Pluribus is two episodes into its nine-episode run on Apple TV, but don’t expect the show to feature an M. Night Shyamalan-style switcheroo at the end of Season 1, as creator Vince Gilligan says “sometimes the best twist is no twist at all.”
Pluribus is Vince Gilligan’s new high-concept series about a virus spreading across Planet Earth, and creating a vast hive mind that connects everyone while discarding free will and individuality.
Its hard sci-fi that harks back to Gilligan’s X-Files roots, while the question at the heart of the show is why a handful of people – including protagonist Carol Sturka – are immune.
At a Pluribus event in London, hosted by Apple and Empire, the Breaking Bad creator spoke about that mystery, and why it might not be all that mysterious.
Vince Gilligan says Pluribus fans might have all the info they need
During a post-screening Q&A, the subject of whether aliens are responsible for the virus arose multiple times, with stars Rhea Seehorn (Carol) and Karolina Wydra (Zosia) suggesting the audience don’t jump to conclusions on that front.
Gilligan then claimed Pluribus might be simpler than it seems, saying: “We’re all used to M. Night Shyamalan movies with great twists. Sometimes the best twist is not much of a twist at all. From everything you’ve seen, you might know all you need to know.”
He then references a moment in the pilot when a politician communicates with Carol through her television, and explains exactly what’s going down.
“If you take this guy at his word – the guy on the TV set, Davis Taffler – you might know everything you need to know… Obviously there was extraterrestrial technology involved, as he said. It doesn’t mean there’s any aliens on Planet Earth.”
Indeed, early versions of the show didn’t feature any mention of aliens, with Gilligan stating of the writing process: “Unlike Breaking Bad, this was very much a continuum. Very much a slow deliberate series of baby steps. When I came up with the idea of the signal from space, that was months or maybe a year or so into plotting this thing out.”
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