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It's a love story as only Guillermo del Toro can tell it. For ages, the Mexican filmmaker, who has awed audiences with wondrous films like The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak, and the Academy Award–winning The Shape of Water, has dreamed of turning Mary Shelley's Frankenstein into a movie of his own. And what he has accomplished here — notably with some of Hollywood's most beautiful men in the lead roles — is absolutely astonishing. 

Ahead of the North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, del Toro explained to the audience how for him, Frankenstein is a story of fathers and sons, exploring his relationship to his own father and his own children. But audiences won't need a curtain speech to understand this inspiration point, as del Toro's script is unabashedly about the ties that bind and sometimes suffocate. 

With the help of a star-studded cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz, this rightly heralded writer/director resurrects a classic horror story with a romantic flair that makes it gruesome, beautiful, and deeply poignant all at once. 

Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein focuses on cycles of behavior and abuse. Charles Dance as Leopold Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

This version of Frankenstein begins with a framework that recalls Shelley's 1818 novel. In 1857, in "farthest north," a crew of freezing sailors chips away at their ice-seized ship as their captain hollers about reaching the North Pole. Then, they find a man, bleeding and broken, barely alive on the icy terrain. 

They pull him aboard only to discover he's being pursued by a mighty, bellowing "thing." The man is Victor Frankenstein (Isaac), the thing is his monster (Elordi). After a swarm of sailors beats the latter back in a dynamic and fiery action sequence — taking heavy, grisly losses — they sail on, but Victor warns the Creature will return, and so begins his story to the captain. 

Through this framework, the film flashes back to Victor's youth, where he was in a bitter battle with his cruel father (Dance) over his beautiful mother (Goth). As a boy, Victor sought the love of his mother but the approval of his father, if only to avoid the lashings the latter considered parenting. When Victor's mother dies in childbirth, he blames his surgeon father for failing, and seeks to best them both, though he only articulates his wish to outmatch his father. 

Years later, as a fanatical scientist, Victor experiments with electricity on corpses, seeking to resurrect them into a new living thing. Like James Whale's iconic Frankenstein, there's the fantastical element of a man creating life without the intervention of a woman. Here, because of Victor's pronounced love of his mother, his experiment feels like a backwards way to prove she need not have died. But in a bigger way, it is to defeat death as his father never could. 

His victory comes when he successfully stitches together and electrocutes to life a son. But Victor's failing is falling into the same cycle of abuse his father modeled. At first, Victor is in awe of his towering creation as it toddles in awkward steps and begins to explore its dungeon containment, splashing in puddles of water and reaching curiously for the fire that lights the space. But when his monster's intellectual development doesn't meet Victor's standards, it will be the lash, just as Victor experienced when he flunked his father's lessons. 

Oscar Isaac is great in Frankenstein.  Oscar Issac as Victor Frankenstein in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

Isaac brings a frightening fire to the role of Victor Frankenstein. He is not the raving mad scientist of the Universal Monster movies. He is not the egotistical showman of Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Isaac makes the part his own by digging into the paternal determination to mold his "creation" in his own image. 

Furthering the Oedipal thread that began in his childhood, this Victor is given a softer side through a romance subplot and a clever bit of casting. Victor becomes instantly besotted with Elizabeth, a young maiden who loves sciences and insects, and who is also played by Mia Goth.

Her girlish beauty gives an impression of innocence and gentleness, but del Toro's script bolsters Elizabeth with a sharp scientific intelligence, something she shares with Victor though their morals differ intensely. When she sees the monster, she sees someone impressive and pure, despite his scars and lack of academic accomplishment. She sees a soul that Victor cannot grasp. She becomes the foil to Victor's drive, echoing the warmth and joy of his mother. Thereby, the monster becomes a reflection of both his "father" and "mother," an accomplishment the cold, violent Victor failed to achieve.

Jacob Elordi is iconic as Frankenstein's monster.  Jacob Elordi as the Creature in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

At six feet, five inches tall, Elordi easily towers over his co-stars. But rather than sporting bolts in his neck or gnarly lumps of sullied flesh, del Toro's monster is lean and muscular, pale to the point of nearly being blue, and precisely constructed. There's a slight resemblance to the Engineers, the tall, robust, alien race from Prometheus. However, the scars along his wrists, limbs, torso, and face will never let us forget his origins. 

Elordi has a difficult role because the Creature's arc is one of pain that often has no voice. Much of the performance is doggedly physical. After his birth, he is a child, though his father cannot see that. Elordi reflects this with a portrait of exploratory physicality so much like a toddler's that it's both wondrous and wretched, as we know what horrors will come next for this innocent.

At Victor's hands, the Creature experiences physical, emotional, and psychological abuse; he's chained, beaten, and insulted. Meeting Elizabeth, however, gives the Creature a greater understanding of the possibilities of the world and people. The second half of the film focuses on the monster telling his own story to the ship's captain, the framework device switching perspectives. While sound effects are employed to give Elordi's voice a harrowing, monstrous echo in these scenes, the delivery of the Creature's words as he finds his voice is bedecked with pain and earnest wonder. 

The Creature's story, where he is cast out by one family and so chooses another, is one that will speak to many, especially as Elordi's crackling voice explains the heartbreaking realization that the world may try to destroy you just for being yourself. This misfit monster becomes a radiant analogy for self-love, as he is both horrid and beautiful, misunderstood and full of potential and love. For this monster, del Toro carves out a different ending from Shelley's — one that is bittersweet and glorious.

