Season 1 Episode 9: La Chica o El Mundo
Air Date: December 24th, 2025
Synopsis: Season finale. Manousos arrives in Albuquerque and complications ensue. Carol visits the last best place on Earth.
Directed by: Gordon Smith
Written by: Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock
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Manousos is honestly kind of hilarious, he's such a stubborn dick but he's not wrong - that umbrella scene was amazing, as was his big fake smile when asking for Carol's phone š¹
So funny, the absolute inability of two highly motivated but unpleasant individuals to work together when compared to the polite, efficient hive, and the irony of having to mimic that politeness
Both Carol and Manusos are stubborn and I think thatās gonna bring them together as well as tear them apart
I did not expect them to have such great on screen chemistry. They were so fun to watch together.
He is just such a stubborn shithead, I love him.
This fucking guy was reading science textbooks and word for word translating them with an English to Spanish dictionary. This crazy mother fucker is our best shot
Dude was going to keep experimenting on that one guy, just throwing crazy shit at the wall in case anything worked... I'm convinced if Carol hadn't stopped him, he would have eventually tried force-feeding him chicken or forced him to pluck apples.
Carol Sturka. Do you want to save the world or get the girl?
I love how he says her full name every time
Unknown word or name.
"Nine thousand kilometers for this shit."
[angry spanish]
"Shut your trap."
That bit had me rolling š¤£
He called her ass out immediately
Heās gonna call out her bullshit anytime she slips in the future lol
I loved that Manousos borrowed all his books from the library. Such a perfect detail
Tomorrow, to the library i will go.
ĀæDonde esta la biblioteca?
They actually gave her the bomb lmao
It was so creepy that the second the girl started to turn, the village stopped singing. As if there was no longer any need for them to sing. And seeing them immediately leave the town and free the animals because the entire point of having that town was to turn the girl. Charm Offensive indeed
It was creepy and it was sad. Poor goat!
Also the ski lift; how it literally stopped as soon as they stepped out
Ya showing the goat was such a pluck of the heart strings!
They're really putting on elaborate plays for everyone around them. Zosia filling the void that Helen left in Carol, all of Koumba's harem doing whatever he wants, Laxmi's family continuing to act like everything is normal etc. All to lull them into joining because of how great everything appears to be.
Yeah the use of culture and community and family bonds to play act, and then to drop the act like a rock when it was no longer needed was so disturbing
By the girl attitude, you could tell she had a true loving relationship before with them, and now, this is lost.
Yes. Really drives home how Vince & co view this. Their beautiful little village was instantly destroyed. No song. No personal connections. The aunt and the cousin walked away from each other immediately. It was all play acting. The death of a village, the death of culture and civilization in general, the death of humanity. And Kusimayu, who was convinced she would "keep and share" her individuality, no longer cared about the little goat she had loved.
Him looking pouty in the trunk gave me a good laugh
One of the funniest shots of the season.
https://preview.redd.it/1if3stwio29g1.png?width=1918&format=png&auto=webp&s=77f832a300df5945186b74fb16af311cd945257b
Like a little kid being told to stand in the corner at school.
He looks comfortable even there. Man is built for hard times
Tbf itās the trunk of a Rolls Royce. Itās probably covered by the plushest carpet in the auto business.
This is him but in the trunk
https://preview.redd.it/2x0awajqn29g1.jpeg?width=1073&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd189ba268958ec5e2eca2168219aa8cd89f8764
Manousos performing some kinda radio exorcism was great
Su telefono, please? š
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Bro is so good at faking a smile. Ive never read him as an asshole, just a dork of a guy
The standoff Between Carol and Manousos was very telling about who they are. Both Strong Minded people. I sort of love that they came into conflict instead of getting along swimmingly. Having Manousos Paranoia clash with Carol's experience of the "Weirdos" was a much better piece of writing. Trust takes time.
That Cul de Sac about to become a sovereign nation.
ā9000km for this shitā lmao
I aspire to be the level of locked the fuck in that Manousos is
He's actually as committed as Carol thought she was.
