Warning: This post contains spoilers for the finale.

While it briefly appeared Carol (Rhea Seehorn) was succumbing to the Others’ efforts to draw her into the hive mind’s collective existence, the conclusion of Pluribus Season 1’s finale offered a contrasting narrative.

In the final moments of the ninth and last episode (which premiered on Apple TV on Dec. 24, two days ahead of its original Dec. 26 release), Carol returned to Albuquerque after an unsuccessful romantic trial with her chaperone-turned-lover Zosia (Karolina Wydra) and reunited with Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), another individual immune to the virus. Carol arrived with an atom bomb and a newly reaffirmed commitment to reversing the hive mind’s control over Earth’s population—a development that was welcome news to the increasingly resolute Manousos.

Below are the five most pressing questions that lingered after the finale’s credits finished rolling.

Why are Carol, Manousos, and the rest immune from the hive-mind virus?

With only 13 people worldwide immune to the so-called “Joining,” it must be an extremely rare anomaly that prevents the virus from taking hold. But so far, no concrete clues have been provided about what that anomaly might be. We know the Others have figured out how to convert immune individuals by tailoring the virus to their specific stem cells, yet the root cause of their immunity remains unclear. The finale revealed that, despite Carol’s refusal to consent to an extraction, the collective obtained her stem cells from her frozen eggs and intends to use them to convert her against her will. Whether it relates to their innate psychological makeup or something else entirely, uncovering the reason for their initial protection seems increasingly vital for Carol and Manousos right now.

How would a cure for the virus work?

We know the hive mind originated from a lysogenic virus—meaning the virus’ genetic material integrates into the host’s DNA—and it spreads through actions like kissing, licking donuts, or drinking from contaminated water, among other forms of body-fluid transmission. We also know it initially spread slowly and secretly until military interference forced swifter action. In Episode 4, Carol learned from Zosia that there appears to be a way to reverse the virus’ effects. But how would Carol and Manousos go about distributing a potential cure to every remaining hive-mind-infected person on Earth? And if they succeeded, how would the world recover from such a catastrophic event?

Is there any of the real Zosia left inside the hive-mind version of her?

Carol learned the hard way that her relationship with Zosia was merely the hive mind’s attempt to endear her to the collective, but we still wonder if any trace of the real Zosia is fighting to break free from the virus’ hold. This naturally raises the question: if the true Zosia ever regained her individuality, would Carol understand or even recognize her? Given everything Carol has done to Zosia in her hive-mind form, it also seems possible the real Zosia might harbor resentment toward her assigned ward.

What are Carol’s plans for the atom bomb?

The Season 1 finale’s closing scene revealed Carole had not only snapped out of her temporary, loneliness-induced acceptance of the hive mind but also followed through on her Episode 3 idea to demand a nuclear weapon from the Others. At this point, it’s clear Carol does not view killing those infected by the virus as a solution, so how she intends to use an atom bomb to gain control of the situation remains uncertain. Perhaps the mere threat of the nuke will be enough to get the Others to answer the cure-related questions they’ve been avoiding.

What is the ultimate goal of the beings who engineered the virus?

In Episode 8, we learned one preprogrammed directive of the hive mind is to build an antenna large enough to transmit the same RNA sequence radio signal that caused Earth’s Joining to lifeforms on other planets. Given the signal originated 600 light-years away, Zosia tells Carol it’s likely Earth’s Others will never meet the extraterrestrial beings who sent the virus. But she also notes the Others know these beings love them and that they “have to share their gift with whoever else might be out there.”

Still, the question remains: will we ever discover the grand galactic goal behind all of this? Maybe the virus is simply meant to pacify potentially dangerous, technologically advanced civilizations and prevent them from becoming interstellar threats. Perhaps the aliens who engineered the code can travel hundreds of light-years in a short time and are on their way to take over Earth right now. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. Either way, we’ll have to wait until Season 2 (or beyond) to find out.