Pluribus: Apple TV show allegedly triggers mental health episode in UK woman named Carol with schizophrenia

Ever since the fifth episode of Apple TV's Pluribus, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series, has ended on a cliffhanger, people just cannot stop talking about it. The show created by Vince Gilligan of Breaking Bad fame has quickly become everyone's favourite. Now, a UK woman named Carol has reportedly experienced a severe mental health episode after watching an advertisement of Pluribus, the new Apple TV+ series that's been gaining rapid attention.Pluribus sparks mental health crisis for UK viewerA creepy Pluribus advertisement appearing on smart fridge LED screen has allegedly triggered a mental health episode in a UK woman named Carol with schizophrenia leading to her hospitalisation. In a viral Reddit post, her brother rebealed Carol believed "someone was trying to communicate with her through her fridge," prompting her to taxi herself to A&E for monitoring and medication adjustments—only for him to later spot a targeted Facebook ad on a smart fridge displaying "WE'RE SORRY WE UPSET YOU, CAROL" against an ominous yellow background, promoting the Apple TV sci-fi thriller that stars starring Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka on the show. Credit: Reddit | Pluribus allegedly triggers mental health episode in UK womanThe brother revealed that her sister Carol, unable to manage her affairs independently, spent two days under hospital observation post-incident. Pluribus' ad mimicks the series' alien invasion plot, where a hive mind infects nearly everyone except protagonist Carol. Fans praise the immersive promo for Pluribus, now streaming with episodes dropping Fridays on Apple TV+, but critics question if these ads with such psychological tactics can be deployed household appliances without consent."Oh man thats so unfortunate. Hope she is doing well now. Though I'll never in my life understand smart fridges. Why do people pay extra to see ads?" a user asked. Some others questioned if this story was entirely fake. "Certainly fake. The image of the ad on a TV went viral on reddit and this story reads as someone just trying to hit on that virality." Another user said, "This sounds like the average Reddit creative writing exercise."When is the next episode of Pluribus dropping? Pluribus features 9 episodes in its first season, with a second season of another 9 episodes already confirmed. The season premiered with a double episode drop, followed by weekly releases every Friday, and as of early December 2025, episode 5 is available while episode 6 is slated for December 5, building toward the finale on December 26. This rollout has fueled massive buzz, breaking records for Apple TV drama launches previously held by Severance season 2.