The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Reveals He Knows How Pluribus Might Finish... Currently.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that his new science-fiction series would emerge as a cultural phenomenon. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “I did not foresee the show being as talked about as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed series reaching its finale—and the next chapter already in development—Gilligan and his team reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will impact the narrative path of Pluribus.
Regarding the Overwhelming Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get swayed by the constant speculation and fan theories regarding Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is doing his best to ignore the noise.
“It's like being an endless supply of your favorite dessert and being tickled to death,” he says. “It's the greatest thing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's intentional. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever intend to. It's quite the opposite. It's a deep trap 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.”
In spite of trying to stay away, there’s it's impossible to ignore the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“It is not our goal to adjust our writing,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not changed by online forums.”
“It's wiser to keep our focus on the work,” Gilligan adds.
A Pressing Query: Has Vince Gilligan See the Ending of Pluribus?
Considering Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by audience theories, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… sort of.
“There are some interesting ideas about where the show might end up,” Gilligan says. “but we are always ready to throw out a solid concept for a better idea. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we conceive of something superior and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, executive producer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to use as a backup.
“My recurring proposal is that everything takes place within a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and that's where they've been all along,” Smith jokes, “but no one is buying it.”
Of course, why mess with the legendary finales?
“I'd love for Carol to awaken beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is streaming now on the streaming service.