Apple TVThe cliffhanger in Pluribus Episode 5 left one question: what was under that tarp? Episode 6, ‘HDP’, confirms our worst suspicions – anthropophagy is now on the table – but the reveal also hints at an even more disturbing theory still to come.
In last week’s episode of the Apple TV series, ‘Got Milk’, the hive mind decided it needed some “space” from Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) and she used the time to investigate why the city’s trashcans are filled with so many empty milk cartons.
She discovered that The Others have been living off an odorless, neutral, straw-colored liquid, which they’d been manufacturing themselves and pumping into milk cartons. Finally, Carol headed into one of the factories where she found the source of this liquid.
Carol lifted up the tarp and appeared confused before realizing what she was looking at, causing her to gasp in horror. The episode ended there, but thanks to years of sci-fi movies, there was an obvious explanation: human bodies. Warning: spoilers for Episode 6 ahead!
What does anthropophagy mean in Pluribus Episode 6?
Apple TVAnthropophagy is essentially human cannibalism – the act of humans eating the flesh or organs of other humans. And as we learn in Pluribus Episode 6, the hive mind has turned to this practice, using what it calls “human derived protein” (or ‘HDP’) as sustenance.
The latest chapter of Vince Gilligan’s show wastes no time in confirming our suspicions: underneath the tarp are shrink-wrapped human body parts, including heads. After taking a breather, Carol records her findings in a Blair Witch-esque style video.
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But given she’s had no response from the uninfected so far, she decides to drive straight to the closest of the group: Koumba Diabate (Samba Schutte), who’s in Las Vegas living his best life.
Much to her surprise, he’s already figured this out. He shows her a little explainer video, which introduces this week’s huge celebrity cameo: John Cena, starring as the Joined version of himself.
“Hello Carol, we’re John Cena, and we’re here to address some questions you may be having regarding our food supply,” he says.
Apple TVAs we’ve already learned throughout the series so far, The Others can’t purposely kill, harm, or otherwise interfere with any form of life (hence why all the zoo animals were set free after the virus hit).
But this also means they can’t even interfere with plant life, meaning they’re unable to harvest wheat or corn or rice, or even pluck an apple from a tree. “Once an apple drops of its own accord, well, we’ll eat it of course, and gratefully,” says Joined John Cena.
“Indeed, we harvest all the windfall we can find. Plus there are billions of domesticated animals – cows, chief amongst them – that still require milking. And there’s pre-existing food, millions of tons of it, that was processed prior to our Joining.
“So far so good, right? Except for one small problem: as of this taping, there are 7,348,292,411 of us. That’s a lot of mouths to feed. We’re facing a caloric deficit, and to make up for it, we’ve had to take certain measures.”
Apple TVHe then holds up one of the cartons Carol investigated in Episode 5, saying, “This is how we get our sustenance. One half pint of this shelf-stable liquid contains 300 calories, which means that based on a diet of 2,400 calories a day, someone John Cena sized needs eight of these every 24 hours.”
In the most matter-of-fact way ever, he explains that the liquid is based on, for the most part, stockpiled foodstuffs, particularly ones that are in danger of spoiling. However, they also contain 8-12% of something they call HDP – human-derived protein.
“And yep, it’s pretty much what it sounds like. Nearly 100,000 people pass away each day due to natural causes and accidents. Those human remains, which would otherwise go to waste, are our source of HDP,” Cena continues.
“We cherish the memory of these people and appreciate their sacrifice. Given our druthers, would we choose to consume HDP? No. Throughout history, most cultures, though not all, have taken a dim view of anthropophagy.
“Honestly, we’re not that keen on it ourselves. But we’re left with little choice.” He goes on to “reassure” Carol that they’ll never force her to drink HDP.
Once again, it showcases the frightening logic the hive mind uses. The ultimate goal? Spread the virus to every being capable of being infected, do not kill or harm any beings, and serve beings that are not part of the hive to the fullest of their ability.
But even if the hive mind only uses the bodies of people who have already died, the shift from person to product is morally loaded. What makes this even more troubling is that Carol and Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) are the only immune who seem to care.
That reveal exposes the hive mind’s ethical blind spots when it comes to justifying violating human bodies – living, dead, or not even born yet… which brings us to an even more disturbing theory.
Stem cell reveal could mean Carol is in danger
Apple TVKoumba also reveals in Pluribus Episode 6 that The Others have already figured out a way to make the virus work on the immune. It involves tailoring it to their individual stem cells, but to obtain those stem cells, they must collect them from their bodies.
This involves sticking a giant needle into the bone of the hip. It’s invasive and painful, and thanks to the hive mind’s questionable rules, they won’t do this without consent. Carol wastes no time in letting them know that they do not have consent.
But if you cast your mind back to Episode 3, you’ll remember the flashback scene of the ice hotel, where Carol mentions freezing her eggs to Helen. That means, somewhere in a lab, are the stem cells the hive mind needs to turn Carol.
Although The Others refuse to harm anything alive, they show far less reverence for anything that doesn’t meet their definition of “life” – including stored genetic material.
And when you remember that their other core objective is to spread the virus to every being they possibly can, the implications of Carol’s frozen eggs become far more unsettling.
Apple TVThose eggs aren’t protected by the hive mind’s rules, and if they’re the key to making the virus work on her, nothing in The Others’ ethical framework actually prevents them from retrieving them.
Pluribus fans were quick to pick up on this detail, with one writing on Reddit, “So they’re going to get her stem cells from her frozen eggs. ‘We said we wouldn’t harvest them from YOU, Carol.’”
“The technicality that the Hive won’t harvest any stem cells from her body, knowing that she has frozen eggs… Carol honey you are in DANGER,” said another.
Apple TVEven though Koumba is far more accepting of the hive mind, he too reveals in Episode 6 that he does not consent to being infected – instead, he’d rather continue living the life of Riley. There’s just one issue with that: he’s been having sex with every beautiful infected woman he can find.
“Diabate is probably in more immediate danger,” said one Redditor. “Since germ cells aren’t perfect, they may need more than a few to get it working. Diabate is dumping them into any warm hole.”
Another replied, “Oooooo and at some point Diabate will get got and Carol will realize she’s in danger because of her eggs!”
Pluribus Episode 7 drops on Apple TV on December 12. Until then, read about the Pluribus ending theory, why Breaking Bad fans are clapping back at Carol being branded a Karen, and find more TV shows to stream this month.