None of these risky deviations or romantic embrace of the monster would work were it not for Elordi's performance. He wears a full body of prosthetic scars and putridly pale skin, but he suffuses every movement, every glance with purpose and emotion. Escaping his well-recognized handsomeness and the expectations that come with being a dashing leading man, Elordi is del Toro's perfect monster, wretched and wondrous. 

Del Toro's Frankenstein is a romantic fairy tale and a horror movie.  Mia Goth as Claire Frankenstein and Christian Convery as young Victor in "Frankenstein." Credit: Ken Woroner / Netflix

Like Crimson Peak, perhaps Del Toro's most misunderstood film, Frankenstein embraces a romantic fairy tale tone that urges audiences to indulge in its impressions and emotions. Because the film is told from one perspective then another, there's a suggestion that what we're shown is not what happened but how it felt. 

So, a preposterous tower shoots into the sky like a dark, threatening blade, its insides riddled with rot, overrun with vines, and yet glistening with top-of-the-line tech, funded by an eccentric arms dealer (Waltz). And here, a young woman is both Victor's dream girl in intellect but also wears the face of his mother. Could that be real? Or is Elizabeth as Victor dreams her? Likewise, the violence the monster inflicts on others feels impossibly powerful, as he chucks wolves away with the slash of a forearm and rocks an ice-bound ship loose of its frigid bonds. At times, del Toro's story feels impossible, and that's precisely the point. 

Every element of this film is like a fairy tale, not the kind we tell to children to help them fall asleep but the kind used in dark forests and evil-plagued eras to warn them of a world that won't see them as beautiful but as meat. So, the design of the monster follows this idea, being both splendid and scarred. The experiments of Victor's process are gruesome, but also reveal the natural beauty of human's internal design.

The costumes by Kate Hawley (Crimson Peak) are extraordinary, ranging from dark shrouds, so charred and befouled you can practically smell them, to gossamer gowns and veils that float almost impossibly, draping Goth in vibrant colors. And details along the spine of both the Creature's crusty trench coat and Elizabeth's corseted gowns remind us of the bones that lie beneath, a connection between them and their fortitude against the abuses of the world. 

The score by Alexandre Desplat is sumptuous in its agony. Stringed instruments call out in longing and loss, enveloping the audience and the monster with the same, overwhelming surge of hurt and awe. The sound design as a whole embraces del Toro's signature blend of horror and romance. Sounds of violence snap and squelch, but in a symphony all their own. Across the production design, a vicious, brilliant red ties everything together, from Victor's mother (who drapes herself head to toe in the color) to his leather gloves as he operates, a book here, a funeral wreath there, and of course, in the end, blood. Yet the juxtaposition this sharp color serves against so much high-contrast blacks and whites of cloaks and dead flesh doesn't seem threatening; instead, it's a reminder of life — vibrant, pulsing, and unstoppable. 

As a whole, del Toro's Frankenstein is a marvel. His vision is clear and mesmerizing. His ensemble is electrifying. His adaptation is unique, soulful, and unforgettable. The man who loves monsters has just made his masterpiece: It's rich, rapturous, and ruthlessly interrogates what it means to be human, with all of our glory and our flaws.

Frankenstein was reviewed out of its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will open in select theaters in Oct. 17 (and this critic suggests you go see it big!). A Netflix release will follow on Nov. 7. 

UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:48 p.m. This review was first published on Sept. 9, 2025, as part of Mashable's TIFF coverage. It has been updated to reflect theatrical and streaming availability.

Ahead of its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sydney Sweeney's turn in Christy earned press for the reportedly incredible physical transformation she took on for the role: 30 pounds and a brunette wig. This suggested the Euphoria star was willfully pushing away from her bombshell persona to stretch in her latest, the David Michôd-directed biopic, where she plays brash boxer Christy Martin. But Sweeney's range doesn't reach where Christy needs her to go.

Yes, some critics are cheering Sweeney's performance as the best of her career, and it certainly plays to the sweet spot of Oscar. Like Nicole Kidman in The Hours or Christian Bale in basically every movie he does, Sweeney has a physical transformation that rejects the Hollywood ideal. Plus, she plays a literal fighter, like Oscar winner Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) or Robert De Niro in Raging Bull. But Sweeney does not have the screen presence or intensity of either, and Christy suffers for it. However, the film on its own is beleaguered with problems. 

Christy is a mixed-up melodrama about American boxer Christy Martin.

In the 1980s, Martin began a boxing career that would lead to groundbreaking moments like becoming the first woman that boxing promoter Don King ever signed, and the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. However, Christy is less interested in Martin's accomplishments and more in the agony she suffered behind the scenes. Her pain came less from the punches she took in the ring, and more from her homophobic mother's ruthless intolerance and the domestic violence delivered at the hands of her abusive husband.

SEE ALSO: TIFF 2025 preview: 20 films you'll want to see for yourself (and how)

In the first act, Christy is established as a butch lesbian, whose relationship with her "friend" Rosie (Jess Gabor) has offended her mother Joyce (Merritt Wever). While Wever is a terrific actor who brings emotional weight to every line here, the archetypal role of unaccepting mom is so doggedly one-note that it's flat-out comical. The screenplay by Mirrah Foulkes and Michôd makes this mother so consistently horrific that she feels like a parody, plucked from actual comedies like Walk Hard or the more restrained TIFF offering Maddie's Secret. In Christy, Joyce exists purely to say hateful things to her daughter. While Michôd aims for seriousness, all of Wever's dialogue basically boils down to campy proclamations like: Christy, why do you have to be so lesbian and break my heart?

