Why Carol Was Safe From the Hive, Finally Explained
Pluribus just cracked its creepiest mystery: Carol is safe from the hive-mind virus. After fears the Others could convert every last survivor, the latest episode delivers an unexpected reveal about why she never joined the collective—and what it means for those still at risk.
If you were worried Pluribus was about to flip Carol into a drone for the Others, Episode 6 says: not so fast. The show finally lays out why she is not getting pulled into that hive right now, and the answer is both gross and oddly bureaucratic.
The gross reveal, then the awkward catch-up
Episode 6, titled 'HDP,' opens with Carol finding a storage unit stacked with vacuum-sealed human body parts. She records everything, planning to show the remaining survivors. Because she is not convinced the Others are actually delivering her messages, she decides to handle it in person and heads to Los Angeles to find Diabate.
When she tracks him down, curveball: everyone already knows. Diabate plays her a video of John Cena (yes, that John Cena), who is infected, calmly explaining why the Others are harvesting bodies. They have a hard rule against harming any living thing — so strict they will not even pluck an apple off a tree — which means they are living off already-dead humans. The extract is called HDP: Human Derived Protein. It is essentially cannibalism with a loophole and a label.
Why Carol is not getting converted (for now)
The next day, Diabate breaks down the mechanics. If the Others want to turn a survivor into one of them, they need to collect that person’s stem cells and tailor the virus to those cells. That extraction is invasive and painful, and the Others will not do it unless the person consents.
'I am officially going on record that I do not consent. You will not lay a finger on me.'
The Others reply: 'Your wishes will be respected.'
That is the whole play: no consent, no conversion. Carol is safe unless they find some new workaround.
- The Others will not harm living things (not even picking an apple).
- They feed on HDP — Human Derived Protein — harvested from corpses.
- Converting a survivor requires stem cells and a customized virus.
- Stem cell extraction is invasive, and they will not do it without consent.
Where to watch
The first six episodes of Pluribus are streaming on Apple TV.