Vince Gilligan Discloses He Has a Plan for How The Apple TV+ Show Will Conclude... For Now.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that Pluribus would turn into a breakout success. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed program reaching its finale—and Season 2 officially in the works—Gilligan and his team reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Audience Reaction
It would be easy to get sidetracked by the widespread acclaim and fan theories regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to constantly eating something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it anecdotally, and that's on purpose. Not once have I looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever plan to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, 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.
“We don't try to adjust our writing,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not changed by audience chatter.”
“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan adds.
The Big Question: Does Vince Gilligan See the Conclusion of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff are not listening by public opinion, can we assume they have mapped out how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“There are some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to discard a decent plan for a better idea. This approach has served us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, director and writer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to fall back on.
“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and we're in there,” Smith jokes, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Then again, why not reference the classics?
“I'd love for Carol to open her eyes beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is streaming now on Apple TV.
