The Showrunner Reveals He Has a Plan for How His Sci-Fi Series Will End... Currently.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would become 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.”
Now that Season 1 of the hit series coming to an end—and Season 2 officially in the works—the writers' room opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Overwhelming Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and audience predictions about Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is doing his best to steer clear of all that.
“The experience is akin to force fed something incredibly sweet and being laughing uncontrollably,” he says. “It's amazing, but I get wind of it anecdotally, and that's by design. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. It's quite the opposite. It's a rabbit hole I know I would fall into and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
Regardless of trying to stay away, there’s no way to avoid 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.
“We don't try to adjust our writing,” says Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not impacted by online forums.”
“Better to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Will Vince Gilligan Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if Gilligan and his team are not listening by public opinion, does it imply they already know how Pluribus will ultimately end? Essentially yes… sort of.
“There are some compelling concepts about where the show might end up,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a good idea for a superior concept. That philosophy has guided us in well 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 plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to use as a backup.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and we're in there,” Smith jokes, “but no one is buying it.”
Of course, why not reference the classics?
“My dream is Carol to wake up in bed with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV+.
