Pluribus episode 6 reveals something huge about the virus
In the latest episode of *Pluribus*, viewers are treated to significant revelations regarding the virus that has devastated humanity. Carol, portrayed by Rhea Seehorn, travels to Las Vegas with the intent of discussing the contents of a mysterious milk with Mr. Diabaté, played by Samba Schutte, who is one of the few remaining uninfected individuals. In a surprising twist, she learns that Mr. Diabaté is already aware of the milk’s implications, thanks in part to a humorous cameo by John Cena. However, the real shock comes when Mr. Diabaté reveals critical information about the virus’s transmission: it cannot infect individuals without their explicit consent. This revelation hinges on the necessity of tailoring the virus to each person’s unique stem cells, a process that requires invasive procedures, including extracting stem cells from the hip bone, which cannot be performed without permission.
This newfound knowledge brings a glimmer of hope for Carol, who has been living in fear of being transformed into one of the Joined, the virus’s host species. Confirming Mr. Diabaté’s claims with the Joined—who, as established in previous episodes, cannot lie—Carol breathes a sigh of relief as she explicitly refuses consent for any invasive procedures. However, the episode leaves viewers with a lingering sense of unease; while Carol may have temporarily escaped the threat of becoming infected, Mr. Diabaté warns that the Joined are displeased with this discovery. Their relentless pursuit of spreading the virus suggests that they will continue to seek new methods of transmission. Thus, while Carol’s immediate future appears brighter, the overarching threat of the Joined looms large, hinting that her reprieve may be short-lived.
The unfolding narrative of *Pluribus* raises intriguing questions about consent, autonomy, and the lengths to which the Joined might go to achieve their goals. As the series progresses, viewers are left to ponder not only Carol’s fate but also the broader implications of a world where the boundaries of human agency are increasingly tested. With new episodes streaming every Friday on Apple TV, fans are eager to see how these developments will shape the characters’ journeys and the overarching storyline.
There are a couple of eye-opening revelations in
Pluribus
episode 6 — and while one of them’s somewhat disturbing, the other may give Carol (Rhea Seehorn) a cause for hope.
So, what exactly do we learn about the virus and how it can be transmitted? We’ve recapped everything below.
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What do we learn about the virus in episode 6?
Episode 6 sees Carol travelling to Las Vegas to meet with Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte), one of the other few remaining people on Earth that hasn’t contracted the virus. Carol travels with the purpose of telling Mr. Diabaté about
the milk
and
what’s contained within it
, only to find out — via an entertaining
John Cena cameo
— that he already knows.
It’s only as Carol is about to storm off that Mr. Diabaté reveals some new information he’s learned about the virus’ transmission:
Mr. Diabaté
: “They cannot turn us. Not without our consent.”
Carol
: “What do you mean?”
D
: “It seems the only way to make their virus work on us is by tailoring it to our individual stem cells. But to obtain those stem cells, they must first collect them from our bodies.”
C
: “Um… What? What?”
D
: “Apparently that involves sticking a large needle into the bone of the hip. Somewhat painful, and very invasive. Something they cannot do without our permission.”
C
: “When did you find this out?”
D
: “They made this discovery only yesterday.”
Carol confirms this with the Joined, who, as we learned in episode 4, are
unable to lie
. Then she contacts them to explicitly refuse consent.
What does it mean for Carol?
As we can see from Carol’s reaction, the news clearly comes as a massive relief. Carol’s main fear so far has been that the Joined would turn her into one of them, which they’d given her every indication they planned to do. But now that they can’t, Carol is off the hook, right?
Well, maybe. But it’s worth noting that Mr. Diabaté also tells Carol that the Joined aren’t happy with what they’ve discovered. We also know that one of their main drivers, alongside survival, is to spread their virus to everyone who doesn’t yet have it. The Joined have all of the top minds in the world under their control, so it seems inevitable that while they don’t yet have a way to transmit the virus without requiring consent, they’ll probably continue looking for one.
Carol may have a short reprieve, but we’d be surprised if she’s out of the woods just yet.
Pluribus
is now streaming on Apple TV, with a new episode every Friday.
