From “Sinners” to “Pluribus,” 2025 was the year of the hive mind

For a few exuberant days, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), the despondent heroine of “Pluribus,” almost convinces herself to be happy at the end of the world. That wouldn’t be much of a challenge for most people in her position, since Carol’s apocalypse is curated to please her. As one of a dozen people worldwide immune to a phenomenon called the Joining, which unified billions of people into a blissed-out hive mind, Carol’s well-being becomes everyone else’s mission.

It takes her a while to get used to that.