PLURIBUS: SEASON ONE
Starring: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, and Carlos-Manuel Vesga
Creator: Vince Gilligan
NICK
For a series as ambitious as Pluribus to work, the writing needs to be top-tier and credit to Vince Gilligan and his team, because it is. It also helps that frequent Gilligan collaborator Rhea Seehorn feels like she was made for this role. I’ll admit, this one caught me off guard. Pluribus made me ask myself questions ranging from moral to existential, and with plenty of parallels to the rise of AI, it was released at the perfect time. It may sputter a touch towards the end, but the good far outweighs the bad in what is yet another Apple TV winner.
ROBERT
Despite Vince Gilligan’s resume pre-Breaking Bad, I was nervous about the next kind of universe he would try to craft after making such an indelible mark with the Albuquerque drug trade (Battle Creek, anyone?). Needless to say, my hesitancy was ill-considered as Gilligan, paired with Rhea Seehorn, is as reliable as anything. Pluribus is like Invasion of the Body Snatchers combined with Last Man on Earth, but it asks deep questions about community versus individualism and whether our identity is worth sacrificing for peace and goodwill. While its lack of sizzle can cause stagnancy, its headiness and superb acting keep you intrigued.
KATIE
My expectations for Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus were incredibly high, considering Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are some of my favourite shows, and it did not disappoint. It’s a distinctly Gilligan show, especially in its pacing and meticulous, visually driven storytelling, yet it also feels fresh and interesting. It’s definitely a slow-burn, and at a couple of points, it lacks energy, but I appreciate how it doesn’t rush to answer the philosophical questions it poses. Plus, Rhea Seehorn was born to play the cynical Carol; the amount of time we spend with her alone is a testament to her compelling performance.
ADRIANO
Pluribus is a masterclass of tension, character writing, and world-building. So, no wonder it’s created by Vince Gilligan. In its first season, it simultaneously showcases Gilligan’s pension for patient and challenging character studies and a newly tread territory of subverting sci-fi tropes through a profound allegory for AI’s grip on humanity. The character in question is played by a magnificent, Emmy-bound Rhea Seehorn, who brings so much life into her character, Carol. I love a show that gets me sprinting to the next episode every week, and Pluribus is a prime example of that.
QUENTIN
Between the hush-hush marketing and involvement of Breaking Bad-universe creator Vince Gilligan and underappreciated Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn, hopes were high for Pluribus. Those hopes are mostly met, but not without concerns. Seehorn is award-worthy as the sympathetic but highly unlikeable Carol, and there are enough tension-generating cliffhangers to make the thought-provoking exploration of happiness, particularly as it relates to individuality versus conformity, compelling — even if the reveals are of the quasi-insignificant variety so far. That said, at about three episodes too long, the season drags at times, and it doesn’t leave much to cling to for next season. Still, in Gilligan we trust.
