IT General

SAVE $35: As of Dec. 24, get Madden 26 for PlayStation 5 for $34.99 at Best Buy, down from its usual price of $69.99. That's a discount of 50%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Best Buy 'Madden 26' (PlayStation 5) $34.99 at Best Buy
$69.99 Save $35.00   Get Deal

The end of 2025 has finally arrived, and while it's a little too late to still get something in time for holiday gifting for many, there's still the matter of what you should do with your downtime over the winter break. If you aren't working, there are always video games, of course. And whether you're a football fan or you just know one, you can't go wrong with the premier football gaming experience every year: Madden. The latest edition is on sale now.

As of Dec. 24, get Madden 26 for PlayStation 5 for $34.99 at Best Buy, down from its usual price of $69.99. That's a discount of 50%.

SEE ALSO: 50+ gift ideas that gamers would actually want as gifts

Madden 26 just arrived in August of this year, and it's got everything you'd usually expect from the long-running sports series. It's all about football, as it lets you play games with NPC teams or other players online, of course. But it's much deeper than that if you want to go that far.

Ultimate Team lets you create your own football dream team to play wth legends of the NFL and current, real-life NFL players. Create your dream roster and take your team on the road to see how it does against other human players' creations.

Franchise mode lets you choose a team to coach as you control drafting players, plays to run, and just about every other little tidbit you'd need to decide about your team's career.

Finally, Superstar mode lets you create your own player with their own position and likeness, as well as custom stats and attributes, so they can have a chance to get drafted by an NFL team.

There's a ton to do here for big football fans, but seeing as this new game is already discounted, it's well worth picking up and jumping into at this price. So grab yours while it's still in stock at Best Buy.

SAVE 20%: As of Dec. 24, you can get the 2024 Apple Mac mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $479, down from $599, at Amazon. That's a $120 price cut and just $10 more than its all-time low price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple 2024 Apple Mac mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $479 at Amazon
$599 Save $120   Get Deal

Apple has been surprisingly generous with deals lately, and honestly, I'm not complaining. If you’ve been looking for a stationary setup that doesn't take up your entire desk (or your entire paycheck), the Mac mini is probably the most cost-effective way to get into the M4 ecosystem. And as Tech Reporter Matt Binder points out in his comparison of the M4 Mac mini and MacBook Pro, you can get nearly the same power for more than half the price if you don't need the portability of a laptop.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best iPads of 2025: Which iPad should you put on your holiday wishlist?

As of Dec. 24, you can get the 2024 Apple Mac mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $479 at Amazon. That's $120 off its $599 list price and just $10 more than the all-time low we saw earlier this year. While it won't arrive before Christmas, it's a great "belated gift" to yourself to start the new year with a much faster workstation.

This redesigned model is only five by five inches, but don't let its size fool you. It's built for Apple Intelligence, features a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, and, for the first time, includes front-facing USB-C ports and a headphone jack for easier access.

Are you currently learning Bash? Have you seen things like $0 and $EUID and wondered what they mean? Or what the difference is between $UID and $EUID? I'll cover these and more: what they do and why they're important.

SAVE $271.98: The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale at Amazon for $248, down from the list price of $399.99 and they come with free Sony WF-C700N earbuds. In total, this bundle saves shoppers 52% compared to the standard bundle price of $519.98.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones + free Sony WF-C700N earbuds $248 at Amazon
$519.98 Save $271.98   Get Deal

Getting something for free in 2025? In a year with constant price increases, seeing something that's actually desirable at zero cost is a true delight. For some reason, Amazon is feeling generous this holiday season and has bundled excellent headphones with free earbuds.

As of Dec. 24, the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are on sale for $248 at Amazon, marked down from the list price of $399.99. They also come with free Sony WF-C700N earbuds. In total, this bundle saves shoppers a major $271.98 compared to the standard bundle price of $519.98. That's a 52% discount.

Considering the Sony XM5 headphones are on sale on their own for $248 at Amazon, there's no reason why you wouldn't take advantage of scoring them with free Sony WF-C700N earbuds. Mashable Lead Shopping Reporter Bethany Allard noted the sale price on the XM5 headphones is "one of the best headphone deals of the holiday season," which means getting free earbuds on top of this sale is peak Christmas present.

