A review of this week's Pluribus, "Charm Offensive" — with spoilers — coming up just as soon as this turns into a Matrix sequel orgy...
Alan Sepinwall
The opening image of "Charm Offensive" briefly suggests that we are back in the lab where the first humans were joined in the series premiere. Instead, the rubber boot in question is from a member of the hospital staff treating Manousos for the injuries he suffered in the Darién Gap. (As a visual flourish, when a drop of Manousos' blood lands, it looks a bit like the series' smiley face logo.) This was a relief, because as my friend Kathryn VanArendonk has noted, TV dramas devoting their season's penultimate episodes to flashbacks has become a plague. We already know the broad strokes of how the alien virus spread, and don't need more details on that front.
Instead, "Charm Offensive" manages to provide some elements from those kinds of flashback episodes while remaining very much in the series' present. As Zosia and the other Others return to Albuquerque, Carol finally starts showing some interest in learning exactly how they live, what their aims are, and more.