Why is Carol Immune in Pluribus? [Theories]

The world is radically changed in Apple TV+’s ‘Pluribus’ when an alien virus takes over the world, turning everyone into an incredibly nice person. These changes happen because of an alien broadcast and sweep through the world with such swiftness that no one has any time to prepare and defend themselves from it. Due to this, billions of people all over the world are brought under its effect and become part of a hive mind. There are 13 people in the whole wide world who are not affected by this virus and still retain their humanity and individuality. Carol Sturka is one of them. While the show focuses on the impact of Carol’s immunity, it doesn’t exactly give us an answer as to why she and the twelve others are immune while the rest of the world is not.

Carol’s Immunity Remains a Lingering Mystery in Pluribus

Being the only person around who is not affected by the alien virus makes Carol stand out like a sore thumb, and her refusal to accept the Others, unlike almost all other immune people, makes her stand out even more. She is so opposed to the hive mind that she is constantly seeking ways to reverse the Joining. However, she has no idea why she and the 12 others were not affected by the virus. The Others, via Zosia, inform her that they are investigating the matter and will eventually find a way to transform her and the others into them, but there is no fixed timeline for this to occur. Still, the question of Carol’s immunity remains prominent, and there is a good chance that it may be the reason why the world might yet be saved from becoming chronically and insufferably nice. In general, certain individuals exhibit natural immunity to environmental changes and specific diseases. The explanation focuses on their genetic makeup, the environment they have been brought up in, their diet, etc.

There is a chance that perhaps Carol is just that lucky, and the answer will not emerge until all 13 people are in the room, have their blood test and other things done, and compared. Even the Others have no clue as to why Carol and the Others weren’t affected by the joining. But now that they have found a way to turn them too, consensually, of course, there is a chance that they may eventually find out the reason behind this unexplained immunity. Several reasons can be theorized to be at least partially defensible for this. Perhaps it was some microbe in the ice hotel that found its way to Carol when she was visiting it. Or, perhaps, her shock and grief of losing Carol did something to her brain that prevented the virus from taking over her. Or, maybe she was so miserable even before the Joining commenced that the virus had no effect whatsoever on her.

However, none of these theories stand in context to her being one of 13 in more than seven billion people. Surely, she wasn’t the only one who visited the ice hotel. Helen was with her, and they wouldn’t have been the first customers to stay at that place. In the same vein, she is not the only one who lost a close person because of this transition, nor would she be the only one who is so strongly miserable in the world. A lot of people, and that’s thousands at least, could have fit the bill. And perhaps that was so. There are two interesting things to note about the Joining. When it happened, thousands of people, like Helen, died in the process. Carol was told that it was because these people couldn’t complete the process. Could it be that their minds were rejecting this change? Perhaps they died because their brains refused to yield.

Manousos May Be the Key to Understanding Carol’s Immunity

Another interesting thing to note is that initially, the number of immune people was 12, but it became 13 after Zosia said that one man in Paraguay had only now revealed himself. This detail is mentioned after Carol freaks out, and her emotional state impacts the Others so adversely that thousands of them die because of it. Could it be that the guy from Paraguay had almost successfully completed the transition? Perhaps he had become one of the Others and had broken out of the magic after Carol’s mood swings. This would explain why he wasn’t initially counted, but suddenly came into the picture.

Considering that all his family members turned into the Others, they would have remembered him. The Others would already have had memories about him to know who he was and where he was hiding, so for Zosia to talk about him days after the Joining seems a little weird. It also explains why Manousos is so much more hateful towards the Others and refuses to even eat or drink anything given by them. He has been one of them; he has been inside their mind and seen them for who they truly are. So, when he turned back, he couldn’t trust them at all, and it wasn’t until Carol said that there may be a way to reverse things that he decided to find her.

When they finally meet, he might give her the full picture, giving her insights into the things that the Others would rather hide from her. Could it be that the ripple caused by Carol’s emotions may have shaken something loose inside Manousos, as well as the others who died because they couldn’t survive the reversal of the process? If so, then it seems that Carol’s emotions, which may or may not include her being a miserable person, might be the reason why she has so suddenly turned into the world’s only savior.

Read More: Is Pluribus About AI, Explained