Carol falling for it and thinking she and Zosia had something unique and special was devastating but it really exemplifies how effective the hive's manipulation is. Zosia was a complete stranger to her but they successfully made her feel special and chosen by targeting her weak spots. Now imagine if Helen hadn't died, and had said "we love him the same as you" about Manousos to her. Imagine Laxmi's son or husband telling her they love Carol as much as her. It would be impossible to register, mind breaking even, but it would be true, because the hive is *not* Laxmi's son, or Carol's wife. It has their memories, not their feelings, and it never can. The hive simply relies on the uninfected filling in the gaps of emotion it can't genuinely express.

They did share something unique and special; they experienced a relationship of their own—much like the other unaffected and their infected families. But, objectively, they are all of equal standing. There is no manipulation because there is no harm, as that would contradict their nature. The hive does not intend for Carol to feel “special and chosen”; it wishes to make her as happy as she can possibly be outside of the hive. They’re not “targeting weak spots”; they’re comforting her.

Watching Manousos try and talk some sense into Carol is absolutely heartbreaking. He's saying all the things she already said! She spent the first part of the show desperately trying to make someone understand. No one saw her way. Then, slowly, the hive got under her skin. The hive systematically broke her down into a dependent shell of herself. She compromised all her principles. Talking with Manousos like talking with a version of her that never entered this abusive relationship. A narrative mirror she has to look at and be forced to remember what she believes. She resists his attempts to reason with the reality of her situation, as victims usually do. Carol pushes away the person who is being direct with her, the only person left on earth who can understand her, for a hivemind that wishes to assimilate her. What also strikes me as interesting is that Manousos seems to pretty quickly piece together exactly what's happening here. He sees Helen's tombstone. He talks with "Zosia". He is smart. He can tell this is some sort of abusive relationship where the hive is feigning personhood to gain her submission. He tells her "Do you want to save the world, or do you want to get the girl?" He is firm, and direct. She won't hear it. It was so hard to watch how accurate it is to watch someone in an abusive relationship try and be reasoned with and then push away the person trying to help them.

one thing about pluribus that’s so endlessly interesting is how much the hivemind lies and manipulates through omission. like obviously there’s carol figuring things out twice because zosia won’t answer her but also kusimayu’s Joining has been haunting me for the same reason. like did they tell her that once she Joined and the hive got what they wanted, they’d pack up and abandon her village? leave the animals to die? leave behind her whole world? i don’t think so. they wore the faces and personalities of her family and friends so that she wouldn’t ask those questions. they promised she’d be with her loved ones again and gave her no reason to doubt that. it’s fucking chilling i really really feel for her.

The hive allowing Carol to slowly be driven to suicidality so that she’ll come crawling back to her out of abject loneliness and emotional starvation and at no point do they tell her someone is looking for her. Someone believes in her. He’s putting his life on the line for her. She is his only hope. They let her believe she’s really alone for a month. Totally alone. Universally hated. But she’s not, but what she doesn’t know can’t hurt them!

You’re reading malicious intent where there was none. Carol being driven to suicidality was but one possibility among many—an unintended consequence. Carol was actively harming them: drugging one—causing her to have a heart attack—and forcing them to aid in their own demise. They had to leave. Otherwise, she would continue to harm them, and they would let her, as it’s in their nature to never act against living beings. In her “aloneness,” she was never really alone; she could always contact them if she ever needed something. When she needed the hive to return, they did.