SEE ALSO: What time do stores close on Christmas eve: Shopping hours for Walmart, Target, more

Sony launched the new XM6 headphones earlier this year, replacing the XM5 headphones as the latest flagship model. But the XM5s are still well worth your attention, especially bundled into this deal. The Sony XM6 headphones do come with some improvements over the XM5 headphones, like folding earcups. But once we consider the current sale price on the XM6 headphones of $398, paying $248 for the XM5 headphones and getting free WF-C700N earbuds feels like we've stumbled into some kind of life hack.

Before this deal vanishes, upgrade your 2026 listening experience with the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones bundled with free Sony WF-C700N earbuds for a grand total of $248 at Amazon.

I'm not sure I've ever seen an unreleased video game generate more anxiety on the internet than Grand Theft Auto VI.

That's exactly what happened this week, as a doctored screenshot of the game's Xbox Store page featuring a laughably large file size went viral on the site formerly known as Twitter. User @TheCanadianGTR posted the image early on Christmas Eve, claiming that the game would have a storage footprint of 676.7GB on an Xbox console.

SEE ALSO: Before delaying 'GTA VI,' Rockstar fired 30 employees and faced union-busting allegations This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The signs that this is fake are numerous and obvious. For starters, the official Xbox storefront page for the game doesn't list a storage size at all. This is likely due to the fact that GTA VI isn't launching for another year; it's very possible Rockstar Games doesn't even know what the file size will be yet. Beyond that, while some bigger games like recent Call of Duty releases have approached 200GB in size, absolutely nothing at this point has even come close to 600GB, which is more or less the entirety of the functional hard drive space on a base PS5 or Xbox console. GTA VI is probably going to be large, but I can guarantee that it won't be triple the size of the largest existing big-budget games.

Oh, and the screenshot is clearly a 6-7 joke, so there's that, too.

Anyway, despite all of those signs, X users are still freaking out, even at the time of publication.

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This is an object lesson in "don't believe everything you see on the internet." Just remember that it will be at least a year or so before any of us are playing GTA VI, and in that time, a lot of BS will appear online about it. If it didn't come from Rockstar itself, it's probably not worth engaging with.

I don't spend any more time on Facebook than I need to, and even then I get exposed to countless AI slop videos in my feed. Given what I do for a living, I can spot them pretty easily. However, a worrying number of people in the comments don't seem to understand that they're looking at something that never happened.

SAVE $50: As of Dec. 24, get the Google Pixel Watch 4 for $399.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $399.99. That's a discount of 11%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Google Pixel Watch 4 $399.99 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Looking for a new smartwatch to kick off 2026? There are plenty of options, but if you have an Android phone, Google's Pixel Watch lineup is a particularly great pick. And if you want to save some money on one, now's the time to lock one in, thanks to this excellent Amazon deal.

As of Dec. 24, get the Google Pixel Watch 4 for $399.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $399.99. That's $50 off and a discount of 11%.

SEE ALSO: The 7 best smartwatches of 2025 include some surprises

The Pixel Watch 4 is a massive step up from its predecessor, with a brighter screen, faster interface, and better audio to boot. It may look just like the Pixel Watch 3, but it has a few significant upgrades you'll want to keep an eye on if you're coming from the previous watch or entering the Pixel ecosystem anew.

The screen features domed glass with adaptive brightness and a loud speaker, with a strong haptic engine. It comes equipped with Gemini access for AI features if you choose to use them; but if you don't, all the usual smartwatch features are still there, so you can call and text all you like from your wrist.

There are also a host of fitness tracker features you can access, including sleep and workout tracking, training and cardio load information, and much more.

If it's time to get a new smartwatch to go with your Android phone, the Pixel Watch 4 is a no-brainer, especially at this price. Kick off the new year with a new watch and stay productive while running just about everything in your life from your wrist.

Best streaming subscription add-on deals at a glance: Paramount+ Premium (Prime Video add-on) $3.99/month for 2 months (save $10/month come Jan. 15) Get Deal Apple TV+ (Roku Channel add-on) free for 3 months (save $12.99/month) Get Deal Screambox (Roku Channel add-on) $2.99/month for 2 months (save $2/month) Get Deal MGM+ (Prime Video add-on) $1.99/month for 2 months (save $6/month) Get Deal

Don't say Amazon never got you anything. As a bit of a Christmas miracle, Prime Video has brought back several add-on subscription streaming deals. Even better, Roku is joining in the fun, so both Roku and Prime Video users can score some popular and not-so-popular streaming services for a discount this holiday season.