This dude traveled 9000 KM. Walked across the Darien Gap. Cauterized his own wounds. Started to learn a new language. Found every single book he could find on the subject, and has to use a translator to fully understand what they say.
This dude is legit determined and I love it.
Alien virus from outer space vs. the indomitable Human Spirit
The goats from Severance are working overtime
His name is Emile.
I almost cried when that baby goat was running after her! Probably so many confused animals out there š©Ā
Manousos and Carol are both delightfully stubborn as fuck.
unstoppable force meets an immovable wall
now that itās confirmed that the hive is using carolās stem cells and donāt need her permission, I do think itās more likely they collected some from manousos while he was unconscious. I know some people had been theorizing that
The hive reasoning would be, since he was sedated to save him, it didnāt cause him any harm. Implicit permission.
Egg peeps called it
Stem cell experts will go crazy about it.
As difficult as it may be, it's not impossible. Even stem cell experts would agree if you had literally every scientist on earth working together on the same thing, something like that becomes far more accessible.
Zosia hesitating about consent RUH ROH
The little girl was basically the definition of manufactured consent.
The immediate stop of their chant was horrifying
All that culture and tradition bullshit was just a formality for them
Just a waiting game until Kusimayu decided to give in.
Thatās horrible
It's the same with Zosia, the only reason she's with Carol is to find a way to convert her. That's it
I knew it was coming and still.
That and the goat sadly chasing her. Man, when that scene played my dog was sitting beside me and it really distressed me
i got all teary :( she was gone and nothing she had cared about mattered anymore and the poor goat was going to die scared sad and alone
ālol We donāt care about this stuff.ā
āFuck that baby goat, in particular.ā
The goat broke my heart, she didnāt even care anymore š¢
I got goosebumps
āWe love him equallyāā¦ Carol.exe stop working
"Well fine, at least love me equally at a ski resort"
Crazy to see her get so lost in her delusion when it seemed like she understood they weren't capable of being in love with her the way she meant it
It's like a drug. She knows it is not good but it feels so right.
"Send me another one"
Lmao Manousos ordering more plurbs to his house like he's a hotel guest ordering more pillows from the frontdesk
Manou flipped fast from not wanting to talk at all with the Others to then learning everything from the Zosia individual
Since heās been off grid he assumed they were āevilā and trying to kill him. Once he found out they canāt kill anything from Carol then he started the dialogue.
Also he didnāt seem to know that they couldnāt lie until Carol told him
He did travel thousands of miles over two months, narrowly avoiding death, just to be told to fuck off in the first 20 minutes. Man is tired š
Carol Sturka be likeā¦
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She wants to ride the bomb before she goes.
Oh shit he figured out the frequency they communicate on
Honestly thought that guy would wake up. And just be like "WTF IS GOING ON?"
Even if just for a second. Though I think the increase in jerkin' might be a response?
I love that Laxmiās first reaction is to call Carol.
manousos outbitched her šš
He learned from the best: his mother the mega cabrona
The hive broke Carol for real
https://preview.redd.it/60y8u12i529g1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ccfae651a6c771d66fd8585aa86785428fdd311f
Not finished the ep yet but carol being confronted with basically herself from 70 days prior is great. Fantastic writing I canāt wait for next season.
Carol quoting Laxmi with the āhave you even talked to them??ā was great
And Manousos being paranoid about bugs parallels Carol asking them to turn off any recording devices in Air Force One. There are so many parallels
And sheās basically pulling a Diabate with Zosia, just instead of indulging in a typical male fantasy of having many women, Carol just wanted a slow burn intimate romance with one. But itās essentially the same thing with these hollow actors just stringing them along. Just like how they all dropped the act (and village) immediately with that Peruvian girl once she turned.
There was even the phone call bit where she says 'I'll call you later' when trying to rush him to leave. Just like Diabate talked to the hive on the phone saying he missed them, and then rushing Carol the next day.
