Pluribus (2025): HDP - Seaons 1 Episode 6 - RECAP
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Episode 6 of Pluribus really open your eyes in terms of how far this thing is going, we finally got some real answers instead of just more questions piling up on top of each other. The whole reveal about the HDP which is basically human derived protein makes you realize the entity is literally grinding people up and feeding them to the billions under the glue to prevent starvation, I feel this might not land so well with many viewers because the show is trying to put this on a high alert drama type of situation when its not, if we look at whats going on the world is not the same anymore and things have change drastically and whats normal for millions has now remains strange just for a few. My point is that the show is trying to make this look as some dark shit and John Cena delivering that message on video was both hilarious and disturbing at the same time, at least I understand this is a show that is trying to build up drama so Im here for it but just dont take it too seriously. I did not have John Cena explaining cannibalism on my expectations for this show but there he was with a cameo, as expected the drama Queen of the show, Carol, is completely left out of the survivor group, like these people have Zoom meetings twice a week and she is not even invited, they all voted on whether to include her and it was not unanimous against her which has to sting like hell, imagine been one of only thirteen people left with your mind intact and the other twelve are like nah we good without you. Kumba is the only one actually giving her any attention, by this I really mean it because not even him is so glad to be around her all the time, he also keeps having these weird side conversations with the entity talking about her behind her back, the whole dynamic is fishy as hell and I do not trust him fully even though he seems like the only one to meet her in the middle and might be the only ally she has right now, but not fully, he is out there living his best James Bond fantasy while Carol is driving eight hours with a severed head in her passenger seat trying to save humanity.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18177528/
- Platform: AppleTV+
The biggest reveal in the episode is that the entity cannot turn the survivors without their consent, they need to do some invasive procedure to get their stem cells and Carol flat out refuses which makes her even more of a threat to them, its like finding out the monster chasing you actually needs your permission to eat you so suddenly you have all the power. You can tel this is setting up some crazy endgame where someone is going to try to force her into giving consent, probably putting her in a situation where she has to choose between saving someone or giving up her individuality, thats the kind of shit Vince Gilligan loves to do to his characters. The scene where Carol breaks down in the bathroom was rough to watch because Ray Seehorn plays it so damn well, she is trying so hard to keep it together but you can see the loneliness crushing her from the inside, she drove all that way thinking she had this huge discovery that would change everything and then Kumba is like oh yeah we already knew about that a week ago, talk about deflating. The John Cena video explaining HDP was absurd in the best way because they literally made him the spokesman for why the entity is grinding up dead people into protein shakes, the others figured Carol would take the news better if it came from someone beloved and I guess they were right because I was sitting there nodding along like yeah that makes sense John, they cant pick apples so what else are they gonna do, the logic is sound even if its horrifying.
Kumba living it up in Vegas was a whole different vibe from Carols misery tour and it shows how different people are handling this situation, he has got the others acting out his James Bond poker game fantasies complete with an eye patch villain and everything, the moment the game ends and everyone just stops pretending and goes back to cleaning up felt creepy because it reminds you none of this is real and for sure there is something brewing in the back, even though the world have change there are some things that probably go beyond this world and that is hard work, I truly doubt that he will continue this lifestyle for ever without anything on this universe to stop him. Those people in the room are not actually having fun or choosing to be there by their own will as they are not individuals anymore, they are just doing what Kumba wants because the hive mind makes them do it, in a very typical way makes me look at them as zombies because we are not use to have everyone think as a single entity, on this sci fi shows we are more use to one controlling them all although here nobody at least for now controls everyone. Kumba is basically using people as props for his personnel entertainment and the show does not shy away from how uncomfortable that is. The whole Vegas sequence felt like a different show entirely with the bright lights and the empty streets, seeing the strip completely deserted except for Kumba and his hive girlfriends, its like the entertainment capital of the world has been turned into one mans playground and nobody else gets to enjoy it. Carol showing up and realizing Kumba already knew everything she discovered must have felt so dumb and the worst part is that all she had to do is ask but they still see the Hive mind as the enemy and refuse to work with it even when its about taken out information to understand them because then she think they will get into her head, she spent all this time investigating and risking her sanity only to find out she is the last person to know anything.
Manus finally leaving his egg timer radio control setup and finding Carols videos was so satisfying to watch because you can say at last she is not alone, you can see how inspired he gets by her message about treasuring your individuality and I love how he tells his "mom" that his real mom is a bitch and refuses to accept the fake peace and love they are offering him, that moment where he drives away after the car stalls and his mom tries to talk to him was perfect because it shows he is not buying any of their bullshit. The way they shot that final scene with his mom in the shadows made it feel so sinister and really drove home that the entity is the villain of this show, they are not the good guys trying to help humanity they are forcing this fake utopia on everyone and eliminating what makes people human in the first place, individuality is gone and they want to finish the job by converting the last thirteen holdouts. Carol saying maybe tel them to pick an effing apple was such a perfect line because it cuts through all the bullshit excuses about why they have to grind up humans, like maybe just let people be people and figure their own shit out instead of forcing everyone into this hive mind nightmare, the entity keeps saying they want to help but their version of help looks a lot like control. This episode finally got the balance right between good and evil, not showing every single character as a saint, at least when Manus mom showed up, on this episode I think every moment mattered and I am so hyped to see Carol and Manus team up because they are clearly the only two who get it, everyone else has either given up or is enjoying the new world too much to want things to change. The contrast between Carols isolation and Kumbas indulgence was really well done because it shows two completely different responses to the same situation, she is desperately trying to fix things and bring people back while he is living out every fantasy he ever had without caring about the consequences, neither approach is fully right or wrong which makes it interesting. The reveal that the entity runs out of food in ten years adds this ticking clock element to the whole thing, they are consuming human derived protein from the hundred thousand people who die naturally every day but eventually that supply runs out and then what, do they start killing people on purpose or do they just let everyone starve. The fact that they cannot harm any living thing including plants makes their situation more complicated, they cant farm or harvest anything so they are stuck with whatever food was already stockpiled plus grinding up the dead, its a grim solution to a real problem and the show does not try to make it seem less horrifying than it is.
I am giving this episode a solid 7.5 out of 10 because it was exactly what the show needed after five episodes of slow burn setup, we finally got major reveals and character development that pushes the story forward in a real way, finding out the entity needs consent to convert the survivors changes everything because now Carol has leverage she did not have before. The pacing was tight and every scene felt important whether it was Carol discovering the truth about HDP or Manus deciding to leave his bunker and drive to Albuquerque, nothing felt like wasted time and that is rare for a show that usually takes its time with everything. If it keeps this energy going I think Pluribus could end up being one of the best shows of 2025, well its already showing with its nominations now that we are in awards season. The writing is smart to a certain level but do not take things too serious because as I mention it all falls down when you realize everything runs on top of Carols drama, if she runs out of drama / gas the show dies, but she does make you feel every bit of Carols frustration and lonelines. The John Cena cameo was unexpected but it worked perfectly because it added this absurd element what could have been just a dark reveal, having him explain cannibal in his typical way was both funny and disturbing which is exactly the tone this show nails. Manus packing up and heading towards Carol is the setup for what could be the best part of the season if they really kick it off because agree and dealing with Carol is not so easy, they might look like two people who actually want to resist the hive mind but the real question if they will be able to start working together instead of Carol doing everything alone, and whether they can actually find a way to reverse everything or if they are just delaying the inevitable.
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