This week’s installment of Pluribus transports us to the electrifying Las Vegas. Here, Carol visits Mr. Koumba Diabaté, a resident of the luxurious Verona Sky Villa atop the Westgate Hotel. His 30th-floor penthouse buzzes with activity: guests drink, laugh, dance, gamble, and converse in French, while Koumba charms the crowd with his enigmatic persona and card-playing prowess. However, the atmosphere dips noticeably whenever he steps out.

During this season of Pluribus, we’ve caught only glimpses of the Joined in their true form. In the first episode, as the takeover unfolds, they move with mechanical indifference. Last week, we watched them quietly evacuate Albuquerque while Carol slept. Now, in the current episode titled “HDP,” they turn eerily silent and begin a joyless cleanup of the villa once their host departs.

Carol continues to point out to the uninfected that something is amiss with the Joined, despite their claims of not being alien. Though she’s only seen them briefly in their true state during the initial terrifying night, she senses these entities are masquerading as something they’re not.

As “HDP” opens, Carol believes she has the definitive evidence needed to convince the remaining human humans to resist the invaders rather than embracing their new reality as a perpetual party. The previous episode, “Got Milk,” concluded with a startling discovery at the Agri-Jet pet food facility. This week, Carol records the horrifying scene: human bodies chopped and stored in freezers, and a gigantic meat-grinder alongside enormous cooking vats.

The episode’s opening moments, illuminated by the blueish tint of Carol’s flashlight, strike an eerie tone. It quickly shifts into a found-footage thriller as Carol re-enters Agri-Jet to film the macabre setting. Distrusting the Joined to distribute her footage, she opts to drive it directly to Vegas herself.

The ambiance in Vegas is equally notable. The city feels haunted, its electronic casino signs eerily welcoming Carol. Koumba is caught between being a hospitable host and returning to his indulgent lifestyle. A poignant moment occurs when Carol, half-jokingly, talks about finding her own suite to brainstorm with Koumba about the Joined, only to retreat as she sees his disappointment.

Before this, it’s evident Carol and Koumba hold differing views on handling the Joined. Upon her arrival at the villa, Carol impatiently waits for a television screen to appear, eager to show Koumba her footage. Before she can play her video, she learns two things: the Joined have already been sharing her videos, which Koumba praises, and everyone already knows the aliens are consuming humans.

Koumba then shows a different video featuring an entity claiming to be John Cena, explaining the Joined’s diet. Their “no kill” policy extends to plants, meaning they can only eat pre-processed foods or already dead plants and animals. Apples that have naturally fallen off trees are fine, as are human corpses.

Despite these revelations, “HDP” feels less eventful than previous episodes. It lacks a major “Carol executes a plan” sequence. For the first time, the show’s deliberate pacing seems to be a stumbling block, as evidenced when Koumba reveals that he and other non-Joined have been meeting without Carol, discussing potential solutions to the Joined’s dietary dilemma.

Carol is devastated to learn she’s been excluded, especially as she believes she could contribute futuristic solutions to their predicament. However, any ideas involving the termination of life, like robot farmers, are off the table.

The meeting underscores that the Joined have devised a method to complete their assimilation of humans, albeit through a painful, non-consensual procedure. Both Koumba and Carol vehemently oppose this. Carol also tries to highlight the strange nature of these aliens to Koumba, who remains fixated on his friendship with the entity posing as John Cena.

Meanwhile, in Paraguay, Manousos Oviedo, a self-storage manager, decides to act after receiving Carol’s video. Preparing to leave for Albuquerque, he packs supplies and revives his old sports car. As he departs, he encounters his mother on the street, who tries to coax him into accepting the Joined’s influence. He rejects her, recognizing she’s not truly his mother—a reflection of how the Joined typically behave: emotionless and indifferent.

Additional Thoughts

• • Watching Pluribus on Apple’s screener app, I noticed a lack of subtitles for foreign languages. I had to revisit the episode on my laptop to catch the French and Spanish dialogue. However, the visual storytelling and performances, particularly during a poker game, convey much of the narrative without need for translation.
• • Koumba’s phone call to his loved ones, ending with a tender “I miss you too, my loves,” adds layers to his character, blending his gentle nature with an alien-like aloofness.
• • The John Cena video is a highlight, not just for Cena’s delivery but for the subtle humor woven into his explanation of the Joined’s dietary restrictions.
• • A brilliantly executed scene features Carol trying to confirm that the Joined can’t convert her without consent. She navigates a frustrating call system only to receive her answers on a casino marquee, showcasing Rhea Seehorn’s talent in physical acting.
• • Before departing Paraguay, Manousos checks radio frequencies again, fixating on 8.613.0. The significance of this frequency remains unclear but intriguing.

Noel Murray is a contributor to The A.V. Club.

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