The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Shares He Knows How Pluribus Might Finish... At the Moment.
The creative mastermind never anticipated that his new science-fiction series would turn into a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
Now that Season 1 of the acclaimed series wrapping up—and Season 2 officially in the works—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will influence the narrative path of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Fan Response
It would be easy to get distracted by the constant speculation and online debates regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being an endless supply of something incredibly sweet and being laughing uncontrollably,” he describes. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's intentional. Not once have I Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be never leaving the house from Home Depot and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
In spite of his concerted efforts, there’s no way to avoid the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The most practical strategy is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We make no attempt to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by what people are saying.”
“It's wiser to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Big Question: Does Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if the creative staff are not listening by public opinion, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“There are some compelling concepts about where the show might end up,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to discard a decent plan 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 scrap ideas 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 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 reveal the snow globe and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Then again, why mess with the legendary finales?
“I'd love for Carol to wake up in bed next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV.
