Read this review to see if the Pluribus episode “Pirate Lady” is worth watching.
About Pluribus
- Season 1, Episode 2: “Pirate Lady”
- Directed by Vince Gilligan
- Written by Vince Gilligan
- Synopsis: A curiously familiar face introduces Carol to the bizarre new normal. A gathering in Europe brings strangers together…and causes friction.
- Airdate: November 7, 2025
- Starring: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, Miriam Shor, Samba Schutte, Menik Gooneratne, Darinka Arones, Anna Mhairi, Max Reeves, Olivia Rouyre, Amaraa Sanjid, Khaliun Amarburen, Rayaan Kamal Khan, Piyush Gupta, Viji Nathan, Sharon Gee, and David Niu
If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode, skip to the overall section at the end.
Warning: Spoilers for Pluribus Season 1 Episode 2 “Pirate Lady”
Recap Pluribus (2025): S1E02 – “Pirate Lady”
When we pick up in the next episode, we see a woman named Zosia (Karolina Wydra) and several other people emotionlessly collecting bodies in the Middle East. We see a timer saying it’s been 11 hours since the world became a collective whole. She flies a plane to an airport. At the same time, Carol wakes up with an open bottle lying on the floor to a brutal hangover. Realizing Helen’s body, her manager is lying on the floor. She decides to bury her.
Meanwhile, Zosia cleans herself up and shows up at Carol’s house. The group is worried that she’s going to pass out from heat exhaustion. After comparing the book cover to her face, Carol realizes that the woman looks like the model for her hero Raban. Except that only she and Helen knew that the character was originally supposed to be a woman. This leads to the shocking revelation that her friend had joined the hive mind before she died, and they’re using her memories.
This infuriates her, and she lashes out at the woman, calling them ghouls. Suddenly, the woman collapses, and when the author drives for help, she finds several other people in seizures. After they recover, she talks to “the Pirate Lady” and discovers that when negative emotions are directed at one of them, it’s “hard to take.” Carol is horrified when she realizes hundreds of people may have died from her outburst. The pod people are always trying to be helpful and fly a backhoe in for her to dig the grave.
Later, the last woman in Albuquerque asks to speak with all of the people like herself who speak English. So the Hive sends five people to an airport in Bilbao along with their infected family members. Otgonbayar (Amarburen Sanjid), Xiu Mei (Sharon Gee), Kusimayu (Darinka Arones), and Lakshmi (Menik Gooneratne) are all happy to be there but confused.
Finally, it’s revealed that one person is missing. Koumba Diabaté (Samba Schutte), shows up late to the gathering because he’s flying in on Air Force One. He’s clearly enjoying the situation and taking full advantage.
Aboard the presidential aircraft, Carol dismisses everyone who’s been infected so that the rest of them can figure out a game plan — but no one’s a doctor, or has a background in science or genetics, so that idea is swiftly discarded. Even Carol’s insistence that they need to save humanity, to put the world right, is met with resistance. Everyone else is perfectly content with the way things are now. Lakshmi, in particular, is resentful because her grandfather died when Carol’s anger sent the hivemind into that seizure. This creates a fascinating dilemma. If she gets rightfully angry, she could kill thousands of people.
Despite Carol’s efforts in pointing out that these people aren’t really their family anymore, the others are staunchly in denial about that reality. Others, like Kusimayu, are strongly considering the possibility of joining the hivemind if it becomes possible.
Over lunch in wine country, the conversation quickly turns to the revelation that the hivemind won’t purposefully kill and tries to avoid inadvertently causing death at all costs. That doesn’t go over well with Carol, who points out that no one on Earth was actually given a choice about whether they wanted to be joined or not. Over 886 million people died, despite claims of a peaceful takeover. Although Carol’s anger apparently accounted for 11 million of those deaths.
After consuming several glasses of wine, Carol demands to be taken home but spitefully encourages others to enjoy themselves, calling them “traitors to the human race.” After passing out, she recovers and yells at her captors again, causing a seizure among the group.
Once she recovers, only Diabaté remains, seeking Carol’s approval for Zosia to join his harem. Carol is apprehensive, questioning the infected woman’s ability to consent. The woman expresses the dilemma of choosing between them, highlighting the potential pain of either decision. Ultimately, as Carol flies home alone, she sees Zosia hesitating before boarding the plane, prompting her to rush out and stop Diabaté from taking off, leaving the situation unresolved as the episode ends.
Overall: Watch Pluribus (2025): S1E02 – “Pirate Lady”
Watch the Pluribus episode “Pirate Lady” because it compellingly builds on the mystery and establishes the stakes of the character’s choices.
The second episode enhances character development and provides insights into the Collective, hinting at the individuality within the Joined, especially through Zosia’s conflicted decision. Carol helps establish the dire situation for humanity if they remain complicit. Vince Gilligan creatively twists a classic sci-fi theme, with Rhea Seehorn’s performance as a uniquely immune character adding depth. The mysterious motivations behind freeing zoo animals and the shocking death toll from the Collective pose intriguing questions. While survivors distract themselves with vices, this lack of awareness might invite greater threats. Overall, “Pluribus” sets the stage for a compelling season ahead, indicating Gilligan’s promising direction.
I’m giving this episode 4.5 out of 5 stars.
All episodes of Pluribus are available to stream on Apple TV+. New episodes drop every Friday.
Click the link to read our review of the previous episode, “We Is Us.”
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