When it comes to the marriage of Christy to Jim Martin, her trainer and abuser for decades, Michôd's approach is also confounding. Ben Foster plays Jim, wearing a hairy fat suit and a comb-over wig that just gets more aggressively ugly as the years pass by. Their marriage has many of the red flags of an abusive relationship (and a slew of Lifetime movies), including Jim's recurring promise that if she were to leave him, he'd kill her. The contrast between Christy being a fighter in the ring but assaulted in her own home is the film's central focus, with her queer repression taking a backseat until the third act. Within this abuse storyline, Foster's chewing scenery (and his lower lip) and Sweeney is out of her depth.

Sydney Sweeney is not an Oscar contender in Christy. 

Don't buy into the hype. This movie is a mess, and Sweeney is a contributor to that, not its highlights. For one thing, she uses Martin's West Virginia background as an excuse to slap on a thick Southern accent that comes and goes. For another, while her look is different in Christy, it doesn't read "athlete," as she lacks tone and physicality. 

With all the personal melodrama, the actual boxing gets lost in Christy. Sweeney can't throw a convincing punch, so Christy's knockouts don't hit like those in the Rocky movies, the Creed movies, or even Girlfight, which used white frames to suggest contact of the boxing gloves to powerful effect. Michôd's boxing scenes lack punch in choreography and execution. However, the director shows a much more deft hand at recreating the violence happening at home.

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A pivotal sequence late in the film finally clicks into a tone that feels consistent with Michôd's work in the acclaimed Animal Kingdom. Perhaps because true crime is his comfort zone? Abruptly, the details of movement and dialogue become sharply specific, with Christy having a short phone conversation unlike the rest of her dialogue, and slipping into a pair of sneakers before acknowledging her scowling husband. What follows is gripping and horrifying, as the actors deliver the kind of reenactment that briefly elevates this floundering melodrama to something scarier and more real.

Yet, it's unnerving to me that the strongest sequence in this movie, the one that feels most like this is why Michôd, Sweeney, and Foster made it, is one where the heroine is savagely attacked. Why is that the part they seem most determined to get right? And yet, while this is Christy's most powerful scene, it's not its best bit. That's all Katy O'Brian. 

Katy O'Brian is Christy's blessing and curse. 

The Love Lies Bleeding actor has been stealing scenes in big Hollywood movies like Twisters and Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning. And in Christy, she effortlessly shows up Sweeney, playing the eponymous boxer's professional adversary Lisa Holewyne. Let's be clear: Katy O'Brian should be a big damn star. 

In Christy's bid to be rich and famous, she didn't just fight in the ring, but talked smack about her opponents outside of it. So it goes in this industry. But in the film, the focus of this promotional persona is Christy leaning into a femme look — floral dresses, pink boxing shorts — and wielding slurs at her peers. Lisa bears the brunt of these comments, yet becomes an unlikely ally to Christy in the film's final act. This is good news for audiences, because O'Brian has the kind of star power this movie needs.

Her stature, muscles, and carriage are all more in line with what audiences expect of an athlete onscreen: confident, sturdy, and strong. Sure, Martin's real look was softer than some of her opponents. But in any sequence that pits Sweeney and O'Brian in competition, be it boxing or jogging while training, the latter's ease in these spaces makes the headliner's lack thereof stand out all the more. Beyond the physical, in appearance and performance, O'Brian delivers an alertness in every scene that dazzles, while Sweeney just does not. O'Brian is alive in every moment, even when she's second banana. It came to the point where I became infuriated that she wasn't the lead of this movie, resemblance to the real Martin be damned! 

Despite the premiere buzz, Christy is not the Oscar contender that Sweeney, who also produced the film, seems to have swung for. Its script is a mess, creating clumsy archetypes and hitting on Lifetime movie cliches with no self-awareness. Its ensemble cast, while committed, cannot agree on a common tone. For instance, Chad L. Coleman, who pops up as a flashy and fun Don King, brings laughs and much-needed energy to the movie, but also ends up further muddying what this even is. Michôd has no grace in the tonal shifts, and so Christy is more confusing than moving.

Michôd seems most riveted by the criminal violence than any other aspect of Martin's story. So even what this film has to say about being a woman in sports, or a lesbian in America, or a person at all, is perplexing. In the end, Christy doesn't hit hard. It just blows.

Christy was reviewed out of the World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will release in theaters on Nov. 7.

UPDATE: Nov. 5, 2025, 2:33 p.m. This review was first published on Sept. 8, 2025, as part of Mashable's TIFF coverage. It has been updated to reflect screening options.

SAVE $510: As of Nov. 7, the eero Max 7 mesh WiFi system is on sale for $1,189.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: eero eero Max 7 $1,189.99 at Amazon
$1,699.99 Save $510   Get Deal

The eero Max 7 is back on sale at Amazon, but this time you can get it for its lowest-ever price.

As of Nov. 7, the impressive WiFi setup is down to $1,189.99, saving you over $500 on list price. With this router system, you can say goodbye to poor connections, laggy calls, and endless buffering.

