Link to the d*cks

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 the Others 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: The Others 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 the Others have every memory, every training, any available body can performs any necessary task. Don't some task need muscle memory, too? The first time Carol flies, the body of a donut girl is her pilot. Later, to to make her more comfortable, they find the bodies of former pilots.

3. The Others 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? How did they survive on their home planet?

4. They cannot lie, but when Carol asks "is there a way to reverse the process?", they get so upset that they vacate Albuquerque, and will only communicate via recordings and drones: "Our feelings for you haven't changed, but we need some space."

Mr. Diabaté: Most of the individuals who didn't Join (and survived) are anxious for the Others 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, pretending to playhigh-stakes poker games ("Stay in character!"), and inviting the bodies of former supermodels into his hot tub.

He's from Mauretania because actor Samba Schutte (top photo and left) was born in Noaukchott to a Mauretanian mother and a Dutch father. Samba 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.

Straight in real life.

Mauretania is an Islamic Republic, formerly part of French West Africa, mostly desert, and rather repressive: converting to another religion, or promoting atheism, 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 (d*ck on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends)

Manousos: Survivor Manousos, from Paraguay, refuses any help from the Others. 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. The Others 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. They provide emergency medical care, but the moment he awakens in the hospital, he insists on paying for his treatment, commandeers an ambulance, and sets out again.

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, in News of a Kidnapping (2022) and The Hijacking of Flight 601 (2024).

Straight.

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.

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 d*ck (on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

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. John Cena has a cameo.

Other Sights: Some striking scenes of the Others 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 if Zosia was a lesbian as an individual.

My Grade: Fascinating concept, and I liked the matter-of-fact gay representation and multinational cast, 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 b*tch and pout, Carol." B-.

"Best Foot Forward": Boy negotiates middle school with a prosthetic leg, a hot dad, a bodybuilder brother, a gay buddy, and no annoying girl-craziness

"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 n*de Dylan Sprouse