The latest episode of Vince Gilligan’s new Apple TV series, Pluribus, has left viewers with a chilling cliffhanger that strongly echoes a classic science fiction film. Episode 5, titled “Got Milk,” was released early for the Thanksgiving holiday and concludes with a reveal that has fans speculating about a dark secret at the heart of the show’s hive mind.
In the episode, the hive mind, known as the Others, decides it needs space from Carol after her harmful actions toward Zosia. This leaves Carol completely alone in Albuquerque, giving her the freedom to investigate. Her detective work leads her to a bizarre clue: the Others are not drinking milk from small cartons, but a strange, custom-made liquid. Carol’s investigation into this substance’s origin builds to a final moment where she discovers something so shocking it leaves her gasping, with the show cutting to black before revealing what she saw.
The Investigation and the Cliffhanger
Abandoned by the Others, Carol Sturka uses her isolation to dig deeper into their mysteries. Her search begins with a simple observation: the trash is filled with empty milk cartons from a local dairy called Duke City Dairy. Upon closer inspection, she finds the cartons contain a yellowish, odorless liquid that is sticky like olive oil but has a neutral pH. It is not milk.
Carol determines that the liquid is made by mixing water with a mysterious white powder. She tells the other immune survivors in a video message, “Whatever that is, the resulting liquid is all they seem to consume,” suggesting it might be key to maintaining the hive mind connection.
Finding a barcode on the bag containing the powder, Carol traces it to a food packing plant called Agri-Jet. The episode’s final scenes follow her as she explores the dark, deserted plant. She finds mysterious items wrapped in plastic, lifts the covering, and reacts with stunned horror. The show does not explicitly show what she found, ending on this dramatic cliffhanger.
Also Read:
The “Soylent Green” Connection
The ending has immediately drawn comparisons to the 1973 sci-fi thriller Soylent Green. That film’s famous twist reveals that the food ration “Soylent Green” is made from human corpses, a fact the protagonist exposes with the line, “Soylent Green is people!”
Similarly, the setup in Pluribus suggests the white powder used to make the Others’ drink could be sourced from humans. The series has already established that the Others are non-violent and cannot kill, but they do need to sustain their collective body. This has led to widespread fan speculation that the show is using a “Soylent Green”-style twist, where the hive mind is being sustained by processing human remains.
This twist is positioned not as a finale, but as a mid-season revelation, fundamentally changing the context of the story and Carol’s mission. As one analysis noted, “Today, sci-fi stories like Pluribus aren’t really thinking about overpopulation… the hive mind nature of the show changes the basic setup.” The moral dilemma is intensified by the show’s established rule that the Others cannot lie. If the substance is made from people, they have likely been honest about it, forcing Carol to confront what that means.
A Changed Dynamic for Carol
Episode 5 showcases a significant shift in Carol’s situation. After she injected Zosia with a truth serum in Episode 4, causing Zosia to suffer cardiac arrest, the collective consciousness decided to withdraw. They left Albuquerque, informing Carol via a recorded message that while their feelings for her haven’t changed, they “need a little space.”
This abandonment gives Carol the freedom to investigate but also leaves her completely alone to face new dangers, such as wolves encroaching on her property. Her detective work is methodical and solo, driven by the conviction that the Others’ extreme resistance to her questions about reversing the Joining means a reversal is possible. She is more determined than ever, but now must face the consequences of her discoveries without any immediate support.
Release Schedule and Early Drop
Pluribus Episode 5, “Got Milk,” had a special early release. Instead of premiering on its originally scheduled Friday, November 28, it dropped on Tuesday, November 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET. This change was made due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. The series will return to its regular schedule with Episode 6 on Friday, December 5.
The season consists of nine episodes, with the finale scheduled for December 26.
Also Read: Heated Rivalry Release Schedule: New Episode Dates and Streaming Details
