The Showrunner Shares He Knows How Pluribus Might Finish... Currently.
The creative mastermind never anticipated that Pluribus would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he states. “I did not foresee the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
With the first season of the popular series wrapping up—and the next chapter greenlit and underway—the writers' room recently discussed the viewer reception and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Fan Response
It would be easy to get sidetracked by the rampant praise and online debates about Pluribus. He is striving to ignore the noise.
“It feels like constantly eating your favorite dessert and being laughing uncontrollably,” he describes. “It's amazing, but I learn of it from others, and that's by design. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be living in squalor from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Regardless of trying to stay away, there’s no escaping the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The most practical strategy is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“It is not our goal to change the plot,” says Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not impacted by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Big Question: Has Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Finale of Pluribus?
Considering the creative staff aren't taking cues by public opinion, does that mean they have already decided how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? In short yes… with some caveats.
“We have some compelling concepts about the ultimate destination,” he states. “yet we stand ready to abandon a good idea for a more brilliant plan. This approach has served us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to serve as a last resort.
“My recurring proposal is 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.”
Then again, why mess with the iconic TV endings?
“I'd love for Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV.