Obviously, these streaming deals aren't going to rival the epic Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts we saw a few weeks ago (Black Friday is always the best time to sign up for streaming services), but the add-on subscription deals still offer a way to enjoy a new streaming library without spending an arm and a leg.

I've rounded up some of my favorite options below, but be sure to check out the Prime Video add-on page and the Roku Season's Savings page to browse every deal available. Looking for even more streaming deals? I rounded up the best streaming deals of the week last week, and several of those options are still live.

Best Prime Video add-on streaming deal Opens in a new window Credit: Paramount+ Paramount+ Premium (Prime Video add-on) $3.99/month for 2 months (save $10/month come January) Get Deal Why we like it

Paramount+ is getting a price hike in January. On Jan. 15, the monthly cost will go up $1 to become $8.99 per month or $13.99 per month (depending on which tier you choose). This Prime Video add-on deal lets you not only avoid the price hike for two months of the Premium plan, but also save an extra $10 each month. You'll need to be an active Prime Video subscriber to be eligible for the add-on, as well as a new or returning Paramount+ subscriber.

While there's no end date listed for the deal, most of the other Prime Video add-on discounts are available until Jan. 2. We expect this deal to follow the same timeline, but you might want to lock it in sooner to be sure.

Best Roku Channel add-on streaming deal Opens in a new window Credit: Apple TV+ Apple TV+ (Roku Channel add-on) free for 3 months (save $12.99/month) Get Deal Why we like it

The Apple TV+ Black Friday deal was extremely popular, offering new and returning subscribers half-priced subscriptions for six months. While that discount was pretty impressive, nothing really beats free. With this Roku Channel add-on deal, new and returning subscribers can sign up for Apple TV+ for free for three months. That's $12.99 per month or $38.97 in savings. Apple TV+'s lineup has become better and better over the years, with sci-fi smash hits like Severance and Pluribus and comedies like Shrinking and Ted Lasso really hitting it out of the park. This is your chance to catch up on all the buzzworthy shows without spending a cent. The only catch? You'll need to sign up for Apple TV+ through your Roku device.

More streaming dealsPrime Video add-ons

• BET+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $5.99/month (save $4/month)

• Hallmark+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $7.99/month (save $6/month)

• MGM+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $7.99/month (save $6/month)

• MovieSphere+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $3/month)

• PBS Kids — $1.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $3/month)

• Starz — $1.99/month for 2 months $10.99/month (save $9/month)

Roku Channel add-ons

• BET+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $5.99/month (save $4/month)

• frndlyTV — free for 30 days $6.99/month (save $6.99/month)

• Hallmark+ — $1.99/month for 2 months $7.99/month (save $6/month)

• howdy — $0.99/month for 2 months $2.99/month (save $2/month)

• Lifetime Movie Club — $1.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $/month)

• Screambox — $2.99/month for 2 months $4.99/month (save $2/month)

• Starz — $1.99/month for 2 months $10.99/month (save $9/month)

• Sundance Now — $1.99/month $7.99/month (save $6/month)

OpenMediaVault 8 was released on December 24, bringing with it a Christmas wishlist of improvements, including a package base upgrade and an improved update interface. There is a little bit of coal in the stocking though if you're running OpenMediaVault (OVM) on older hardware.

SAVE 48%: As of Dec. 24, you can get the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Xbox Gaming Headset for $104.99, down from $199.99, at Amazon. That's a 48% discount or a $95 price cut.

Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless XBox Gaming Headset $104.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $95.00   Get Deal at Amazon

If you're waking up today realizing you forgot someone on your list (or if you've got some fresh holiday gift card balance burning a hole in your pocket), this is a solid way to use it.

As of Dec. 24, the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro Wireless Xbox Gaming Headset is on sale for $104.99 at Amazon. That’s a 48% discount off the $199.99 list price, saving you about $95 on one of the best-reviewed headsets for competitive play. This deal actually matches the record-low price it just hit on Dec. 13, so you're catching it at a perfect time.

SEE ALSO: PlayStation Wrap-Up sums up your 2025 console gaming habits. Here's how to get yours.

