Vince Gilligan Reveals He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... For Now.
The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that Pluribus would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
With the first season of the acclaimed program wrapping up—and the next chapter already in development—the creative team recently discussed the audience reaction and whether it will impact the future direction of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Audience Reaction
It would be easy to get distracted by the widespread acclaim and audience predictions about Pluribus. He is striving to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it anecdotally, and that's intentional. I have never searched for my own name online, nor do I ever intend to. It's quite the opposite. It's a deep trap I know I would get lost in and then I'd be pooping in a five gallon bucket from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of trying to stay away, there’s no way to avoid the immensely favorable response to the series. The most practical strategy is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Does the showrunner See the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that the writers aren’t being guided by public opinion, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… in a way.
“There are some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a decent plan for a better idea. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Then again, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and we're in there,” he says humorously, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Alternatively, why mess with the legendary finales?
“I want Carol to wake up in bed with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV+.