Girl literally lived in Wycaro without realizing it
And then she abandoned him the same way she herself was abandoned šitās different though because heās more used to isolating himself, but Iām sure it still hurt after almost dying in a jungle for her
9000km for this bullshit
Dude wasnt even fazed lol
Omg yes, I thought the same thing!! Like when she got upset by Manousos calling them weirdos - Carol thatās exactly how you felt about them too lol.
Goddammit, I'm gonna be thinking about that goat for weeks.
The goat was actually a really nice parallel for the unplurbed. They are being treated with love and care, but at the end of the day, they are just cattle that will meet a horrific fate. The goat literally standing on a chopping block
I was rewatching episode 8 earlier and I noticed that there was a parallel between Carol and Bear Jordan the dog. "We don't [keep pets] but when an animal refuses to leave its former owner's side, we take care of them". This applies to Carol after she asked them to come back.
I can give the goat a good life PLEASE š
https://preview.redd.it/ss9bfggyw29g1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04b47e56d52dde1d09bf273fc77823cc74977866
This shot was fucking insane
Love how it transitions to a dead center shot of Carol while talking to Zosia. Makes it look like a camera is watching her. Sheās being observed, not having a conversation.
Yeah. Loved this too - really shows how exposed and vulnerable she really is. Such a good show.
The translating app still translating š¤£š¤£š¤£
BRO THEY REALLY HAD LAKSHMI JUST COME IN TO BITCH AGAIN
And saved on actor pay by making her inaudible this time, lol
Surprised she hadn't voluntarily plurbed herself yet.
Iām curious to see that get addressed. I doubt that all of the survivors (besides the big three) will consent to being Plurbed so Iām curious to hear their justification.
The fact that they got silent right after converting her in the beginning holy fuck I got goosebumps. Thatās horrifying.
And then they just left. Made me realize how much community and culture is being lost by the plurbs.
MANOUSOS.
WE HAVE TO COOK.
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im just glad they didnt turn manousos into a villain or something.
So the Nuke is a deterrent for the Hive to infect Carol Iām guessing
Deterrent, self-assured destruction
While Iām at it - Iām locking in my prediction for S2E1ās title - SAD
Carol realizing Zosia doesnt love her. THEY love the idea of her joining them.
I think she always knew that. She was very blunt about it with Lakshmi and her son. she was just letting herself get swept away by the illusion of happiness
That person on the phone with him was Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton).
Howard and Lalo back from their shared grave.
They share a mind now. A little awkward
WHAT
Props to Carlos Manuel Vesga he knocked it out of the park. And, while I'm from Chile, I love hearing a Colombian accent in an American show lol.
Carol finally is like ok I will try chatgpt. A full girlfriend mode! And then having to face the truth and not being able to force herself into a fantasy anymore.Ā
Zosia is so pretty and charming, and selected from 7 billion individuals to be Carolās dream girlā¦.Ā
I mean, all of it is so cruel and manipulative and I am just thinking about the world where all of the harvests are going to be wasted, farm animals abandoned. I actually think that Diabateās forecast that the humankind will starve to death in ten years is very generous.Ā
damn you guys were right about the eggs.
Her joining and an entire culture being wiped away in seconds was so terrifying
Carol, living proof that the biggest lie you tell is to yourself.
Damn Carol is gone gone..wake up mama!
Im peruvian and ive lived in PerĆŗ my whole life, the first scene hit extremely hard. Those chants ive heard quite a few times in my day to day life, coming from my tv from a worldwide hit show was amazing and so impactful. Which made the sudden silence so powerful as well.Ā
Quechua which is the language they were speaking is probably gonna disappear sooner rather than later since most people here speak Spanish now. Quechua is not being passed on to new generations, i barely know a few words, its a big part of a culture that will be gone for good some day. And that sucks so much to think about.
I feel like a lot of the survivors are representing dying arts in some way or individuality. This and Carol being an author. Maybe manosous with craft or his viewpoints in life
"Isn't it evil to value a man the same as an ant?"
Bars, Manousos. BARS.
My man Manousos is very bright.
