The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Knows How Pluribus Will End... Currently.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed program coming to an end—and a second season officially in the works—the writers' room recently discussed the audience reaction and whether it will impact the storyline of Pluribus.
About the Incredible Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get swayed by the rampant praise and fan theories surrounding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is striving to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to an endless supply of your favorite dessert and being laughing uncontrollably,” he explains. “It's wonderful, but I learn of it anecdotally, and that's on purpose. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would fall into and then I'd be pooping in a five gallon bucket from the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
Despite his concerted efforts, there’s no way to avoid the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“We don't try to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not influenced by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Big Question: Does Vince Gilligan Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by audience theories, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will ultimately end? Essentially yes… in a way.
“We've developed some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” he states. “yet we stand ready to abandon a solid concept for a superior concept. 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.”
On the other hand, if all else fails, executive producer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“My recurring proposal is that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and the characters are inside it,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“I want Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” he jokes.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