SEE ALSO: The best WiFi routers for every home

But what is a mesh WiFi system? It is essentially a booster system that includes a main router and three (or more, this deal is for three) nodes placed around your home. The router works with these to cancel out dead zones in your space, making sure that you get reliable WiFi coverage all over your home.

This router will give you ultra-fast WiFi 7 performance with speeds up to 9.4 Gbps wired and 4.3 Gbps wireless, and it uses TrueMesh, TrueRoam, and TrueChannel software to keep your connection stable. And if you're a gamer or have a smart home, then this router was built for you, with its support for AR, VR, and connects Thread, Matter, and Zigbee devices. This means you can connect devices like a robot vacuum.

Worried you'll still have dead spots? This router system covers up to 7,500 sq. ft. and supports 750+ devices, so it’s ideal for large spaces. And the best part? Setup takes just minutes with the eero app.

Get this router deal from Amazon now.

How do you become the world's first trillionaire? If you thought it's by working hard, saving every penny and making your own lattes instead of buying them at Starbucks, we have news that may disappoint you.

On Thursday, during the company's Annual Shareholder Meeting, Tesla shareholders have voted to approve CEO Elon Musk's ridiculously hefty pay package that could net him $1 trillion dollars worth of Tesla shares. That, on top of the roughly $473 billion he already owns, would make him by far the wealthiest person on Earth and the world's first trillionaire.

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Musk already is the wealthiest person in the world, but he's got Oracle's Larry Ellison breathing down his neck with a $303 billion net worth.

Getting that trillion won't be easy. According to the terms of the 2025 CEO Performance Award, as the agreement is innocently called, Musk will have to stay at Tesla for seven and a half years, and bring the company's market share to $8.5 trillion in order to earn the full award, as well as hit a number of other goals such as deliver 20 million Tesla vehicles, 1 million "bots," and have 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation.

For comparison, the largest company by market cap is currently Nvidia with a "mere" $4.6 trillion capitalization, followed by Apple with $4 billion. Yes, Tesla would have to be roughly the market cap of both Apple and Nvidia combined for Musk to achieve this goal.

This sounds very much in tune with Musk's typical lofty promises which often get revised or extended far into the future, but at least now there's a fixed agreement on when all of this must happen: by Nov. 6, 2035.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk uses paid feature to boost his anti-Zohran Mamdani views on X before NYC election

Notably, during the shareholders meeting, Musk said the new Tesla Roadster's unveiling is scheduled for April 1, 2026 — literally days after he'd said he hopes the unveiling would happen "before the end of the year." Good luck with that trillion.

SAVE $500: As of Nov. 7, the EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max is on sale for $899 at Amazon. That's a 36% saving on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ecoflow EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max $899 at Amazon
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A portable power station is always good to have on hand, especially something as impressive as the EF EcoFlow Delta 2 Max. With a 2,048 wattage and the ability to power 99% of appliances, this model is something you'll never regret owning. And as of Nov. 7, this popular model is on sale for $899. That's a saving of $500 and its lowest-ever price on Amazon.

If you want a power station you can use with little warning, this is a great choice. It charges fast, reaching 80% in just 43 minutes when combining up to 1,000W solar input with AC, or in about an hour using AC alone. It’s built to last, made with a durable LFP battery that lasts up to 10 years, offering around 3,000 cycles before dropping to 80% capacity. According to EcoFlow, this is six times more than the industry average.

SEE ALSO: Keep everything charged up with the Bluetti Elite 30 v2 portable power station for its lowest price ever

The capacity is expandable from 2kWh to 6kWh by adding up to two extra batteries, so it's easy to customize for home backup or outdoor use. It comes with 15 outlets and up to 2,400W of power (or 3,400W using X-Boost), so it can handle almost any household device. And despite how powerful it is, you won't be disturbed as it runs quietly at around 30 dB.

Grab this power station deal from Amazon while the price is this low.

SAVE OVER $1,000: As of Nov. 7, the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV has dropped to $899.99 at Best Buy as part of its Doorbuster deals ahead of Black Friday. This is $1,100 off its list price of $1,999.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 65-Inch Class S84F OLED 4K UHD Vision AI Smart Tizen TV (2025) $899.99 at Best Buy
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For excited shoppers waiting for Black Friday deals to drop, the good news is there's already early discounts available. Best Buy's selection of Doorbuster deals are offering limited-time discounts (this batch is only available until Nov. 9) on a wide variety of items. In particular, if you're looking for a new TV for the holidays, this deal on the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV is absolutely worth a look.

It's usually priced at $1,999.99, but the Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV has dropped to $899.99 at Best Buy. This makes for a whopping $1,100 in savings, but again, keep in mind the deal comes to an end on Nov. 9. Now's your chance to scoop it up at this great low price.

SEE ALSO: Target Black Friday ad: The best deals you can buy online early

If you're planning some movie nights or binge-watching TV shows over the holiday season, this 65-inch Samsung TV can set you up well with the help of 4K resolution and OLED display. Dolby Atmos will surround you in high-quality sound as well, so you can hear every action on screen as if you're right in the middle of it. It's also a smart TV, so if you're someone who loves to stream shows and movies, you can have your favorite apps gathered together for instant access.

There's a limited time to grab this deal, so don't miss out on $1,100 off this Samsung 65-inch Class S84F OLED 4K TV at Best Buy. It's not the only early Black Friday deal Best Buy has right now. Check out our breakdown of Best Buy's Black Friday ad to see even more deals available at the retailer right now.

