Rhea Seehorn's Carol Sturka has long made it her mission in Pluribus to reverse the Joining, and episode 8, "Charm Offensive," may have just given her the most promising shot at a solution yet. It's been known for a while now that there is a way to return the world to how it once was, but the Apple TV show has been intentionally sparse on information about how to pull that off. It took until the final moments of season 1's penultimate episode, but the answer may have just revealed itself.
"Charm Offensive" shows Carol the most at peace she's ever been with the Joining, and possibly even before that. However, her openness to hanging out with Zosia (Karolina Wydra) gradually reveals itself to be simple espionage in disguise. By the end of the episode, the subterfuge has seemingly fallen away, and Carol has settled into what appears to be a surprisingly peaceful existence, considering her past views. In her contentment, she might have just missed a clue that her old self would have seen as vital.
FULL SPOILERS ahead for Pluribus season 1, Episode 8, "Charm Offensive."
Zosia briefly seems like her pre-Joining self at the end of Pluribus Episode 8
Pluribus understandably doesn't spend any time with Zosia before the Joining takes hold. She only starts to become a relevant character when the Joining sends her as an ambassador to speak with Carol in Episode 2, "Pirate Lady." Even then, all the audience gets are context clues when it comes to her pre-Joining life. Her story about the mango ice cream at the end of "Charm Offensive" reveals she grew up in Gdańsk, Poland.
When Zosia is recounting the wholesome tale of her childhood, Wydra plays the character differently from how we usually see her. She seems wistful, nostalgic, and generally recalling the events in a way that doesn't align with the characteristics of those in the Joining. She even refers to herself as "I" rather than speaking for all the Others by using "we." She does this before this scene as well, but it seems far more natural when she's telling Carol about the ice cream. Anytime she says "we" during the story itself, it feels more like she's referring to other individuals who were there at the time.
I interpreted this moment as Zosia briefly separating herself from the Joining to grant Carol her request of hearing a personal opinion that wasn't directly formed by everyone else in the planetwide hive mind. It's only a brief sequence, and Zosia looks like she's reclaimed by the psychic connection afterward. Brevity aside, it could very much be a key scene when it comes to helping the Others reclaim their individuality on a more permanent basis.
Carol probably noticed Zosia's change in "Charm Offensive"
Rhea Seehorn's character watches Zosia like a hawk when she's talking about ice cream at the end of "Charm Offensive," but other than a handful of tiny facial expressions, Carol doesn't give a lot away. It could be that she was fully aware how strange it was that Zosia was speaking so personally about an experience that only happened to her, or she might have been so swept up in the moment of hearing about such a heartwarming story that she wasn't really appreciating what was going on as the sign it was.
That said, Carol spends a lot of time with the Others in "Charm Offensive" under the guise of acceptance, only to hurry home afterward and add to her research on the Joining on her concealed whiteboard. So, I think it's safe to say that the notable shift in Zosia's demeanor didn't go unnoticed by Carol, but that she didn't want to let the Joining know that she'd spotted it. If she did, she'll have something big to tell Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) when he eventually arrives in Albuquerque.
How Carol could use this discovery to reverse the Joining
Knowing that the Others can briefly return to their old selves is one thing, but the Joining would probably notice if Carol tried to weaponize this revelation to return the world back to how it was before the hive mind took hold. So, she'll need to be incredibly subtle about what she does next. She'll probably also test her theory a few more times first by asking Zosia more questions about her past, to see if the same thing happens again.
With Pluribus already having a second season on the way (Apple TV ordered the first two runs at once), don't expect Carol to come up with a solution in the season 1 finale. On the off-chance she does, then it almost definitely won't be put into action until season 2, or the story would be pretty dull when the show returns.
But, in theory, Carol may just need to find a way to coerce the Joining into recalling a core memory of every individual on Earth. If enough people become hung up on their lives from before all at the same time, maybe the phenomenon that seemed to take hold of Zosia will be even more pronounced — possibly even permanent. The challenge would be getting them to do this, but Carol has already used the excuse "it would make me happy" a few times in Pluribus so far, and it's often been enough for the Others to obey.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV.