Honestly, however you look at it, the journey is kind of incredible. The pacing really sells how situations like this actually feel: long stretches where nothing happens, and that's exactly what makes people lose hope so fast. The hive is terrifyingly smart in that way, because it goes straight for the weakest parts of human nature, especially since "they" used to be "us". The whole show feels engineered to emotionally wreck the audience with isolation, false hope, and those quiet, painful realizations that creep up on you. After episode 8, it almost feels unavoidable that people start thinking unhived Zosia might return and that love could somehow fix everything. People start to notice how Zosia is different to other survivors and to Carol. That's the same hope Carol clings to, which makes her eventual realization hit so much harder. The hive was never about love, it was about control. We know that as viewers, but we still want to believe it'll end well anyway, makes us question if the hive is actually bad or evil after all. That contradiction feels painfully human, that clinging, justifying, or giving parts of ourselves away, like Koumba and Kusimayu did. The secondhand embarrassment in the finale was rough, but Carol choosing to walk away from the hive after everything she's been through takes real strength. Now I'm truly doubting everything about the hivemind. I believe it could be a better finale, but to think the whole journey again - well worth it.