In no world do I want the events of Pluribus to become a reality.

An extraterrestrial virus that turns the world's population into a too-happy hive mind? No thank you, that sounds like it would be terrifying to experience. (It does, however, make for great TV.)

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' review: I can't tell you much about Vince Gilligan's sci-fi series, but what I can say is glowing

But there is one element of Pluribus that I would love to see come to life, and that is the series of books written by the world's most miserable woman, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn).

Carol writes a best-selling series called The Winds of Wycaro, which is described by a Barnes & Noble employee speaking over a PA system as "speculative historical romance literature." A more accurate term in 2025's book-selling landscape would probably be "romantasy," but for Carol, it's all just "mindless crap."

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' happiness virus, explained: Where did it come from?

Look, I haven't read any of the Winds of Wycaro series. I've only heard the quick snippet Carol reads from her new release Bloodsong of Wycaro, which the Barnes & Noble employee hilariously calls "the fourth book in her Winds of Wycaro trilogy." (Shout out to this unseen bookseller, comedic MVP of an otherwise very intense episode.) However, what I did hear about Winds of Wycaro sounded really fun.

Based on the snippets we get and the Bloodsong of Wycaro cover, it looks like the series is Brandon Sanderson mixed with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. (To hammer that point home, Bloodsong is on the same shelf as the latter on bookshelves at the airport, and Carol's partner Helen (Miriam Shor) makes sure to shift them around so Bloodsong of Wycaro is more visible.) The series takes place on purple sand seas, where formidable heroine Lucasia crosses paths with the handsome corsair Raban. Just the sound of his name sends Carol's book tour audience into a frenzy, which means he'd do numbers on BookTok. Xaden from Fourth Wing, you're done.

Carol bashes on both the book and her adoring fans, but that doesn't deter me from wanting to give Winds of Wycaro a shot, if it were only real. I'm a sucker for a doorstopper fantasy novel, and it's not every day you get to read a trilogy that has four whole books in it!

So please, Apple TV, if you need ideas for Pluribus merch, I'm telling you to gift viewers Winds of Wycaro. After all, you put out not one, but two tie-in books for Severance, even turning Ricken's The You You Are into a reality. Surely a chapter or two of the Winds of Wycaro would be feasible. Or Vince Gilligan, if you're reading this, why not make give those fictional book fans what they want and make a real-life movie? Just be sure you get ILM to do the slipsand. Think about it! And keep the wind at your back.

Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

If the first two episodes of Pluribus left you feeling like Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) — namely, screaming, "What the fuck is happening?" into the void — then you've come to the right place.

The new sci-fi series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan delivers a jaw-dropping premiere, one that sees (almost) the entire world infected by a virus that leaves the population peaceful and content. But where did the virus come from, and what happens now that it's on Earth? Let's break it down.

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' review: I can't tell you much about Vince Gilligan's sci-fi series, but what I can say is glowing Where did the virus in Pluribus come from?

Space! Well, kind of. At the start of Pluribus, astronomers pick up a signal coming from 600 light-years away. Who's transmitting it? Why are they transmitting it? And how long have they been sending out the signal? No one knows!

However, these unknown signalers aren't sending a message in an alien language. Instead, they're sending a molecular message. Each of the four tones of the signal corresponds to a nucleotide: guanine, uracil, adenine, and cytosine, which are the key building blocks of RNA.

SEE ALSO: What happens when you call the phone number in Pluribus?

Scientists at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases manage to recreate the nucleotide sequence. They determine that it is a lysogenic virus, which means that the virus' genetic material gets incorporated into that of the host. And while months of animal testing didn't yield major results, as soon as the virus gets transferred to a human via rat bite, all hell breaks loose. The infected humans start spreading the virus through kissing, donut licking, and more, resulting in the most cheerful pandemic the world has ever seen. Now if it were up to me, I would simply never recreate an alien virus for fear of this exact scenario, but that's why I'm not a scientist!

Wait, so are the infected "we" in Pluribus aliens? Karolina Wydra in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

No, they aren't. While Carol initially thinks she's living through an alien invasion — a mistake I think we'd all make in her shoes — the infected quickly set her straight. Speaking through United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman), the infected tell Carol that there are no aliens on Earth. Instead, they, or the new "we" of the world, are just "beneficiaries of extraterrestrial technology."

Still, the question of alien involvement looms large over these not-aliens. Who originally developed that RNA sequence, and why did they send it to Earth? Did they send it to other planets, too? Is this how they reproduce?

What does the virus in Pluribus do?

As Davis explains to Carol, the nucleotide sequence is like a virus, but it isn't exactly a virus. Instead, it's "kind of a psychic glue capable of binding us all together."

SEE ALSO: The 38 best Apple TV+ shows, ranked

That means all of humanity, excluding Carol and the other 11 unaffected members of the world, is now one big hive mind. Members can't read the minds of Carol and her compatriots, but they can access the thoughts and feelings of every single person within the collective. They can even do so for people who were briefly a part of the hive mind before passing away, like Carol's late partner Helen (Miriam Shor).

Why did the virus kill people?

Helen was one of 886 million who died during the Joining of the hive mind. As Carol's chaperone Zosha (Karolina Wydra) says in episode 2, the infected were originally passing the virus along stealthily. No one died during this more controlled process. However, once the military discovered them, they accelerated their spread, resulting in calamity for hundreds of millions. The deaths were not intentional, as Zosha reveals in episode 2 that the infected cannot kill, not even when it comes to food.

