The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Shares He Knows How Pluribus Will End... For Now.
The creative mastermind did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “It was unexpected the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
As the debut season of the hit series coming to an end—and a second season officially in the works—Gilligan and his team reflected on the fan response and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Fan Response
One could easily to get distracted by the widespread acclaim and fan theories about Pluribus. The creator is doing his best to steer clear of all that.
“The experience is akin to force fed your favorite dessert and being tickled to death,” he says. “It's amazing, but I hear about it through word of mouth, and that's intentional. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever plan to. It's not a lack of interest. 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 it's impossible to ignore 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 make no attempt to adjust our writing,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not impacted by online forums.”
“Better to keep our heads down and working,” he chimes in.
A Pressing Query: Will Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Given that Gilligan and his team are not listening by public opinion, can we assume they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… sort of.
“We have some potential directions about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to abandon a decent plan for a more brilliant plan. That has held us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We change course when we find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Then again, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that everything takes place within a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Alternatively, why mess with the classics?
“I'd love for Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.
