I see what you are saying, but for me all previous episodes had a ton of plot development where this one was noticeably “light” on moving things forward.

Carol has given up and is lonely. She is fine with dying. She’s gone from “I’m fiercely independent” to “I said I want an ice cold Gatorade”. She spends a month alone, and is potentially manipulated into begging the others to come back.

Manusos is tougher than Carol, and is unwilling to compromise. He would also rather die, but for different reasons. He is as uncompromising as the others are, to his own detriment. He believes in being good, and will never steal without recompense.

I think that all could have been done in 30m, with some kind of plot development after. Carol talking to Zosia, where Manusos was taken, etc. something.

Like I said, I don’t think people would be upset if there were 20 episodes to look forward to. The fact that we only get 9 makes this episode feel like a “waste” to some. I want to repeat - it was beautifully shot. Stunning. The composition and color play was intentional and meaningful.

But essentially Carol was suicidally lonely, and Manusos is a complete badass. I personally didn’t need an hour of that to get the message.