Why do Carol's emotions impact the infected? Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

The first Joining wasn't the only example of mass death within the hive mind. When Carol gets angry at Zosha in episode 2, Zosha begins to shake uncontrollably, just as everyone did when they were first infected by the virus. As Carol goes to get help for Zosha, she realizes that everyone else in Albuquerque is shaking, too. In fact, everyone in the world is undergoing a similar seizure, and 11 million of the infected wound up dying as a result. So what's happening?

Zosha reveals that everyone is impacted by Carol's emotions, especially the negative ones. "If they're directed right at us, they can be a little tough to take," she says. That sets in motion one of the core dilemmas of Pluribus. Carol is rightfully miserable and furious about what has happened to the world, yet if she expresses that too much, she risks wiping out more of humanity. It seems like she has as much power over the infected as they have over her, creating a fascinating stalemate.

Why is Carol immune from the virus?

Nobody knows, but the infected are working on researching why she and the other 11 remaining humans weren't impacted by the Joining. As Zosha says, them spreading is a "biological imperative." They need to spread to the others, just as much as we need to breathe. Once they do figure out a solution, you can bet they'll bring Carol into the fold of the hive mind.

However, that might conflict with their prior claims that Carol's life is her own and that she has agency. Does she really have agency if they're just going to force her to join them?

Can the virus be cured? Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

Carol certainly wants to know! However, it doesn't seem like there's a clear path forward for reversing the Joining — especially since none of the other survivors Carol met seem interested in collaborating with her. Still, given the twists and turns of these first two episodes alone, you can bet that Gilligan has more revelations up his sleeve for the remainder of the season.

Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

The first episode of Vince Gilligan's Pluribus is already one of the best, most gripping TV installments of the year.

Over the course of an hour, Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) crafts his own mini disaster movie, unfolding a tale of a virus that spreads across the globe and infects everyone with total happiness. The virus also acts as a kind of "psychic glue," binding the world's population together in a hive mind. Only 12 people are unaffected, and one of them is the deeply miserable Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn).

SEE ALSO: 'Pluribus' review: I can't tell you much about Vince Gilligan's sci-fi series, but what I can say is glowing

As Carol panics over the viral apocalypse and grieves the loss of her partner Helen (Miriam Shor), the infected reach out to explain the situation to her. They give her a direct line to an authority figure: Davis Taffler (Peter Bergman), the U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. Given the hive mind of it all, he isn't really Davis anymore. He's part of a global collective. But since he was near the White House, fully healthy after the infection, and wearing an authoritative suit, the being that was once Davis became the best candidate to speak to Carol from the White House press room.

In order to get Carol to reach out to Davis, the infected plaster a phone number — (202) 808-3981 — on a C-SPAN broadcast of Davis in the press room, with news tickers begging her to call them. She does so, opening herself and viewers up to answers about what is happening.

But what happens if Pluribus' audience tries to call the phone number themselves? I tried, and I've got good news: Calling the number doesn't infect you with the happiness virus.

Instead, you get an unsettling voice message. "Hi, Carol," the message tells you. "We're so glad you called. We can't wait for you to join us."

Ominous! And basically a shortened version of Davis' speech to Carol, minus the explanation of the science behind the virus.

The message then tells callers to dial 0, saying they'll reach out to you via text. The call ends once you press 0, but the text message comes through soon after, reading, "Your life is your own, Carol. You have agency!"

Then, if you're so inclined, you can sign up for updates from Apple TV. So if you want to live your Carol Sturka fantasy, give the infected members of the world a quick ring. Or don't. After all, your life is your own.

Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

The collapse of humanity is a lot to take in even in TV form, so we can only imagine how poor Carol (Rhea Seehorn) feels when it's happening all around her in Pluribus.

In episode 1 of Vince Gilligan's new Apple TV+ show, after finally making it back to her house, Carol watches C-SPAN on television. There's a man standing behind a podium in a suit, not moving or saying anything, as a number appears onscreen for Carol to call.

SEE ALSO: The 38 best Apple TV+ shows, ranked

While the man on the TV — a politician called Davis Taffler — explains to Carol that the vast majority of humanity has either died or been linked together as one by a virus, a stream of news tickers appear at the bottom of the screen.

In case you missed them, we've rounded them all up below:

"Carol, when you're ready you can reach us at this number. No pressure. We know you've got questions."

"You are safe."

"Your life is your own."

"Landlines only."

"Just dial zero, 24/7."

"We can't read minds."

"We're not aliens."

"Signal from space."

"Davis Taffler, U.S.D.A"

"We're one."

"Your life is your own."

Featured Video For You Emma Stone reveals how 'Good Luck, Babe' wound up in 'Bugonia'

The show's repetition of that last line — "Your life is your own" — feels a bit ominous, particularly given that a) the people united by the virus are trying to discover why Carol is immune, and b) the virus seems to like nothing better than spreading itself.

Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free on ServusTV. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The 2025 MotoGP season has entertained us all year, but now the chequered flag is being unfurled. We've only got a couple of race weekends left, and although the title was decided long ago, we're expecting some electric competition from the best riders in the world.

If you're interested in watching the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal?

The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal takes place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. The 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal race starts at 6:15 a.m. ET on Nov. 9.

