Image: Apple TV via MovieStillsDB (by Nico).
By
Abigail Stevens
Published 1 minute ago
Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University.
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Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Pluribus season 1, episode 5.Audiences are still obsessed with iconic Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan's new TV show Pluribus, taking to social media to praise the newest episode and some noteworthy foreshadowing. Gilligan brought back Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn to star as Carol, one of the few people in the world who is not affected by a mysterious virus that makes everyone happy.
Pluribus episode 5 was just released early on Apple TV. Following Carol's botched attempt to drug Zosia (Karolina Wydra) and find out how she can reverse everyone in the world becoming a hive mind, "The World" clears all its bodies out of the city of Albuquerque because they "need some space." Thus, Carol is largely on her own for the episode.
However, while taking out her trash, she realizes that public recycling bins are filled almost exclusively with milk cartons of a specific brand, and goes to investigate the factory. She discovers that they are mass-producing a strange liquid and sends out video messages to the other survivors, though she is still dependent on The World to copy, translate, and deliver them.
Pluribus episode 5's ending seems to imply that the hive mind is subsisting on processed human bodies, of which there are many for the time being, as hundreds of millions died in the chaos of humanity's minds being taken over. Right away, people noted how milk subtly features in earlier episodes.
For instance, the "Others" were seeing moving human bodies into a trailer for a milk company:
Zosia was also seen drinking from a milk carton while she was recovering from Carol setting off a hand grenade:
Meanwhile, with Seehorn being the only person on screen for the majority of the episode, viewers like @lionesspike are also taking particular note of her performance, lauding her for "not needing a single line of dialogue for us to know what carol is thinking":
Technically, the show is also a masterpiece, with @thekinddone_ saying that "episode 5 was just [executive producer and writer] Gordon Smith flexing on us for 48 minutes straight.":
In light of the final twist, @rieeese highlights how a well-constructed image of Carol in a bin surrounded by milk cartons is "so creepy":
The episode also features the strangely hilarious sequence of a drone being sent to pick up Carol's trash (as the hive mind doesn't want to see her), and getting stuck on a streetlight and being destroyed. @Lightenerrthang calls it "one of the funniest pieces of physical comedy I've ever seen" and discusses what it suggests about The World:
Ironically, Pluribus being released a few days early this week means we will have to wait longer to the follow-up to the biggest cliffhanger yet.
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8.7/10
8/10
Pluribus
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Thriller Sci-Fi Release Date November 6, 2025 Network Apple TV Directors Adam Bernstein, Zetna Fuentes, Melissa Bernstein Writers Ariel Levine
7 Images
Rhea Seehorn staring into the distance in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn's Carol holding a doctor by their arms looking worried in an ER lobby in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking seriously over her shoulder in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn in PluribusApple
Rhea Seehorn in Pluribus©Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection
Rhea Seehorn's Carol looking distracted and Karolina Wydra's Zosia smiling at someone in Pluribus
Rhea Seehorn curled up on the couch in PluribusClose
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Rhea Seehorn
Carol Sturka
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Karolina Wydra
Zosia
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