Pluribus – HDP Review

Well, we learned an awful lot about the Others, their particular world view, and just what they can and cannot do to the world around them and the Survivors themselves this week. Oh, and we also got a bit more time with Manousos, Carol’s best chance at a partner in crime when it comes to her continued mission to revert the world back to the way it once was. But what continues to make Pluribus such a special and intriguing series is that, even when doling out the revelations, the series continued to focus on its central conceits: the power and purpose of individuality, the crushing burden of grief and loneliness, and how people react to the same situation so incredibly differently.

So, let’s dispense with the key revelations first. It turns out that, as many online had predicted, Carol discovered that the Others are in fact harvesting the dead bodies of their fellow Hive and reprocessing them into “HDP” (Human-Derived Protein). Their “milk” is really a blend of human bodies and whatever other foodstuff the Others can get their hands on. Because as the person that was once John Cena told Carol and us, the Others cannot kill or harm any living thing – including plants. Which explains why Zosia was so cagey about their diet way back in episode two. Interestingly, Koumba was much more understanding to their plight than Carol. Perhaps it was because Carol was recalling that the Others offered to take Helen’s body off her hands – where she now knows it would have been repurposed into a food source. Or perhaps it’s just that Koumba is, on the whole, more able to roll with the punches than Carol.*

*In a series full of interesting and complex characters – which includes Zosia, even though she isn’t an individual – Koumba might just be the most intriguing to me at the moment. Samba Schutte is so darn good in the role – endlessly charming, understanding to a fault, and playing his cards far closer to his vest than I suspect the Others are aware. I would love a flashback to understand just who he was prior to the Joining. Because while he might not share Carol’s vision in turning the world back the way it was, he is adamant that he wants to keep his individuality – a key similarity to Carol, and one that I suspect will make him more of an ally to her moving forward than she knows.

Our other key revelation is that the Others have discovered a way to add the Survivors into the Hive. The only catch is that it will require a painful procedure to harvest stem cells – a direct violation of their “do no harm” principal. So, they require express permission from the Survivors to complete the procedure. While I suspect several will gladly agree, this also poses a bit of a logistical conundrum for the Others that they don’t appear to want to address. Per Koumba (and John Cena), the Others will run out of food and starve to death in ten years, even with the HDP. So, why would they want to turn the only people who can, feasibly, help them to get new food? Now, thirteen people aren’t going to be able to feed over seven billion, but as Koumba said, these individuals likely hold the key to saving them. Why turn them? It’s a major flaw in their programming – which hints that there might just be some more flaws that could get some folks on board with the “bring the world back” plan in the future. Let’s put a pin in that idea for another time.

As for the state of Carol, despite these revelations (and the revelation to us that Manousos is on his way to meet up with Carol – it looks like he, too, had a fraught relationship with his mother), it’s clear that she’s really starting to fray at the edges. As Koumba told the Hive, she’s so incredibly lonely. Not that Carol is ready to admit that to anyone – or herself. But learning that the other Survivors meet twice a week? A dagger. That she was voted out of the group? Another dagger. And that they all seem much more willing and happy to interact with the Others, accept the Others, and use the Others for their own wants and needs*? Not a shock, but still, a disappointment to her. Carol might claim she needs no one. That she wants nothing to do with the Others. But she’s alone. She’s desperate. She’s grieving. And she feels like she’s screaming into the void. After all, she doesn’t know Manousos is en route and that he wants to help her. Koumba’s parting message, that the Others miss her and that Zosia, in particular, misses her? Yeah, I suspect that’s going to grate at her a bit moving forward.

*Another way Koumba is the most fascinating character on the series – his elaborate James Bond-inspired poker showdown. Clearly planned and choreographed by him, played out with the Others, and then ending in an orgy in his hot tub. Once again, it shows the dichotomy of the character. He requests permission from the Others, is clear about consent – such as it is – but also knows that they will do whatever he asks in order to make him happy. He treats his conquests as consensual, but again, is there consent when the Others live to serve him? Does consent even matter when everyone is part of a single hive mind? While Vince Gilligan and his writers haven’t really delved into that question of late, it’s still very much a real question that I suspect will continue to pop up throughout the series.

So, where are we as we move deeper into the back half of this first season? Well, Carol is starting to feel the strain of complete isolation – both from the Others at home and from her fellow survivors. Manousos is undertaking a long drive to make it to Albuquerque to team up with Carol and try to save the world. And Koumba is continuing to live it up and live out his fantasies, while also making it clear that he does not want to join the Hive. As for the Others? Well, if they’re telling Koumba that they want to have Carol back, we’ll have to take them at their word since they cannot lie. But I’m not quite sure Carol has reached her breaking point just yet – although that breakdown in the bathroom suggests one is coming sooner rather than later. With some key narrative moves, Pluribus is moving out of the expositional stage and into the rising action of the story. Let’s see just what is waiting for Carol at her empty city next week.