Carol on 'Pluribus' is not an unlikeable character

I waited until nearly the very last second to publish my best and worst lists, just to make sure there was nothing else for me to consume and judge before the end of 2025. This year was often pretty terrifying and depressing, but among the ways people tried to make each other think and feel, there’s still a lot to celebrate (and, well, to hate).

One of the things that really captivated me, alongside a whole lot of other people, was Pluribus. (Spoilers for the first few episodes ahead, until you hit the next subheading.) The new Apple TV series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan is about a prickly author named Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn) who suddenly gets thrust into a post-apocalyptic nightmare when most of Earth is infected with a virus that turns everyone into a seemingly benevolent but freaky hivemind. Carol is among a handful of immune folks spread out across the globe, but she’s one of an even tinier minority that sees anything wrong with the situation.

Carol is irritable and quick to anger, the polar opposite of the over-the-top cheeriness of the Hive. That’s what makes her character so much fun to watch. Just a little over a month after Pluribus premiered, Apple TV announced it was its most-watched series ever. But while it has a near-perfect approval rating among professional critics, there’s a decently loud backlash on social media against Carol’s “unlikeable” character and the show’s relatively slow-moving plot (I’d argue it’s really only “slow” compared to brainrot entertainment).

I have never agreed that Carol Sturka is “unlikeable.” Sure, people can have different opinions about the likability of TV show characters. But at least some of the sentiment against Sturka is stemming from men who liked Walter White. They like and even love male characters who embody anti-hero archetypes and possess gruff, angry, outright violent personalities, but they can’t stand to see even a flicker of the same attitude in a fictional woman.

Sturka isn’t even an antihero by definition. Her deeply held mission is to save humankind from the clutches of a virus that strips away culture and individuality, replacing care for other people with a desire to infect them. Her abrasiveness may turn some viewers off, but that isn’t true for everyone. I think she’s funny, relatable, and more reasonable than a lot of people give her credit for. Her mentality isn’t cynical or self-serving—she loses her wife, the one person she cares about the most, and she’s still invested in trying to rescue other people. She just goes about it without any of the softness that women characters are often built with to gain sympathy from an audience that is already biased against them. Carol refuses to conform, which is what gives her the ability to be the protagonist in a scenario like this. She is brave and driven by good intentions. She’s simply unconcerned with being likable at the same time. That makes me like her more.

And Gilligan agrees with me. Here’s what he told Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonk about people calling Carol “unlikeable:”

This kind of labeling disproportionately affects all women characters and other kinds of marginalized characters, too. But I think part of the backlash toward Carol specifically is also rooted in her being a visibly lesbian character. Pluribus isn’t about being gay, but Carol’s identity suits the narrative in subtle and not-so-subtle ways (like how forced conversion plays such a big role). Plus, the romance happening onscreen is largely between women. Being a gay woman myself, that’s obviously going to make me happy. And seeing a young, lesbian-driven fandom coalesce around the show makes me very happy. Out of all the shows and characters I watched this year, Pluribus and Carol Sturka have to be my favorite.

And for my equally amazing Spitfire News members, I wanted to share the rest of my faves—and least faves—of the year. Books, movies, newsletters, new seasons of reality TV, Instagram Reels, museum exhibits, activities, and bites of food included.

Subscribe to Spitfire News to read the rest.