TV Series review: Pluribus ep 5

After episode 4 slowed things down to focus on character development, episode 5 of Pluribus does the opposite. This one pushes the story forward in a big way and shows us the consequences of Carol pushing the Joined too far.

Carol has been testing the limits of the Joined for several episodes now, sometimes knowingly, sometimes not. This time, she finally hits that limit.

The episode opens in the shadow of that massive cliffhanger from last week. At the end of episode 4, all the Joined across the entire world break down and cry, repeating 'Please, Carol'. We now learn why. Carol drugs Zoshia and forces her to reveal whether the joining process can be reversed. The cost of that interrogation is brutal. Zoshia suffers a heart attack and is now back in hospital. We learn nothing new about her condition in this episode, but at this point she has endured more suffering than anyone else in the series. Ironically, instead of retaliation, the Joined respond in the calmest way possible. They simply leave.

One of the standout moments of the episode comes when Carol falls asleep in the hospital corridor outside Zoshia’s room. While she sleeps, every single Joined in Albuquerque leaves the city at the same time. It is eerily organised, almost choreographed like a ballet. When Carol wakes, she climbs to the top of the local Crowne Plaza hotel and watches them disperse in every direction.

This is a quietly shocking realisation. Until now, it never fully registers that the Joined are staying in the city solely for Carol. I assumed they were spread out, maintaining systems, producing food, keeping society running. Instead, they are simply there for her. Once they leave, an obvious question forms. If Albuquerque does not need them, where do the Joined actually live, and what do they do elsewhere?

Carol is not entirely abandoned. The Joined still support her, but on their terms. All communication is now pre-recorded and any physical interaction happens through drones delivering supplies or collecting items. These drones provide a few surprisingly light moments, but they also underline how completely Carol has been cut off.

Rather than reflect, Carol doubles down. Angry and spiteful as ever, she becomes more determined to understand the Joined, driven by a 'know your enemy' mentality. At the same time, the episode frames her as deeply lonely. With the Joined gone, she has no one left to fight against. The performances here are excellent, especially in the quieter moments, where her isolation becomes impossible to ignore.

Carol fills the void the only way she knows how. She drinks, eats, thinks about her best friend Helen and throws herself into work. That work leads her to a strange discovery. The Joined sustain themselves using cartons labelled as milk, which gives the episode its title, 'Got Milk'.

From here, the episode leans into a detective structure. Carol follows the supply chain from bottling plants to packaging facilities, slowly piecing together the truth. What she discovers is that the substance is not milk at all, but an oily, tasteless liquid. It looks strange but is not harmful. Carol knows this. In fact, given everything we know about the Joined, it is probably the most efficient and nutritious substance imaginable. Still, the investigation is less about the discovery itself and more about Carol staying sane.

She records her findings and sends them to the other twelve people like her, hoping it sparks resistance. Hope is all she has left. Hope that others still want the world to return to what it was before the Joined arrived.

The episode ends with Carol uncovering something genuinely shocking inside one of the packaging facilities used by the Joined. It feels like a final punctuation mark rather than a twist, suggesting that many more clues have been quietly scattered throughout the episode.

Episode 5 may not have the emotional weight of episode 4, but it is vital. It redefines the relationship between Carol and the Joined, turns isolation into the central conflict and finally starts moving the mystery forward again.