With the announcement of a second season already confirmed, fans of the Apple TV sci-fi drama Pluribus can breathe a sigh of relief. The season finale, crafted by the brilliant Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad fame, has left viewers dangling on the edge of their seats, hinting at the explosive (quite literally) narrative developments awaiting in the next chapter. As the concluding episode tied up several key threads, it also set the stage for fresh, thrilling possibilities.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first season of Pluribus.

To understand where the story stands, let’s revisit the intriguing premise of Pluribus. The series kicks off with the emergence of an enigmatic virus of alien origin, which transforms most of Earth’s human population into a peaceful hive mind. These interconnected individuals are so averse to violence that even harming an insect or picking fruit causes them distress. A select few, however, remain unaffected. Among them are Carol (portrayed by Rhea Seehorn), an American, and Manousos (played by Carlos-Manuel Vesga) from Paraguay. Throughout the season, though physically apart, they share a common goal: to restore the world to its pre-virus state and resist the hive’s influence.

The finale brings Carol and Manousos face to face for the first time, yet their encounter is anything but straightforward. Carol’s perspective has shifted, particularly after growing closer to her hive chaperone, Zosia (Karolina Wydra). Their relationship has blossomed into romance, marking a stark contrast to Carol’s initial hostility towards the hive, which once led to her isolation from the community in Albuquerque.

Manousos, expecting to find an ally in Carol, is taken aback by her newfound reluctance to join his cause. This reversal of roles mirrors an earlier episode where Carol unsuccessfully tried to persuade other survivors to revert the world to its former state. The communication barrier, exacerbated by their reliance on Google Translate, only adds to the tension, leading Manousos to sarcastically reflect, “Well, this is going just great.”

By the episode’s climax, common ground seems within reach. Carol discovers that despite her feelings for Zosia, the hive remains determined to assimilate her. The opening scene hints at this with another survivor undergoing a mysterious procedure to join the hive. This revelation culminates in Carol receiving a shocking surprise: an atom bomb. Clearly, her earlier threats weren’t idle.

The first season of Pluribus has been a learning experience. While there are plenty of postapocalyptic shows, there’s really nothing quite like this strange, hive-mind-infected version of Earth. And so over nine episodes, we see Carol emotionally coming to grips with her new reality, but also using that time to learn as much as she can about how the hive operates. This, in turn, helps us, the audience, understand just what the heck is going on. All stories require some kind of scene-setting, but Pluribus’ unique nature requires that much more.

But the reveal of the atom bomb at the end suggests that things are going in a different direction in season 2. I don’t expect Pluribus to suddenly become a fast-paced show; its measured pace is part of its appeal and allows it to really dig into the nitty-gritty details of the world. But many of the remaining plotlines and questions require more action than simply learning more about the hive. Manousos may have figured out a way to pull individuals out of the hive using radio signals; the hive are in the midst of building a “giant antenna” to possibly communicate with whoever or whatever sent the virus in the first place; the rest of the survivors have to decide whether or not they want to join; the hive need to sort out a solution to their impending food crisis; and, oh, there’s that bomb that Carol may or may not have a plan for.