Gallery
In a flashback, Manousos, living in a storage facility office in Paraguay, refuses help from the Others. He ransacks the lockers for food when he receives Carol’s call. In the present, Carol returns home from the hospital and starts to compile a list of facts she has learned about the Others, determining they cannot lie. Carol goes to Zosia at the hospital to ask if the Joining is reversible, but the hive mind refuses to answer. Carol secretly takes vials of and tests its effectiveness as a at home, revealing to herself that she is sexually attracted to Zosia. Back at the hospital, Carol takes Zosia for a walk outside the hospital, stealthily injecting the serum into her . When Zosia starts to lose clarity, Carol tries to probe the answer from her about reversing the Joining. Zosia struggles to speak, while several Others arrive to surround them, repeatedly chanting “Please, Carol”. Zosia collapses from , with members of the hive mind coming in to try to revive her.
Carol returns to Albuquerque and exploits luxuries abandoned by, or requested from, the hive mind as they continue to avoid her. Manousos ventures across South America alone, running low on fuel, food and water, but refusing help from the Others. He practices English by listening to language lesson tapes along the way. When he reaches the , the Others warn him of dangerous conditions and urge him not to continue his journey on foot, offering to transport him and his car directly to Carol. In response, Manousos defiantly burns his car and tells the Others that he will never accept their help because everything they could offer him is stolen. During his trek through the jungle, Manousos trips and is impaled on a tree. Despite attempts to his wounds, he collapses and is rescued by the Others. Having spent over a month in isolation, Carol succumbs to depression. She paints a message on the street asking the Others to come back to her, leading to Zosia’s arrival at her home. Carol tearfully embraces her.
follows author , who is one of only 13 people in the world immune to the effects of the “Joining”, an event in which an virus transformed the rest of humanity into a peaceful and content known as the “Others”. The hive mind happily accommodates the wishes of those who remain unaffected, but admits that it will ultimately seek to assimilate them when it learns how to do so. Carol is adamantly against their efforts as she searches for a way to reverse the Joining.
In March 2024, Karolina Wydra was cast in the lead role of Zosia, one of the “Others” that serves as Carol’s liaison. The series title was chosen from a list of over 100 names as “a tip of the hat to the unofficial motto of America”, , a phrase meaning “out of many, one”.
Prohibition and secrecy is emphasized. The relationship between Carol and Therese is hidden, thus creating tension. “Carol and Therese’s relationship looks repressed,” which illustrates what was socially acceptable during that time. Therese is even taught by Carol to keep their love a secret from others, illustrating the necessity for lesbian individuals to engage in ” public behaviours” to survive in a society.