How to watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free

The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

ServusTV is geo-restricted to Austria, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Austria, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to access ServusTV from anywhere in the world.

Unblock ServusTV by following this simple process:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria

4. Connect to ServusTV

5. Watch MotoGP for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access MotoGP live streams without fully committing with your cash. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does mean you can watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live streaming is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for MotoGP?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for unblocking ServusTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is protected

• Fast streaming speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $139 and includes an extra four months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Watch the 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal for free with ExpressVPN.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A cord.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

TWINE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A common Halloween costume.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GHOST

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A friend.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CRONY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Cranium.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for November 7 Hurdle Word 4 answer

SKULL

Final Hurdle hint

Plenty.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

AMPLE

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition is easy if you have some knowledge on college basketball.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Important for gains

• Green: Same first word

• Blue: Fictional characters

• Purple: The connection is within each word or name

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Weightlifting needs

• Green: Follows "Texas"

• Blue: Characters in the "Rocky" franchise, familiarly

• Purple: Starts with a piece of clothing.

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #410 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Weightlifting needs - BARBELL, BENCH, PLATES, SPOTTER

• Follows "Texas" - A&M, LONGHORNS, RANGERS, TECH

• Characters in the "Rocky" franchise, familiarly - ADRIAN, APOLLO, CLUBBER, ROCKY

• Starts with a piece of clothing - BELTRÉ, CAPITALS, SHOESTRING CATCH, SHORTSTOP

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 7, 2025

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for November 7, 2025 Easy difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 7 Pips

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answers are 1-2, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.

Number (8): Everything in this space must add to 8. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 7 Pips

Number (15): Everything in this space must add to 15. The answer is 2-5, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically; 6-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed vertically.

Equal (1): Everything in this space must be equal to 1. The answers are 6-1, placed vertically; 1-5, placed vertically; 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Less Than (6): Everything in this space must be less than 6. The answer is 1-2, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for Nov. 7 Pips

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add to 12. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.

Equal (0): Everything in this space must be equal to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 1-0, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically; 0-3, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this dark blue space must add to 12. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 3-3, placed vertically; 6-3, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this green space must add to 12. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally; 5-6, placed horizontally.

Number (12): Everything in this purple space must add to 12 The answer is 5-6, placed horizontally; 6-3, placed horizontally.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you love fun designs.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for November 6, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Typically found on clothing

• Green: They're the same color

• Blue: They're circular

• Purple: They're the same color

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Textile patterns

• Green: Green condiments

• Blue: Things with holes in the middle

• Purple: Things that are purple

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #879 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Textile patterns: AMOUNT, FIGURE, PRICE, VALUE

• Green condiments: CHIMICHURRI, PESTO, RELISH, SALSA VERDE

• Things with holes in the middle: BAGEL, HULA HOOP, INNER TUBE, WASHER

• Things that are purple: BARNEY THE DINOSAUR, EGGPLANT, PEOPLE EATER, SWING STATE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 6, 2025

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you love to dance.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for November 7, 2025 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 7, 2025 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Encuentra el ritmo

The words are related to rhythm.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe ethnic musical genres.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Latin Music.

NYT Strands word list for November 7

• Samba

• Tejano

• Tango

• Mariachi

• Latin Music

• Reggaeton

• Salsa

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a thrill seeker.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for November 7, 2025 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for November 7, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Danger.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter P.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

PERIL

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for November 7, 2025

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Wordle.

The first rule of Pluribus is "don't talk about Pluribus."

The newest show from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan is shrouded in secrecy. Its teasers are cryptic, boasting ominous phone calls and people licking donuts with measured precision. Its trailer is unsettling, yet vague. And crucially, Apple TV doesn't want critics discussing the key conceit of the show in any reviews. So, what can I really say about Pluribus?

SEE ALSO: Fall TV preview: 25 TV shows you need to know, and where to stream them

Well, let's not beat around the bush. It rules.

With Pluribus, Gilligan and Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn deliver an enthralling sci-fi tale about a future that toggles between utopian and downright terrifying. It's part apocalyptic thriller, part character study, and altogether another sci-fi win for Apple TV, which, between titles like Severance, Silo, and Foundation, has reliably proven itself to be the best streaming home for the genre.

What's Pluribus about? Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

Pluribus sets up a battle unlike any other. In one corner we have Carol Sturka (Seehorn), the most miserable person on Earth. In the other corner, we have the rest of the world's population, all of whom have been infected with a virus that makes you blissfully happy.

Where did the virus come from, and how did it spread across the globe? I wish I could tell you, but suffice it to say that Gilligan has crafted answers that are absolutely mind-boggling, so much so that Pluribus' first installment is one of my favorite episodes of TV I've watched all year.

SEE ALSO: The 38 best Apple TV shows, ranked

The episode plays out like a top-tier disaster movie, an exquisite demonstration of tension that snowballs into a bizarre horror show. Yet somehow, these infectious horrors wind up making the world a happier place — except for Carol, that is. She's the lone frown in a sea of smiling faces, each of whom wants nothing more than for Carol to be happy (which naturally only makes her more upset). While the rest of the infected might see their treatment of Carol as kindness, in her eyes, each too-big smile and overly chipper greeting of "Hi, Carol!" are nothing more than grim reminders of the topsy-turvy reality she finds herself in.

