Apple Plus has a good track record of quirky puzzle-shows, like Severance, Shrinking, and now Pluribus (2025): An alien virus transmitted from a world 600 light years away transforms all of humanity into a hive mind, a single consciousness. Well, except the 886 million who died during the Joining, including romance novelist Carol Sturka's girlfriend.
The Survivor: Carol is one of the 12 individuals in the world who didn't join. As They work round the clock to find out why and develop a cure, They flash crazy Stepford Wife smiles, speak in unison, and give her anything she asks for. Bring a hand grenade, no problem. They have emptied out all of the stores for more efficient resource distribution, but when she wants to shop at her favorite supermarket, they re-stock it.
Maybe They are so accommodating because when Carol gets angry, They start to cry. Every body in the world. When she yells, They have a seizure, and thousands of bodies die. So it's best to keep her calm.
About Them: They send Zosia, a body that looks like a female version of Carol's romance novel hero, to help her understand the new reality.
1. They have complete memories of everyone who was alive at the Joining, including details that no one would remember: "A waiter who served you on March 12, 2015 remembers that you liked this dish."
2. Because They have every memory, any available body performs any necessary task. The first time Carol flies, the body of a donut girl is her pilot. Later, to to make Carol more comfortable, They find the bodies of former pilots.
3. They cannot hurt living beings, including plants, so They are surviving on the stocks that already existed at the joining, windfall fruit, and protein derived from dead bodies. Well, the bodies aren't performing useful functions anymore, so why not use them?
4. They cannot lie, but if you ask Them something that they don't want to tell you, like if They are eating people, they get upset.
Mr. Diabaté: Most of the other individuals who didn't Join are anxious for Them to devise a cure, and criticize Carol's efforts to "save the world." Mr. Diabaté, from Mauretania, has adopted a sybaritic lifestyle, flying around in Air Force One, playing high-stakes poker games ("Stay in character!"), inviting the bodies of former supermodels into his hot tub.
He's from Mauretania because actor Samba Schutte (top photo) is Mauretanian, born in Noaukchott to a Mauretanian mother and a Dutch father. He grew up in Ethiopia, studied at the Utrecht School of the Arts in the Netherlands, and moved to the U.S. in 2011. You may recall him as Roach in Our Flag Meets Death.
Mauretania is an Islamic Republic, formerly part of French West Africa, mostly desert, and rather repressive: converting to another religion, or becoming atheist, is a capital crime. You don't want to know the official attitude toward LGBT people, so let's just look at a Mauretanian guy's cock.
Manousos: Survivor Manousos, from Paraguay, refuses any help from Them. They bring food everyday, and he throws it out. He prefers to scavenge from neighboring apartments, always leaving payment for what he takes. When he discovers that Carol is looking for a way to "save the world," he sets out to visit her in Albuquerque, Estados Unidos. They offer to fly him, but he insists on driving himself -- leaving payment for the cars he commandeers. There are no roads in the 60-mile Darien Gap, between Colombia and Panama, so he walks, and is severely injured by the bacteria-laced spikes of a chunga palm tree.
More after the break
Manousos is played by the Colombian actor Carlos-Manuel Vesga. He became famous for playing romantic leads in telenovelas like Amor sincero, and has recently transitioned to villain roles.
Paraguay is the only country in South America where a native language has official status. Over 90% of the country speaks Guarani as their first or second language. Only 68% is fluent in Spanish.
Left: Only a few Guarani are still hunter-gatherers.
It's also the only country in South America with a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making it the second most homophobic country on the continent (after Guyana). But that won't stop me from posting a Guarani guy's cock.
Beefcake: None. No major male characters except for Manousos and Mr. Diabaté, and they are only on screen for a few minutes in a few episodes.
Other Sights: Some striking scenes of Them with their creepy smiles and simultaneous actions. Carol meets with the other surviving individuals in Bilbao. Manousos' journey from Paraguay has some interesting exteriors, including a night view of downtown Quito.
Gay Characters: Carol, of course. They are willing to do whatever makes you happy, so we never find out what Zosia's sexual identity was back when she was an individual.
My Grade: I liked the matter-of-fact gay representation, but 90% of the time it's just Carol by herself, being angry or sitting around getting drunk. Watching her do nothing for five or ten minutes (and one entire episode) becomes quite tedious. Imitating Them, who end every sentence with "Carol," I kept yelling at the screen "You're getting boring, Carol. Watching you watch The Golden Girls is not riveting tv, Carol. Do something besides bitch and pout, Carol."
"Severance": Dystopian science fiction or realistic portrayal of corporate life? With a gay romance
Jamie McGuire: The Smiley Creature from "From," with Halifax hunks and a nude Dylan Sprouse
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