The Showrunner Reveals He Has an Idea of How Pluribus Might Finish... For Now.
The creative mastermind did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “The viewers have been incredible,” Gilligan says. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed sci-fi show wrapping up—and Season 2 already in development—the writers' room opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
About the Incredible Viewer Reception
One could easily to get swayed by the rampant praise and online debates surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to avoid both.
“It feels like force fed your favorite dessert and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it from others, and that's intentional. I have never Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a deep trap I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
Regardless of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no way to avoid the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not changed by online forums.”
“It's wiser to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan adds.
The Big Question: Does the creator See the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Considering the writers aren't taking cues by audience theories, does it imply they have already decided how Pluribus will finally conclude? Essentially yes… in a way.
“There are some interesting ideas about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to discard a good idea for a superior concept. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we find a more perfect path and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, director and writer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to serve as a last resort.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and we're in there,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Then again, why mess with the legendary finales?
“I want Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