Carol arriving with Abomb after Manousos couldnāt have a machete in the house.
Why did Carol not ask for her eggs and all related samples back? Would the hivemind have to obey that request? Does the biological imperative overrule it?
Bio imperative overrules it. Just like how Diabate got Air Force one by asking first, or how they donāt answer questions that would lead to preventing their spread.
Their hierarchy seems to be: 1) Spread 2) Do no harm 3) Survive
They will take harmful actions in order to spread, but wonāt take harmful actions to survive (the starving problem)
Keeping the immune happy helps them to survive, but will knowingly allow themselves to be harmed to keep the immune happy, unless the immune are on a path to prevent their spread, then they will abandon the immune.
It was very telling how much information Zosia Omitted Bout Manousos. "He won't talk to us", "Why is he in an ambulance", "It's a long Story". We are finally starting to see the Hive's true colors
Well and also Carol got charmed enough that she isnāt asking follow up questions. Episode 4 Carol wouldāve definitely been telling her to elaborate.
There are so many aspects of abusive relationships in this, it was so uncomfortable to watch
"If you loved me, you wouldn't do this."
"Carol. Please understand we HAVE to do this because we love you. Because I love you."
Abusive relationship, yes. But also, this is exactly what Carol heard from her mother and the adults at the Camp Freedom Falls conversion camp. I have no doubt that phrase is what triggered Carol's decision.
Plus the fact that they never told Carol in the first place someone watched one of her videos and was coming to her until they were 2 hours away.
lololol CHEKHOVāS ATOM BOMB hahaha. What a perfect ending to the season.
It's Walter White's machine gun in the trunk. Writers placed that in, and will have fun with it later trying to figure out what to do with it.
I see that as Carol's dead man's switch: "If any of you try to plurb me I will blow up myself and this whole city"
That joining scene at the beginning was creepy and manipulative as hell, that silence afterwards...
Unknown word or name is going to become the new recording.
I kind of wish Zosiaās partner had been confirmed a man to reinforce that she is a shell of who she once was.
I think the lack of feminine pronouns was a confirmation in itself - Zosia had no reason to avoid saying she/her, but a big reason to avoid saying he/him.
The plurb tells lots of lies by omission and this is definitely one.
The plurbs really have Carol whipped huh
THAT CAN'T BE THE CLIFFHANGER FOR TWO YEARS
Yep. AT LEAST two years. See you all in December 2027.
She didn't like my glug, glug, glug, glug, glug!
Well, see you guys in 2 years for season 2 lol
Great detail showing the line of brake lights in the background to indicate the hive leaving town
I knew that carol would get comfortable and Manousos would have to reconvince her. Theyāre both being assholes this episode but damn at least Manousos is doing something and making progress.
Them stealing Carolās eggs without her permission to work on a cure is evil as hell - Zosia is just a good actor
The fact they are both assholes is part of why they get along. I knew that they would get along because of Manousos' relationship with his mother and how he reacted to her being a part of the hive
Yeah Carol had dropped her guard because she didnāt think that she was in active danger anymore, but now that she is aware they donāt need her consent to turn her she is gonna be just as stubborn as Manousos is and I think theyāll get along well. Or at least respect each other.
Carol would literally rather nuke herself and Albuquerque than become one of them.
I thought it was hilarious how she was now acting like Lakshmi and Manousos was acting like Carol.
Everyone who defended the hive - WHERE YOU AT NOW? LOOK AT THAT POOR BABY GOAT
Valued the same as a human life. Allowed to starve to death.
Please!
That goat will be killed by a predator before night fall.
Manousous arriving 11 days before the opening sceneā¦
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That opening really was just watching someone getting guilted into undergoing conversion therapy before your eyes. Might as well given her a lobotomy to "Fix" her.
Not being betrayed by Helen from beyond the grave. This is so sad. Over and over the hive has used Helen's memories against Carol, only in the worst of Helen's moments.
It makes you wonder how much of her ārelationshipā with Zosia was based on them using Helen against her. They know exactly what to say and what to do.
