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The following story contains spoilers for Pluribus episode 6, “HDP.”
IT’S JOHN CENNNNNNAAA! No, literally. This week’s episode of Pluribus picked up in the immediate aftermath of Carol’s (Rhea Seeshorn) discovery that the hive is using humans as fuel. Upon this revelation, she’s invited to see Diabaté (Samba Schutte), currently living his best Bond lifestyle in Las Vegas. Upon arriving, he states to her that not only does he know about the results of her investigation, but that the hive has a message for her about it.
That bit of exposition? Delivered by none other than one John Cena. The WWE wrestler/Peacemaker actor/all-around beloved mensch makes a cameo appearance as a hive-ififed version of himself—“We’re John Cena,” got a big laugh out of me when I watched screeners—to tell Carol all about all about HDP, aka Human Derived Protein.
“[John] Cena? He’s cool,” Pluribus creator Vince Gilligan told Men’s Health during our conversation. “And he said yes, thank goodness. We just thought, ‘Who is, simultaneously, the most random person to explain the eating of human flesh to Carol Sturka and the most interesting?’” Gilligan stated that Cena was so game that he’d film “on a weekend” if they could get to him. Thus, the Pluribus production crew rented a small soundstage in Tampa, Florida to get him to shoot the sequence.
Gilligan stated that dropping Cena into the world resulted in a situation where he “got it and he didn’t get it.” “As he was leaving, he said, ‘I can’t wait to find out what the hell it was I just said,’” keen to figure out the full context of the critical bit of information he’s responsible for introducing into the world of this show.
Anyone who’s followed Cena’s career knows that the actor is one of the most sincere people around, which ends up working in the hive’s favor. The result is rather disarming, as the hive is decidedly transparent about how it settled on this food solution, given its available nutritional options. Cena’s presence is random, sure, but it’s a calming effect, too.
Granted, the reveal is likely to prompt similar discussions online as to the ones Gilligan hoped to see about the show when we spoke. Sure, there are pros and cons to being a part of the hive, and the HDP news further complicates the already muddled waters around the world in which Carol now inhabits.
However, as the episode shows, Carol might soon gain a powerful ally in her cause as Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga) sets out to find her after seeing her latest tape. It’s a big episode, to be certain—one made all the larger by Cena’s appearance. It also kicks off the start of a big few weeks for Cena, as his final match in WWE is set for December 13’s Saturday Night Main Event. While we’re bummed that his tenure in wrestling has come to an end, if it means we get to see of him in fun roles like this, that very well may be a worthy trade.
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William Goodman is a freelancer writer, focused on all things pop culture, tech, gadgets, and style. He’s based in Washington, DC and his work can also be found at Robb Report, Complex, and GQ. He’s yet to meet a jacket or cardigan he didn’t love. In his free time, he’s probably on Twitter (@goodmanw) or at the movies.