The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is a Mashable Choice Award winner (we reserve this award for the absolute best gear we've tested). Former Lead Shopping Reporter, Dylan Haas, called it the best gaming headset he's ever used, praising its "divine" sound quality and FlowKnit memory foam ear cushions that stay comfortable even during multi-hour marathons (it has a 70-hour battery life).

Even though this specific model is "Designed for Xbox," it’s compatible with PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac via Bluetooth or USB-C.

SAVE $50: The Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle is on sale at Best Buy for $449.99, down from the normal price of $499.99. That's a 10% discount that matches the brief Cyber Monday sale price. Most shoppers will be eligible for free same-day delivery or in-store pickup.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle $449.99 at Best Buy
$499.99 Save $50 sale price appears in cart Get Deal

It's some kind of Christmas miracle. Not only does Best Buy have the hottest gaming console of the year in stock and on sale, but you can also likely still snag it today. Santa is not forgetting gamer friends this year.

For the rest of Dec. 24, Best Buy is offering the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle for $449.99, marked down from the normal price of $499.99. That's a rarely seen 10% discount that saves you $50. If you're still shopping for Christmas gifts, you could be lucky with free same-day delivery or in-store pickup options.

Without a doubt, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the "must-have" gaming console of the year. And since it's Nintendo, you must have Mario Kart World. We don't make the rules, but we do follow them. It's no surprise that Mashable has the Nintendo Switch 2 listed as one of the best tech gifts of 2025.

SEE ALSO: What time do stores close on Christmas eve: Shopping hours for Walmart, Target, more

In the chaos of Cyber Monday, both Amazon and Best Buy dropped the bundle Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World price down to $449.99, but it disappeared quickly. Today, you have all day to snag this sale price. But if you're gifting this on Christmas, it's in everyone's best interest to buy it as soon as your fingers allow.

You'll need to add the Nintendo Switch 2 bundle to your cart to see the sale price of $449.99. If you live near a Best Buy, you're likely to be eligible for free in-store pickup today. If that's not an option, you can probably snag free same-day shipping. I checked delivery to zip codes in Seattle, Boston, New York, Atlanta, and even small-town Arizona, and still got the option for free delivery by tonight. That means you'll even have time to wrap before Christmas.

If you're not in a hurry to snag the Nintendo Switch 2 in time for tomorrow, this is still a great sale price to secure your own console. While the $449.99 deal isn't unheard of, it's been a fleeting sale that sells out within hours.

Before the same-day shipping option vanishes or the deal sells out, grab the Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle for $449.99 at Best Buy. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, this deal is an invitation to endless joy.

You can get a gift card for just about anything — and now, that includes TikTok Shop.

The social media giant, which launched its e-commerce business on TikTok Shop in 2023, has just rolled out a new feature that allows users to purchase digital gift cards.

SEE ALSO: This 20-year-old earns $50K a month from TikTok Shop. Here's how she did it.

The feature was released just in time for those who may have forgotten to give a holiday gift, and might encourage shoppers to consider buying a TikTok Shop gift card instead of an Amazon or eBay option.

According to TechCrunch, you can give gift cards from $10 to $500, and you can personalize them with animated designs that celebrate the holidays, birthdays, weddings, and more. And once you accept the gift card, you can send a thank-you note in return.

This comes during a pretty busy time for TikTok. Just a few days ago, TikTok officially changed ownership, the app launched a fairly messy award show, and TikTok Shop itself has faced a deluge of products that violate its terms.

Are monthly software subscriptions draining your wallet? Wondering whether you can replace your premium tools with free alternatives? Well, here are five free, open-source apps that don’t just match their paid counterparts—they often surpass them.

Do you have old hard drives lying around in a drawer doing nothing? I did—until I found a purpose for them. Here’s how I rescued my old hard drives and gave them a new lease on life.

I still remember with fondness when the only privacy concern I had when it came to my computer is that my dad would go sniffing through my files while I was at school. Which is why I had a BIOS and Windows login password! These days I have to worry about some random tech employee or a hacker browsing through my activity logs and files thanks to built-in spyware in big commercial operating systems.

I played by the rules when I first set up my subwoofer, but I wasn't satisfied with the sound. On a whim, I moved the subwoofer against the back of our double recliner, and now I really feel like I'm at the cinema.

