The Gap (Pluribus)
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Episode 7
by Hermanos Gutiérrez[1]
| "The Gap" | |
|---|---|
| Pluribus episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Adam Bernstein |
| Written by | Jenn Carroll |
| Featured music | "Esperanza" by Hermanos Gutiérrez[1] |
| Cinematography by | Paul Donachie |
| Editing by | Chris McCaleb |
| Original air date | December 12, 2025 |
| Running time | 46 minutes |
| Guest appearance | |
| |
"The Gap" is the seventh episode of the American post-apocalyptic science fiction television series Pluribus. The episode was written by co-executive producer Jenn Carroll, and directed by Adam Bernstein. It was released on Apple TV on December 12, 2025.
The series is set in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and follows author Carol Sturka, who is one of only thirteen people in the world immune to the effects of "the Joining", resulting from an extraterrestrial virus that had transformed the world's human population into a peaceful and content hive mind (the "Others"). In the episode, Carol allows herself to indulge in her isolation, while Manousos drives through South America in an attempt to reach her.
The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the performances, pacing, and cinematography.
Leaving Las Vegas, Carol stops at a gas station. She uses the telephone there to call the Others to turn the pump on, and then decides to ask for a Gatorade drink as well. When the drone delivers it, she calls them to complain that it was not "ice-cold" as she requested and asks them to do better. She notices a fireworks display in the store and decides to take them with her. After filling the car, she drives off to Albuquerque.
Carol tries to find ways to entertain herself, such as lighting the fireworks, playing golf in a country club, relaxing in Jemez Springs, and visiting the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. One night, she gets the Others to arrange a dinner at an expensive restaurant she attended with Helen for their anniversary.
In South America, Manousos attempts to drive across the continent to reach Carol in Albuquerque. He uses cassette tapes to learn English and refuses to let the Others help him with anything. He leaves cash behind whenever he picks up leftover supplies or siphons gas. Approaching the Darién Gap on the Colombia–Panama border, the road north ends, and Manousos gets ready to hike. A group of Others emerge and warn him not to continue, as the weather is severe, the terrain dangerous and he lacks resources. They suggest transporting him and his car directly to New Mexico instead. Manousos responds by setting his car on fire and continuing on foot alone - to him, anything the Others could offer him has been stolen. During his trek through the jungle, Manousos trips and is impaled on a chunga palm tree. Despite attempts to cauterize his wounds, he collapses and is rescued by the Others who reach him via helicopter.
Carol has grown depressed and despondent after roughly one month in isolation, but she continues trying to entertain herself. While drinking beer and shooting off fireworks in her cul-de-sac one night, a firework rocket accidentally tips over and aims directly at her. She notices, but does nothing about it, staring at it numbly until the fuse burns out. The rocket shoots and very narrowly misses her head, instead hitting a house behind her. She silently puts out the ensuing fire with a garden hose.
Some time later, Carol takes white paint and uses it to write "come back" on the street in front of her house. Shortly afterwards, Zosia arrives in a car. After a silent exchange, Carol hugs her, breaking down.
Production
Development
The episode was written by co-executive producer Jenn Carroll, and directed by Adam Bernstein. This marked Carroll's first writing credit and Bernstein's first directing credit.[2]
Writing
Carlos Manuel Vesga said that the episode displayed how Manousos does not want any help from the Others. "The more they know about him, the more he hates them. So when they say, 'We can transport your car for you. We know how important it is for you,' that enrages him even more. Like, 'How dare you know how much I love my car!' Everything that they can offer to him reminds him of loss, of what they took. Comparing him with Carol, Carol hates them, but still, she takes their help. This guy is like, 'No. Nothing. Nothing that you can offer. I'd rather eat dog food.'"[3]
Rhea Seehorn said that series creator Vince Gilligan and director Bernstein helped her in seeing Carol's loneliness, which is what leads to her asking the Others to come back. "She could still eat and move around her house and watch TV, but it was an existential isolation where you have no idea if this will ever end, and that it broke her. It really broke her."[4]
Production
Some locations in Albuquerque had been previously used for shots in Better Call Saul, including the Albuquerque Country Club and the Chaco, a high-scale restaurant. Though named, the show used a set as a stand-in for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, as Gilligan's crew had previously done during Breaking Bad.[1] Additional filming was shot in the Jemez Mountains, about 50 miles from Albuquerque.[1]
Some of the jungle scenes used for Manousos' trip were filmed on La Palma, part of the Canary Islands.[1] Other scenes with Manousos were filmed in New Mexico, as they could not damage the flora nor set fire to Manousos' car at La Palma, and instead used a set in Albuquerque replicating the jungle setting, primarily for the close-up shots.[5] To deal with the logistics and timing that would involve shipping Manousos' MG Midget across the Atlantic, they were able to have two replicas of the MG Midget used in the New Mexico shots created in Europe and used those for the jungle shots.[6]