that reveals (almost) the entirety of the globe affected by a virus that makes the populace tranquil and satisfied. But from where did the virus originate, and what transpires now that it’s present on Earth? Let’s dissect it.

From where did the virus in *Pluribus* originate?

Outer space! Well, to some extent. At the outset of *Pluribus*, astronomers detect a signal emanating from 600 light-years away. Who is sending it? What is the purpose of the transmission? And how long have they been broadcasting this signal? The answers remain unknown!

Nevertheless, these mysterious signalers are not conveying a message in an alien tongue. Instead, they are transmitting a molecular communication. Each of the four tones of the signal correlates to a nucleotide: guanine, uracil, adenine, and cytosine, which are fundamental building blocks of RNA.

Researchers at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases succeed in reconstructing the nucleotide sequence. They ascertain that it is a lysogenic virus, meaning that the genetic material of the virus becomes part of that of the host. Despite months of animal testing yielding no significant outcomes, chaos ensues as soon as the virus is transmitted to a human through a rat bite. The infected individuals begin to disseminate the virus through kissing, donut licking, and various other means, leading to the most joyful pandemic the globe has ever witnessed. Personally, I would simply choose never to recreate an extraterrestrial virus due to this *exact situation*, but that’s why I’m not a scientist!

So, are the infected “we” in *Pluribus* aliens?

No, they are not. Although Carol initially believes she’s experiencing an alien invasion — an assumption we’d all likely make in her position — the infected quickly clarify the situation. Speaking through United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman), the infected assure Carol that there are no aliens present on Earth. Instead, they, or the new “we” of the planet, are merely “beneficiaries of extraterrestrial technology.”

Still, the issue of alien participation lingers largely over these non-aliens. Who initially created that RNA sequence, and what was their motive for sending it to Earth? Did they transmit it to other planets as well? Is this their method of reproduction?

What effects does the virus in *Pluribus* have?

As Davis elucidates to Carol, the nucleotide sequence resembles a virus, but it isn’t *precisely* a virus. Rather, it constitutes “some form of psychic adhesive capable of uniting us all.”

This signifies that all of humanity, excluding Carol and the other 11 unaffected individuals, is now one vast collective consciousness. Members cannot read the thoughts of Carol and her companions, but they can tap into the emotions and ideas of every single person within the collective. They can even access the experiences of those who were briefly part of the hive mind before perishing, like Carol’s deceased partner Helen (Miriam Shor).

Why did the virus cause fatalities?

Helen was among 886 million who passed away during the Joining of the hive mind. As Carol’s guide Zosha (Karolina Wydra) remarks in episode 2, the infected originally transmitted the virus subtly. During this more regulated phase, no one died. However, once the military became aware of them, they hastened their dispersal, resulting in catastrophe for hundreds of millions. The deaths were not deliberate, as Zosha later reveals in episode 2 that the infected are incapable of killing, not even in scenarios involving food.

Why are Carol’s feelings significant for the infected?

The initial Joining wasn’t the solitary instance of mass mortality within the hive mind. When Carol becomes enraged at Zosha in episode 2, Zosha begins to tremble uncontrollably, similar to how everyone reacted during their initial infection by the virus. As Carol seeks assistance for Zosha, she realizes that everyone else in Albuquerque is trembling as well. In fact, everyone in the *entire world* is experiencing a comparable seizure, and 11 million of the infected ultimately perish as a consequence. So what is occurring?

Zosha reveals that everyone is affected by Carol’s feelings, particularly the adverse ones. “If they’re directed right at us, they can be a little tough to bear,” she states. This initiates one of the central dilemmas of *Pluribus*. Carol is understandably distressed and furious about the situation in the world; however, if she expresses that too openly, she risks annihilating more of humanity. It appears she possesses as much influence over the infected as they do over her.