'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe' Episode 5 Recap: Why Did Denise Eat A Leaf?

In episode 4 of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Stuart found himself in a mental institution explaining to Amy about the events that had led him to that place. Of course, that sounded preposterous to Amy; hence, she upped Stuart’s dosage and assured him that he’d be allowed to walk out of the mental institution if he showed signs of progress. The meds sent Stuart on a wild trip, and it seemed like he was going to give up on this form of therapy. But then Denise visited him and told him that his children were dying to reunite with him, and that motivated him to complete his therapy. After he was discharged, Denise took him to a gallery show, where Bert had put all of his artwork (which featured all the universes he had been to so far) on display, which struck him as odd. When he got home, he found out that Kripke was his neighbor, and he was married to Gary. Later on, Stuart decided to go on a walk, and he spotted his doormat sending him subliminal signs about how nothing he was seeing was real. He then found a comic book at the store, which revealed that it was Stuart himself who had accidentally knocked over the quantum entanglement device, thereby starting this whole multiversal mess. Stuart saw an ad for the device, purchased it, and then activated it. Instead of going to another reality, Stuart, Denise, Bert, and Kripke woke up in the Matrix. They found the device yet again in the Construct, and when they activated it, it took them to an universe which was primitive and yet everyone spoke English. What happened next? Let’s find out.

Spoiler Alert

Stuart And Co. Are In A Utopian Society

In episode 5, Chana, one of the members of the forest tribe that Stuart and his friends find themselves surrounded by, expresses surprise that Stuart and co. speak their language. Simpa, another member of the tribe, asks them where their village is. They talk about Pasadena, California, and the United States of America, but it’s evident that none of that exists in this reality. Instead of debating over that, Chana and Simpa request that Stuart and his friends come with them to their village, where they have food, shelter, bathrooms, and “companions to sleep with.” It seems like everything goes over Kripke’s head, and all he hears is “companions to sleep with” because that’s all he cares about. Once Stuart and co. determine that this tribe is safe, they follow them to their village. Later that night, Stuart and Denise talk about how the tribe speaks English despite having no contact with the outside world or any access to tech (by which they mean to say that they are not colonized and yet they know English). Denise posits the theory that maybe they are speaking in the language native to that realm and it’s being automatically translated into English in their minds; Stuart tries to debunk that claim but he fails. Hence, he chooses to focus on the food. Stuart and Denise’s meal time is interrupted by the sound of the quantum entanglement device hissing. Stuart detects the source of the sound, and when he yanks at a slot in the machine, he finds a red quartz in it that seems to be overheating the whole thing. Meanwhile, Chana forms a bond with Bert because she thinks he is beautiful. Things escalate so quickly that Chana asks if Bert will be comfortable “sleeping” with her. Given how nobody has ever made such a request of him, Bert almost chokes on his food. But once he is sure that Chana isn’t pulling his leg, he graciously accepts her request. Speaking of legs, Kripke takes off one of his shoes to get comfortable, and Manu, one of the men in the tribe, straight up takes both of his shoes because he likes them.

Stuart Finds A Message In Bear Poop

The following day, Stuart and Denise wake up and immediately start talking about how beautiful things are in this village. Then they remember that they need to fix the quantum entanglement device, but that is going to be an uphill battle, because nobody in the village knows anything about tech. Stuart brings up school and education, which reminds Denise about their kids from the previous universe. This kind of confirms my matryoshka doll theory. The original versions of these characters are inhabiting the bodies of the version of themselves that already exists in an universe; and once they leave that universe, they leave with the physical body of the version of themselves that they had “possessed,” while also remembering what they had done while they were in that body. Stuart tries to convince Denise that their kids in that loony bin reality weren’t real, but for Denise, they were real; which is why she actually misses them. Denise wonders if they are really stuck in this universe for good. Stuart remembers that while they were in the loony bin universe, someone was trying to communicate with him through subliminal messaging (it was supposedly the alternate version of Stuart that showed up in episode 1). So, they have to look for similar signs in this universe. Meanwhile, Bert and Chana have a chat about their nighttime romp, and how much they love each other, but when Chana agrees to sleep with Simpa just because he asked her to, Bert comes to the realization that this tribe doesn’t believe in monogamy. Bert essentially pleads with Chana to consider being monogamous (even though he is not sure if it’s something that actually makes people happy), and she says that she will (because she wants Bert to be happy). Elsewhere in the village, Kripke unveils the barrage of people that he has slept with, and it is confirmed that, at least in this universe, he is bisexual (in the previous universe, he was gay).

