If what they say about being joined being ultimate happiness is true, and given the hints about dopamine and oxytocin and Carol's previous drug use, my theory is that being unjoined is like detoxing times a thousand. It's painful and those that end up in the milk may have offed themselves.

"Live action" The Simpsons using AI "directed" by Jon Favreau

It's fun reading this thread, everyone pointing out to you how you're a fucking idiot, and you not accepting it. Thanks for the great read.

"Union rules says it takes two people to operate the vomit machine."

No worries man. It felt good to think about the show.

From what they've said, they see the free thinkers as people who are "drowning". To them not being part of the VCT is a disability and seem to (kind of condescendingly) want to keep them as comfortable as possible until they figure out what's wrong with them.

In her mind at least shes not as bad as the guy riding around on air force one with the harem.

Carol's two main drives seem to be 1) To "save" everyone and return the world to normal and/or 2) to be left alone. She believes as long as she's not causing physical harm to anyone ordering people around in the service of those two drives is a moral good.

I may misremember but I'm not sure if Carol even knows about the RNA sequence from space. Maybe she does. Either way she has not expressed a belief that she thinks aliens are coming. I think she's motivated to "save" everyone. But to her just being "Joined" into the VCT is enough to require saving.

At least part of it is grief and anger over what happened to her partner. Also episode 4 reveals some relevant back story for Carol. It seems like this is not the first time she has experienced someone trying to change her.

Episode 4 mentions that people undergoing withdrawal from drugs are being cared for. I imagine it is the same for those with disabilities. I believe the VCT cares for all life equally though I wonder if they prize Carol's and the other free thinkers lives more.

There's a very western idea that individuality and the freedom to be an individual is very important. There's a lot of art about collectives being menacing and scary (e.g. Invasion of the Body Snatchers). Pluribus fits into that body of work, though I believe it's going for something more nuanced.

quick drawing of what i think a rosary for men looks like

Looks like a CW show

Stephen King: “I wrote Pet Sematary as a cautionary tale of what happens when a grief and despair overpower the order of a natural world”
Tech Bros: “At long last, we have recreated the pet sematary from the novel Pet Sematary”