Jim Belushi has been a household name in film and television since the 1980s. In this interview with Mashable's Executive Producer, Mark Stetson, he reveals his process for developing character in his two new films Song Sung Blue and The Chronology of Water as well as the two films he most regrets passing on

Watch the full Say More episode on Mashable's YouTube page to hear more from Jim about his relationship with his brother John Belushi, his close friend John Candy.

Song Sung Blue premieres in theater on Dec. 25.

The Chronology of Water is now in theaters.

Pluribus dropped some big bombshells in its Season 1 finale — some figurative, but one that's very literal.

The episode, fittingly titled "La Chica o El Mundo," gives Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) a choice. Does she ally herself with the staunchly anti-Others Manousos Oviedo (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) and save the world? Or does she embrace romance with Zosia (Karolina Wydra), and therefore, all other 7 billion Others whom Zosia shares a hive mind with?

SEE ALSO: The 'Pluribus' cast unpacks Carol and Manousous' tense meet-up: 'It says a lot about being human'

By the end of the episode, Carol chooses Manousos — but not before she's gone on a globe-trotting adventure with Zosia. So what changes her mind? Let's break it down.

The Others have found a way to Join with Carol.

In episode 6, Carol learned from Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte) that the Others had figured out how to bring immune humans into the hive mind. To turn someone like Carol or Diabaté, the Others would have to tailor the virus to their specific stem cells. To get the stem cells, they'd have to jam a very large needle into the immune humans' hip bones. Since that's a painful procedure, it goes against the Others' inability to harm any living thing. They'd need their target's consent, and guess what? Carol is all too happy not to give it. Easy fix, right? She can keep jet-setting with Zosia and enjoy the happiness that brings her, all without being part of a forced hive mind.

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However, Carol underestimated the Others' tenacity. One of their key drivers is the biological need to propagate, so it's natural they wouldn't stop trying to find a way to bring Carol into the fold. By the Season 1 finale, they've found it. They don't need to gather Carol's stem cells from her hip bone. They've already got access to them in the eggs she froze years ago. Now, Carol's got one month left before the Others will be able to add her to the hive mind.

SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn reacts to that big 'Pluribus' kiss: 'There is some willful delusion'

"If you loved me, you wouldn't do this," Carol says.

"We have to do this because we love you," Zosia counters. "Because I love you."

The switch to the singular pronoun — something Carol asked for back in episode 8 — is particularly telling. Could this be Zosia's individuality shining through? Or is it just another manipulation tactic on the part of the hive mind? My money's on the latter, but then again, Pluribus thrives on the ambiguity of the self versus the collective.

Carol asks for — and receives — an atomic bomb.

Remember when Carol learned the Others would give her anything she asked for, even an atomic bomb? Well, in the finale, she decides to put their gift-giving skills to the test.

Following Zosia's revelation about the stem cells, Carol returns home to Albuquerque with the once-promised atomic bomb in tow. The request is Carol's biggest power play in a situation where's she otherwise powerless. But now that she's got a nuke chilling in her driveway, what comes next? She tells Manousos that's she's ready to "save the world" with him, but how does the bomb fit into that equation? Is Carol going to go on the offensive? Or is the bomb more of an insurance policy, one that she'll trigger once the Others come calling with their modified virus?

SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn on Carol's explosive 'Pluribus' finale choice: 'These people have crossed the line'

According to Rhea Seehorn, even Carol's unsure of her next move. "I actually think it's more important for me, the way I wanted to play it, that Carol is impulsive in asking for the biggest, most violent, threatening thing she can think of before she even knows what she would do with it," Seehorn told Mashable.

Has Manousos found a way to reverse the Joining using radio frequency?

While Carol is dealing with her conflicted feelings towards Zosia and the Others, Manousos is locking in on how to disrupt the Joining. The key seems to be a radio frequency: 8.613.0.

While hunting for other survivors of the Joining, Manousos scrolled through endless frequencies of static. At 8.613.0 kHz, he heard a new sound: a strange, pulsing chattering.

It's likely that this is the frequency the Others communicate at. After all, in episode 8, Zosia explains to Carol that the hive mind is able to communicate because of "something to do with the body's electromagnetic field. Our natural electric charge, so to speak."

"So, like radio?" Carol asks.

"Sort of. But radio transmission is like talking. It's conscious," Zosia says. "Our communication is unconscious. Homeostatic. Like breathing."

