Imagine you’re at a bar with a close friend when everyone around you suddenly starts seizing, then collapses. Moments later, they all rise in unison, their minds seemingly merged, and offer to fulfill your every desire. Panicked, you hide at home, only to learn there are just 11 others like you left on Earth. A mysterious disease has overtaken everyone else, and you must find a way to stop it before it consumes the world.
This intriguing concept describes the storyline of Apple TV’s “Pluribus.” Directed by Vince Gilligan, the show stars Rhea Seehorn and Karolina Wydra. They play an unlikely duo, an anxiety-riddled author and the vessel of communication for this virus. The show primarily takes place in Albuquerque, which has seemingly been transformed into a kind of utopia in this virus’s eyes.
The series’s first season came out in November after much anticipation, with episodes releasing weekly. This anticipation was due to the show’s director, Vince Gilligan, who is best known for his work as a writer and director on the shows “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” both critically acclaimed. After just four episodes, critics have rated Pluribus 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, a TV review website, and 8.3/10 on IMDb.
After watching these first four episodes, I am intrigued to find out where this show goes. The show begins with a depressing mood, but evolves into an apocalyptic, sci-fi mystery that delves into the question: What would you do if you were one of just 11 conscious people left in the world?
The show follows its main character, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), who takes us through her life as a struggling author and how she deals with finding happiness while doing something she loves in life. Prior to the apocalypse, Carol details what retirement would look like as she appears tired of publishing books amid her struggles with selling books. These plans are quickly shut down along with the world, which leads to an amazing portrayal of emotion from Carol. She battles with the grief of losing her closest friend to the virus, while also trying to understand how to stop and reset the spread of the virus.
The most interesting part of the show comes as Carol is hiding away in her home when, suddenly, a figment of Carol’s imagination appears as she sees one of the main characters of her most popular book standing right in front of her. This character (Karolina Wydra) introduces themself as the virus and explains that its purpose is to create a happy life for all inhabitants and that soon they will “cure” Carol of this cruel world. This is a great twist early on in the season, because while Carol wants to defy this “evil” virus, the fact that they are communicating with her through one of her characters creates a conflict of interest that draws the audience closer to the storyline and creates a sense of mystery for future episodes as to when they will cure her.
Overall, I am intrigued after watching the first couple of episodes of Pluribus, and there are a lot of aspects of the show that I think are excellent. The cinematography and acting performances so far make this show what it is, and I think that Gilligan and Seahorn’s chemistry from working together on “Better Call Saul” is fully on display for watchers to enjoy. I do, however, think that “Pluribus” is going to be one of the shows that you have to watch all the way until the end to fully understand what is happening, so if you are into that, I highly recommend it.
