{"id":169639,"date":"2025-12-05T14:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/169639\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T14:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:14:08","slug":"pluribus-turns-a-caloric-deficit-into-a-nightmare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/169639\/","title":{"rendered":"Pluribus turns a \u2018caloric deficit\u2019 into a nightmare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week since Pluribus\u2019 premiere<\/a>, I\u2019ve presented a handful of burning questions I have about what\u2019s coming next. And most of the time I really want to know the answer. This is a show where mysteries are baked into the premise, with a slow-burn structure that can make it very satisfying when the answers start rolling in. But I regret wanting to know what the hive mind are drinking in episode 5<\/a> \u2014 I now have the answer, and I really don\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n

Welcome to our weekly Verge-subscriber discussion of Pluribus<\/a>, the new sci-fi series on Apple TV from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan<\/a>. The show follows a woman named Carol (Rhea Seehorn), who is one of the few \u201csurvivors\u201d on Earth after a virus of unknown origin turns the rest of the world into a connected, cheerful hive mind. Carol also happens to be among the most miserable people on the planet. Each week, I present a handful of questions from the latest episode to get a conversation started, so feel free to chime away in the comments with your own thoughts, theories, and questions. Obviously, spoilers follow for the first six episodes of Pluribus.<\/p>\n

Three main things happened this week. The first is that, after quite the cliffhanger with Carol discovering the hive were consuming something that really grossed her out, we finally found out what it was. And yeah: it\u2019s people. It\u2019s maybe not the biggest surprise, but what led to it is actually fascinating. It turns out that the hive\u2019s inability to cause harm extends to everything, even plant life, so they can\u2019t even pick an apple off of a tree. This has created what John Cena described in a helpful PSA video has a severe caloric deficit. And part of the solution is what they call HDP, or Human Derived Protein, which means mixing a little meat from people who died from natural causes into their meals. Yum.<\/p>\n

Second, Carol learns that the hive have indeed found a solution for bringing her and the other survivors into the fold. But there\u2019s a catch: Doing so requires an invasive procedure, which the hive can only perform with consent. Obviously, Carol is not giving her consent.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the episode we also see that Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) is finally ready to step out into the world after watching one of Carol\u2019s tapes in which she discusses things she\u2019s learned about the hive. He\u2019s one of the remaining human survivors, but he\u2019s also pivotal to Carol because he seems to be the only one who shares her disgust with the hive, and wants to get things back the way they were. The snag is that he lives in Paraguay, but he\u2019s gearing up for a road trip, so maybe the two will finally meet and conspire after all.<\/p>\n

Anyways, here are my current big questions.<\/p>\n

Is there a solution to the food crisis?<\/p>\n

The whole cannibalism thing is clearly not a permanent solution for the hive. As Mr. Diabat\u00e9 (Samba Schutte) tells Carol, the way things are going, most of them \u2014 which total over 7 billion individuals \u2014 will starve to death within the next 10 years. Which means that Carol\u2019s attempt to \u201csave the world\u201d by getting rid of the hive mind might actually end up saving a whole lot of lives if she can figure it out. Otherwise, it\u2019s not clear exactly how much of a future the hive has given their dietary restrictions.<\/p>\n

When and how are Carol and Manousos going to connect?<\/p>\n

OK, I\u2019ve been asking some variation of this question for a while, but now that he\u2019s actually headed out to meet her, the logistics seem particularly challenging. Once upon a time heading from Paraguay to Albuquerque wasn\u2019t the biggest ordeal, but in a world without air travel, coupled with Manousos\u2019 unwillingness to accept any help from the hive, it\u2019s going to be quite the trek.<\/p>\n

Will Mr. Diabat\u00e9 ever wake up to reality?<\/p>\n

Look, I understand the temptation to some degree. The world is in a weird place and he can do and get basically anything he wants. But how long can it really go on? In this episode we see him living it up in Las Vegas, while the hive around cosplay as extras in a James Bond movie. Given their current predicament with regard to food resources, it seems like an extraordinary waste. And part of what makes Mr. Diabat\u00e9 so frustrating is that he\u2019s often a thoughtful, sympathetic guy. When Carol gets angry that the hive are essentially starving themselves to death, he replies calmly, \u201cThey don\u2019t see it that way.\u201d Hopefully he wakes up soon.<\/p>\n

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