Oh Carol. I don’t think that attempt at appeasement ended up the way you thought it would. Although, I’m also not completely convinced that there isn’t some aspect of the original Zosia still lingering under that hive mind, slowly seeping out through the cracks. And then there’s Manuosos, who’s inching ever closer to Albuquerque, expecting to find an ally who has also spurned any and all help from the Others. He’s going to be in for a rude awakening when he realizes that Carol might share his desire to rebuild the world, but she doesn’t share his desire to spurn the world as it currently stands.
There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to Carol and Zosia’s tete-a-tete this week, so let’s dive in. In an episode titled “Charm Offensive,” it’s pretty clear that both Carol and the Others (in the guise of Zosia) were working to turn on the charm in hopes of manipulating the other to break – or at least make some concessions. For Carol, that meant taking steps to engage Zosia – agreeing to play the games she suggested, asking questions to learn more about the Others and how they live. It also meant revealing a bit about herself that she had never told anyone. In return, the Others started to essentially love bomb Carol. From Zosia openly flirting with her while they played croquette, to rebuilding her favorite diner (although they lost some points from bringing back Bri – gotta be careful with the whole openly manipulating “people” to make Carol’s experience better, Others), to them gleefully asking if she was working on another Waycaro novel*, the Others were determined to make the most of this second chance to get Carol on their side.
*An interesting point the Others mentioned – a new Wycaro book would be amazing to them because it would be the first new book they’ve read since the Joining. When you know everything that was ever written, something wholly new and unknown must be a true gift. Which is something special the Survivors can bring into their world: New experiences they can’t anticipate.
And, you know what? It sorta worked. Carol’s sleepover in the field house ended with her putting her arm around a sleeping Zosia – the first chunk of her internal armor to fall. And then there was Zosia taking the initiative to kiss Carol.* Them sleeping together leads to Carol churning out a new chapter of Wycaro, with Raban now a woman – showing both us and the Others that Carol is starting to settle in her skin in ways she never could manage to do in the old world. While Carol still isn’t sold on this new world order, she’s warming to it in ways the Carol of a month earlier never would. Hell, she even tells Zosia that she likes some of what the Others are about – what they are doing – even if she cannot wrap her head around the fact that this world is doomed to fail and she can take steps to save it and the Others don’t seem to want that to happen.
*Okay, I think pretty much everyone saw that Carol and Zosia would eventually sleep together – or at least stumble into some sort of romantic entanglement. The Others specifically selected Zosia because she resembled Raban, the romantic ideal of Carol. And they were absolutely laying it on thick at croquette – and Carol certainly wasn’t totally playacting when she flirted back. But what was interesting about that first kiss was that Zosia initiated it. The Others have been very careful not to do anything to the Survivors that might cause them pain. And kissing Carol, who has been grieving her dead wife for a while now? That absolutely could have hurt her. So, why did the Others do it? Or, perhaps, was that an independent choice Zosia made?
But, if Carol was charmed by the Others (in the guise of Zosia), Zosia appeared to be charmed by Carol – and not necessarily the Others through Zosia. Which is quite the wrinkle. I had wondered just where the story could go when it comes to the character of Zosia if she remained simply the mouthpiece of the Others for Carol. Where’s the complexity to the character if she’s simply there to guide Carol through the new world? And Karolina Wydra and Rhea Seehorn have such good chemistry that something more than that sterile relationship had to eventually bloom there. And I think we have a chance to see how it might be possible to reprogram someone back to who they were before – start insisting that they speak as an individual. Because that speech from Zosia about mango ice cream? Along with being a hell of speech, delivered exquisitely by Wydra, it was the first time we really got to see Zosia – and I really believe that was actually Zosia and not just the Others speaking for her.
Previously, “individuals” have always referred to their past selves in the third person. Religiously. So, just getting Zosia to dive into singular pronouns was a win. But to do it without prompting from Carol? That’s where things get interesting. Would the Others make that choice to charm Carol? Maybe. But would they spout off such a gorgeous speech about a core memory? I don’t think so. We know that the hive mind is always aware of everything happening, but that it’s mostly background noise unless an individual vessel tunes into a frequency. And in that moment, Zosia was fully tuned out. She was relieving her own memories – not listening to anything else, not pulling from anywhere else. That was Zosia. And Carol manipulated her into breaking into an individual. Even if only for a brief moment, before the Hive returned to her mind.
So, what does this new development mean for Carol? Well, she managed to learn a bit more about the Others’ plans (sending out the signal to space again to try to pass along their “gift”). She also started working again – and judging from how nervous she was to find out what Zosia thought, she wanted it to be good. She also managed to sleep with Zosia – who kissed her first. That’s a huge step – even if she was looking a tad guilty staring at Helen’s grave. But most importantly, she got Zosia to become Zosia for a moment. That has to give her hope that perhaps her charm offensive has been as successful as the Others’ toward her. With Manuosos en route, she’s going to need to be able to prove that she still wants to save the world. Which might be hard to do since she’s shacking up with one of the Others now.
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