One thing they couldnāt do is address Carolās skepticism when it comes to happiness. She couldnāt focus on the positives at the ice hotel, and had this nagging belief that her time with Zosia couldnāt possibly be true happiness.
And thatās what led her to understanding that none of it was real. Zosia would drop the illusion as soon as they turned Carol.
Bring on the nukes.
The hive took cultural appropriation to its most vulgar, culture-ending extreme. I'm no expert in indigenous Peruvian culture, but as that opening scene was presented, it was clear the hive used cultural tradition to create an environment where the survivor not only felt comfortable, but called to the joining. And then they all just walked away from their home. Sick shit, one of the most awful and memorable things I've seen on TV in a while.
Wow she actually did it. And as soon as she did they literally destroyed an entire town and civilization with it. Fucking horrifying
Horrifying because it's so smooth and peaceful. The inevitability of the Hive.
But it's excellent storytelling, because now we can really imagine what happens if Carol surrenders. She holds Zosia's hand, whispers a soft 'I love you', and then a moment later, Zosia lets go, Carol stands up; and with big smiles on their faces, they never so much as glance at each other as Carol helps load bodies into a freezer truck.
Itās so odd how depressing this feels yet thatās the reality that the Plurbs are aiming for. Reminds me of how I felt during Ex Machina; I hate it and love it!
the little goat chasing after her :/
I wanted to hold it š
the way they just all dropped the act as soon as she was converted
Her conversion was basically the death of their entire culture
The sequence leading into her conversion was the perfect way to remind the audience of the stakes. This is the end of humanity.Ā
I think the scene was wonderfully done for this reason. It was horrible to watch and I'm glad it's there.
carol just had the craziest post-nut clarity lmao
Nothing's real if it can't exist outside of the Bubble. Carol knows that, which is why she was more scared of Manousos talking to Zosia than she was of the machete. The bubble burst the moment she tried to explain why it was different for Zosia to love him the same as her.
I can't believe Manousos is learning physics and english at the same time this dude is definitely gonna save the world
I just noticed that a small fly flies over Kusimayus face as she joins. RIP Kusimayu š
Another Breaking Bad cameo
God bless Magsafe.
10,000 km for this shit
Erm it was actually 9,000
That line took me out
Carol reading The Left Hand of Darkness is awesome haha
Damn, just seeing the joining and then itās silence, release the animals and move on. Kind of hurt my stomach to watch that.
Manousos after she told him what she brought with the helicopter
Chekhov's atom bomb has arrived.
āWe have to do this because we love you,ā TOLD YOU THEY ARE MANIPULATIVE AND CONTROLLING AND JUSTIFY IT WITH āLOVEā
exactly like what someone leading a conversion therapy camp would say too
That part where Zosia calmly told Carol they love her just as they do Manousos. Man, that really should have woke her up then and there. Glad she finally did at the end.
Was it me.. but the view through Zosia's eyes when Carol was figuring it all out freaky or what??
I think thatās Tony Dalton (Lalo Salamanca) on the phone with Manousos!
Carolās zoom in shot when she realizes she only has one month left to save the world with Manousos.
This fight of philosophy is wild and I love it.
"They wouldn't kill an ant"
"And isn't it evil to value an ant same as a man?"
Bars!
I don't speak snap
Okay I know I shouldnāt laugh but why was Manousos screaming in the face of the plurb he just revived so fucking funny š
The opening was fucking awesome. The build up to Kusimayu joining the hive felt so tense yet calming and then the village dropping the facade because there was no need for it anymore. Crazy
carol this entire finale
https://preview.redd.it/964mr3esx29g1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9798688c364488d60f04e696bedb55a7bdf980dd
Carol lost the plot to pussy. Sheās just like me fr
wow carol actually has lost the plot a bit. sheās gotten very comfortable with everything going on
The baby goat yāallā¦š„ŗš„ŗ
Carol be acting like those people who fall in love with ChatGPT
Waiting for whatsherface to call carol and start bitching at her.