Stuart Tries To Steal Gavel’s Red Quartz

As Denise and Stuart are arguing again about how the tribe knows English even though they weren’t colonized by England, they come across a tribeswoman digging through bear poop. Denise and Stuart ask her why she’s doing that, and she says that she is looking for signs and omens. Apparently, it’s a common practice in this universe to predict the weather or the fertility of women using animal droppings. Stuart theorizes that maybe he will find a subliminal message in that bear poop, much like the ones he got on the doormat or in the comic book in the loony bin universe. And, on that note, he dives into the bear poop with his bare hands. Eventually, Stuart finds the words “use red quartz” in there. In the meantime, Kripke gets into a bit of a tiff with the village folk because they have no concept of personal utensils; they share everything. Kripke is a germaphobe, which is why he doesn’t want everyone’s germs to be swimming in the food bowl that he has claimed by putting his initials on it. When the villagers talk about living in harmony by sharing everything, Kripke’s inner anti-communist jumps out, but since he is unable to defend why he is against communism, he just grabs onto his bowl and says that it’s his. Simpa is shocked to see all his fellow mates carving their initials on their bowls and calling him a communist and a socialist for suggesting that they should share and care; which shows that Kripke has poisoned everyone’s minds. Kripke doesn’t stop there though, because he introduces the barter system to the villagers. Bert experiences yet another shock when he learns that Chana has become monogamous, and is in an exclusive relationship with Bert. Bert is happy about this, because he’s living his very shallow and misogynistic dream of being in a relationship with a woman who sleeps with him and then cooks meals for him. Simpa goes to Kripke to indirectly ask him how he can get rid of Bert, because he doesn’t like Chana being monogamous with him, and Kripke essentially tells Simpa to kill Bert (Kripke doesn’t know that it’s Bert that Simpa is talking about).

Bert’s Wedding Goes Up In Flames

Denise wonders how they are going to find the red quartz that the bear poop was talking about. Stuart says that since Bert is a geologist, maybe he will be able to help them search for the location where red quartz is available in this universe. Unfortunately, Bert isn’t interested in leaving this universe; all his focus is on getting married to Chana (marriage is a new concept in this universe too). While they are having a conversation on the ethics of tricking Chana into marriage, they spot one of the villagers, Gavel wearing a red quartz around his neck. Stuart asks Gavel if he can have it, but since Kripke has destroyed the concept of sharing, Gavel refuses to part ways with his red quartz necklace. Later that night, Denise and Stuart go to Kripke to ask how they can acquire the red quartz, and he tells Stuart to steal it. Stuart doesn’t want to do that, because Gavel is a big guy. Kripke assures him that he doesn’t have to worry about that because this tribe isn’t violent. Based on that advice, Stuart and Denise head over to Gavel’s hut to steal the red quartz. As Stuart is getting cold feet, he wonders what’ll happen if they just decide to stay in this universe. Denise asks him if he likes the outdoor toilets. Given how Stuart prefers private toilets over outdoor toilets, he decides to break into Gavel’s hut and steal the red quartz necklace while Gavel is asleep. Stuart’s little heist goes well for the most part, but then Gavel wakes up and reacquires the red quartz, thereby rendering Stuart’s efforts pointless. The following day, Stuart and Denise go back to Bert to get him to help them with the red quartz, but Bert is too busy preparing for the wedding. Chana notices that her tribe is falling apart as they are becoming selfish and violent (all thanks to Kripke), but she chooses to focus on the wedding for Bert’s sake. Seeing Bert so happy, Stuart and Denise postpone their plans to get back home and partake in Chana and Bert’s wedding ceremony as the best man and marriage officiant, respectively.

Denise Is Eating Leaves

For the most part, Bert and Chana’s wedding ceremony goes smoothly. Since it is customary, Denise asks if there’s anyone in the village who opposes Bert and Chana’s holy matrimony. Simpa says that he is not okay with it. Moreover, he says that monogamy, the concept of not sharing things, and the barter system are all wrong. For a second, it does seem like Simpa’s words have prompted the tribe to become progressive again, thereby undoing Kripke’s brand of regressiveness. But then everyone starts swinging at each other wildly, which proves that the damage that Kripke has done runs deep. 

In the ending of episode 5, Stuart notices that Gavel’s red quartz necklace has fallen off during that fight, and he immediately grabs it, puts it into the quantum entanglement device, and then activates it. Stuart, Bert, Denise, and Kripke go into the wormhole again and land in a universe that looks normal enough. But then Denise starts chomping on the leaves of the plant that’s in the comic store they are standing in, and it becomes evident that something is wrong. I think it is a little alarming that with each new universe they are going to, the changes are becoming more and more intense. When they went to the AI bot universe, they just had those chips installed on their nape, but their fundamental behavior didn’t change. The same can be said about the time they went to the magical universe. However, ever since entering the Matrix universe, they are exhibiting behavioral changes. I feel that the tribal universe was the group’s last chance at experiencing normalcy. Since they have squandered that opportunity, things are going to get worse for the gang with every new universe they land in. Denise chomping on that leaf might seem hilarious, but maybe it’s a sign that these universe-hoppers have started to lose their humanity and are becoming animals. Or maybe I am reading too much into this, and Denise’s urge to eat leaves is just a side-effect of the universe she has entered. What are your thoughts on the same? Let me know in the comments.

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