Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has done it again. His new series Pluribus, which premiered on Friday (November 7), is packed with tiny clues, and one chilling hidden detail has sparked a theory about the show’s hive mind.
Apple TV is behind some of the best series ever made, so it should come as no surprise that it’s the home of Pluribus. In fact, the dystopian drama is very Severance-coded, taking place in a world that feels off kilter (even before the extraterrestrial virus hits) and the dialogue is verbose.
The new TV show centers on author Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) as one of 12 humans who are immune to an alien virus that transforms humanity into a single consciousness, aka a hive mind. Think Invasion of the Body Snatchers, only in this instance, the entity is friendly.
Already, the series has received a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from the critics, as well as 85% from audiences – but it’s also sparked a busy discussion. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Hidden detail in Pluribus hints at disaster for the hive mind
One eagle-eyed fan has spotted that two of the plane registration numbers are registered to aircrafts that crashed in real life. What’s more, the search database used to find this out is called Carol – the same name as the lead character.
Could it just be a coincidence? Sure, but fans don’t seem to think so, with one presenting the theory that it’s foreshadowing the hive mind’s fallibility – which could prove disastrous for the human race.
The self-proclaimed “aviation nerd” who spotted this detail wrote on Reddit, “The registration for both planes comes back to planes that crashed in nearly identical ways in January 2001… Not sure if anyone has noticed this or mentioned it.
“N46628 (Cessna on the roof) is registered to a plane that crashed on January 12th, 2001.
“N1703D (C-130 flown by Zosia) is registered to a plane that crashed on January 6th, 2001.
“Both accidents were pilot error incidents. Both planes were destroyed after colliding with trees. Both accidents were attributed to weather (icy conditions, fog). Both crashed about 10nm from their intended destination.
“In one accident, the pilot survived; in the other, they did not.”
They went on to say, “With how detail-oriented Vince is, I feel like plane registration numbers are not something he’d overlook. I have no idea the meaning behind it, but I definitely have a hard time believing these similarities weren’t purposeful.
“My favorite fact of all… the NTSB search database, where this information is available, is named CAROL.”
One fan wrote in response, “Ok now that is pretty interesting find. Particularly the name of the site. Great info,” while another said, “Vince is back baby.”
A third added, “Oh damn, I feel like this is a similar find to the names of the Breaking Bad Season 2 episodes being what they were. We’ll have to wait to find out what it means though.”
However, one shared the following theory: “I wonder if it’s foreshadowing the fallibility/vulnerability of the Hive, considering that the hive is fundamentally human.”
We already know that strong emotions cause the hive mind to glitch, and we also know that it refuses to hurt or even cause upset to the immune humans. And in a world this fragile, one mistake might be all it takes for it all to come crumbling down.
Bonus fun fact: the airline Carol is transported on is Wayfarer, the same as the airline behind the plane crash in Breaking Bad.
"Il Commissario Ricciardi 3" in onda oggi 10 novembre su Rai 1: trama e anticipazioni