Pluribus raises intriguing questions about ethics and happiness. Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

In the first seven episodes sent to critics for review, Pluribus never quite hits the white-knuckle highs of its riveting premiere. However, in the wake of the sheer "What! What! What!" of the first episode, you'll find fascinating questions about the ethics of the world's newfound bliss.

Chiefest of all is the question of whether the infectious happiness and the peace it brings are actually good tidings for the world. Yes, conflict has stopped, and the infected's focus on resource management will heal the environment. Sounds great, right? The infected seem to think so. Their eerily calm explanations, delivered with placid smiles and the kindest eyes you'll ever see, may sway you, to the point that Carol's commitment to reversing the virus may seem like a villain attempting to work against the greater good.

SEE ALSO: Can consent exist in 'Severance'?

Yet there's a darker undertone buzzing beneath Earth's new idyllic way of living, since the virus leaves its happy citizens without agency or individuality. Gilligan deftly walks the line between the horrors of that truth and the strange, sometimes even funny ways that constant happiness changes the way humans live. The result is a show whose tone is an ever-changing meld of dread and humor, sci-fi and offbeat travelogue, as Carol journeys around the world in search of answers.

Rhea Seehorn is sublime in Pluribus. Rhea Seehorn in "Pluribus." Credit: Apple TV

The Gilligan-Seehorn partnership that kicked off in Better Call Saul continues to pay off big time with Pluribus. Gilligan wrote the role of Carol specifically for Seehorn, and it's not hard to see why. She is a force.

At first, Carol's misery is like a suit of armor, with misanthropy and frustration in place of plate mail. Yet as she spends more time in the world that the virus has created, her anguish comes through in brief, brilliant flashes. For this, Seehorn channels all the rage and sadness that's left on Earth, making for scenes that are equal parts cathartic and devastating.

In Pluribus, Seehorn spends quite a bit of time on her own, even going almost entire episodes without a human scene partner. Here, Seehorn's performance really shines, as Carol shifts from hardened to vulnerable and back again in the face of total isolation. Like the rest of the show, it's captivating to take in, a portrait of a character who tries to keep her emotions close to her chest, even as those emotions could be the only thing that will save humanity. That internal tension proves to be the heart of Pluribus, anchoring the show while things get wonderfully weirder and weirder.

That weirdness, coupled with Seehorn's performance and Gilligan's epic vision of a frightening future, combine to make one of the most promising TV debuts of 2025. Yes, "pluribus" may mean "many," but so far, the show is shaping up to be a singular experience.

Pluribus premieres Nov. 7 on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.

We all know someone who always complains about how cold it is. Maybe you are that person.

Then allow me to make your fall and winter a little more enjoyable. I've been buying these cute electric hand warmers as Christmas gifts for years. They're basically the perfect stocking stuffer. Even at full price, they cost less than $30. I first bought the Orastone Electric Hand Warmer for my long-time partner, who struggles with always-being-cold syndrome, a very serious and under-studied medical phenomenon.

She loved it, using it every day for several winters before its battery finally gave out. Ever since, I've been buying them for friends, family, and under-$25 White Elephant gift exchanges, and they're always a hit. Most electric hand warmers work just fine, but are pretty ugly. The Orastone is the rare hand warmer that's actually cute, and it comes with a lanyard you can wrap around your glove-covered hands.

I really do swear by this on Credit: Orastone

While it comes in a few different styles, this geometric-print version is on sale at Amazon for just $17.99, down from its regular retail price of $29.99. (Per Camelcamelcamel, its typical price is usually $23.99, so this is a genuine discount.)

There's not much else to say about this one. It's cute, it's warm, and it works. Oh — and it also has a flashlight, FWIW. In my experience, you'll get at least two winters' worth of warm and toasty hands out of this little gadget, and that's a fair deal for the price.

British brand Nothing has been on a roll in 2025. The brand's more affordable budget line, known as CMF, has been particularly impressive. And over at Amazon, the just-released Nothing CMF Headphones Pro are on sale for just $84, and we're seriously tempted. These headphones are the companion to the Nothing Headphones (1), which we raved about over the summer.

Opens in a new window Credit: CMF by Nothing CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro $84 at Amazon
$99 Save $15   Get Deal

The new CMF headphones have a slick, circular design, but what really caught our attention is the battery life. These headphones pack a 100-hour runtime, which is mightily impressive, especially for headphones with a regular retail price of only $99. It's rare to find an extremely long battery life and genuine Active Noise Cancellation in a pair of budget headphones. It's even rarer still to find budget headphones that don't look like ass.

The $15 discount at Amazon won't last much longer. It's a Lightning Deal and scheduled to end tonight. So, if you're looking for a replacement pair of headphones, you have a limited window to get in on this discount.

Here's what you get with the new Nothing ANC headphones:

The new CMF by Nothing headphones come in three colorways. Credit: Nothing

• Support for Hi-Res and LDAC codecs

• 40mm drivers

• Up to 40db of adaptive noise cancellation

• Up to 50 hours of ANC listening, 100 hours without ANC

Earlier this year, CMF by Nothing released the Watch 3 Pro, an under-$100 AMOLED smartwatch that Mashable readers have been obsessed with (so have we). We recently published a full review of the Watch 3 Pro, and our reviewer said that Nothing should be charging two or three times as much for this smartwatch. Like these new wireless headphones, that smartwatch has an insane battery life in our testing.

CMF will soon be spinning off into its own brand, and if its latest product launches are any indication, we're excited to see what they come up with on their own.