Manousos decides to test the Others' connection to the 8.613.0 frequency by screaming at them. His negative emotions send the hive mind into convulsions worldwide. When that happens, the output on the frequency changes. It's no longer broadcasting a series of chatters, but more of a high-pitched whine — exactly the kind of sound you'd expect a panicking hive mind to emit.

As the whine plays on, Manousos tries to cut through the noise and call a member of the hive mind named Rick back to his own body. The attempt is unsuccessful thanks to Carol and her gun, but Manousos shows no signs of giving up.

SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn breaks down why 'The Left Hand of Darkness' is so important to 'Pluribus'

Pluribus shows that while Carol was away with Zosia, Manousos went into full research mode. He's covered her table in books about electricity, electromagnetic fields, crystallography, and circuits. The book he's currently parsing through includes passages about radio transmitters, antennae, and current nodes and antinodes. These are the points at which wavelengths have no displacement or are at their greatest displacement, respectively.

Basically, Manousos is going all in on electromagnetism being connected to the Others' weakness. Will he be able to crack the code in Season 2? Or will Carol's bomb get there first?

Pluribus Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV.

Every science fiction lover jumped up and pointed at the screen, Leonardo DiCaprio style, when a certain book popped up in the Pluribus Season 1 finale.

That book is none other than Ursula K. Le Guin's classic novel The Left Hand of Darkness, which is Carol Sturka's (Rhea Seehorn) poolside read during her globe-trotting adventures with Zosia (Karolina Wydra).

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' Season 1's bombshell ending, explained

Published in 1969, The Left Hand of Darkness introduces the frigid alien planet of Gethen, whose inhabitants are ambisexual. Every month, they undergo a period known as kemmer, during which they develop sexual characteristics. The Gethenians' unique gender and sexuality has created a world vastly different from our own, impacting everything from war (there is none) to child-rearing (everyone chips in). The novel won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel, the second to do so after Frank Herbert's Dune.

Given The Left Hand of Darkness' pedigree in genre fiction, it makes sense that Carol, a fantasy writer herself, would be reading it. (Although I'm sure Carol would be the first to say her Winds of Wycaro books don't even come close to Le Guin.) According to Seehorn, choosing The Left Hand of Darkness for the finale came about through joint discussions with finale writers Alison Tatlock and Gordon Smith.

SEE ALSO: The 'Pluribus' cast unpacks Carol and Manousous' tense meet-up: 'It says a lot about being human'

"We talked about who Carol might read in general, especially for leisure. Not that Le Guin's books are easy, passive reading, but they definitely seem like books and a voice and a literary level that Carol would admire," Seehorn told Mashable in a video interview.

Other options for Carol's pool reading included Aldous Huxley's Brave New World for a more dystopian bent. "In the end, we really liked her reading a female author," Seehorn said.

SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn on Carol's explosive 'Pluribus' finale choice: 'These people have crossed the line'

The resonance of The Left Hand of Darkness goes beyond Carol just liking Le Guin, though.

"[The Left Hand of Darkness] holds a mirror to and has some parallels with what the audience is watching happening in this world," Seehorn explained.

In the novel, there is only one human on Gethen: Genly Ai. He's an envoy from the intergalactic coalition of planets known as the Ekumen, and he's hoping to get Gethen to join up. As his time on Gethen progresses, he gains a deeper cultural of the planet's culture, which Le Guin renders in anthropological detail.

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An isolated human in a sea of aliens? Who in Pluribus could relate with that? Sure, Carol isn't the only human left on Earth who is immune to the alien hive mind, but given the show's intense focus on her and her loneliness, she occupies a similar space to the lone Genly. The two act as audience surrogates as they struggle to understand such an alien culture, even if they have help from one dedicated member of said culture (Zosia in Carol's case; Gethenian prime minister Estraven in Genly's). The difference is, while Genly is an interloper on a world that isn't his own, Carol must reckon with an alien force that has overtaken her own world and is actively rewriting Earth's social structures.

There's an even bigger rift between Genly and Carol, though. While Carol wants to put an end to the Joining, Genly is all about joining — getting Gethen to join the Ekumen, that is. That's not quite the same as forcibly inducting the world's population into a hive mind, but there is a similar sense of trying to bring someone into a greater collective who might not want to be a part of it. With that in mind, whose side does Carol gravitate more toward while reading The Left Hand of Darkness? Genly, the one human? Or the Gethenians who may have trepidations about joining a larger alien group?

