Vince Gilligan Discloses He Knows How Pluribus Might Finish... For Now.
Vince Gilligan could not have predicted that Pluribus would emerge as a breakout success. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
As the debut season of the hit program reaching its finale—and Season 2 officially in the works—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Tremendous Fan Response
It would be easy to get swayed by the widespread acclaim and online debates surrounding Pluribus. The creator is striving to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being an endless supply of hot fudge sundaes and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it from others, and that's on purpose. Not once have I searched for my own name online, nor do I ever want to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a rabbit hole 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 rarely emerge from my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s it's impossible to ignore the immensely favorable 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.
“It is not our goal to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by online forums.”
“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” he chimes in.
The Big Question: Does the creator Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff are not listening by audience theories, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? Essentially yes… with some caveats.
“We've developed some potential directions about where the show might end up,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to abandon a decent plan for a better idea. That has held us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we conceive of something superior and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if all else fails, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to serve as a last resort.
“I constantly suggest that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and we're in there,” he says humorously, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Of course, one could always use the classics?
“My dream is Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV+.