More importantly, though, Carol Sturka book club when?

Pluribus Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV.

The crossover Pluribus viewers have been waiting for finally became a reality in the Season 1 finale, as the world's number one hive-mind haters, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) and Manousos Oviedo (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), meet up for the first time.

However, the pair's first meeting is less an enthusiastic team-up than it is two of the most stubborn people on Earth duking it out. And Vesga wouldn't have it any other way.

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' Season 1's bombshell ending, explained

"I did expect a kind of clash between them, and I was hoping for it, because actually it says a lot about being human," Vesga told Mashable in a video interview alongside Karolina Wydra, who plays Zosia. "The Joining is a group of people who never argue, who are always agreeing on everything. What makes [Carol and Manousos] real humans is that they actually don't see things eye to eye. They both agree that this has to be changed, and we need to change it back to what it was, but not necessarily the same way."

A big reason for the disconnect is that, in the time it's taken for Manousos to journey from Paraguay to Albuquerque, Carol's started a relationship with Zosia, who is herself an extension of the hive mind. Because of this relationship, Carol's views of the Others have softened, while Manousos is more determined than ever to destroy them.

"When he gets to Albuquerque, Carol is not the same Carol," Vesga explained. "I remember reading the script and thinking, 'Oh my God, he's going to hate her. He's going to resent her.' She's the worst traitor ever, she sent me this VHS cassette, and I see this recording, and I go through what I went through..."

"Well, you did take a long time," Wydra joked.

"I'm sorry I don't drive faster!" Vesga said.

Carlos-Manuel Vesga in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn breaks down why 'The Left Hand of Darkness' is so important to 'Pluribus'

Seehorn, too, relished the conflict between Carol and Manousos.

"They're both these immovable objects and so intent that their opinion is right," Seehorn told Mashable in a video interview. "Hopefully the audience can see both points of view throughout the scene. Like, he showed up with a machete. That's not exactly a subtle move. And Carol, even pre-Zosia, has always felt bad about actually hurting any of these people and does not believe they should be obliterated."

The newly forged Zosia connection definitely adds an extra layer to Carol's motivations throughout the scene, though. The meeting was the scene Seehorn and Vesga read together for Vesga's audition, at which point Seehorn hadn't had access to the rest of the Season 1 scripts. Still, from just those few pages she could tell that Carol was hiding something, and that Manousos was sniffing it out.

"I loved the power dynamic shifting, where she sees that he can tell that she's lying," Seehorn said. "Even with the language barrier, she's so defensive in that moment because she's being called out for literally sleeping with the enemy."

SEE ALSO: Rhea Seehorn on Carol's explosive 'Pluribus' finale choice: 'These people have crossed the line'

Carol's blatant defensiveness adds a layer of humor to the meeting. So does the use of Carol's phone translator, which serves as an intermediary for her and Manousos' conversation. Between its constant interruptions and its translation of everything — even pleas for it to stop translating — it becomes a dryly funny third presence in the scene.

Seehorn and Vesga used an actual phone translator during Vesga's audition. "I noticed from there, 'huh, this is going to be cumbersome, and therefore it's going to be funny,'" Vesga said.

During the actual shoot, though, there was no phone. Instead, another actor, Sofia Embid, was on set performing as the translator.

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"The interaction was more complex because you had three people instead of two," Vesga recalled of shooting the scene. "At the beginning, we were just trying to adapt to this new rule of not just the two of us playing, since we had another person outside that we couldn't actually see, but we could hear her. I remember at some point feeling kind of frustrated at myself."

However, Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan encouraged Vesga to push through that frustration.

"I remember Vince coming up to us and saying, 'You keep talking. It you're interrupted, deal with it, but just keep talking. You have your conversation, just allow the interruptions to be there,'" Vesga recalled. "After that, I was like, 'OK, I get it now and can enjoy it. Now I can have fun.' And I remember walking to the next scene with a huge smile, just feeling the feeling of having had the best playdate ever as a 5-year-old. Because that's what happens with Rhea. When you're with her on set, it's like having a playdate with your best friend."

Pluribus Season 1 is now streaming on Apple TV.