The Showrunner Discloses He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Will Conclude... Currently.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that Pluribus would emerge as a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I did not foresee the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
Now that Season 1 of the popular series reaching its finale—and Season 2 greenlit and underway—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will impact the future direction of Pluribus.
On the Tremendous Fan Response
One could easily to get swayed by the constant speculation and online debates surrounding Pluribus. He is doing his best to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he describes. “It's wonderful, but I hear about it from others, and that's intentional. Not once have I looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a rabbit hole I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
Despite trying to stay away, there’s it's impossible to ignore the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“We make no attempt to adjust our writing,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The narrative we craft is not impacted by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan adds.
The Central Mystery: Will Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
So if the creative staff are not listening by fan response, does that mean they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? Essentially yes… with some caveats.
“We've developed some potential directions about where the show might end up,” Gilligan reveals. “but we are always ready to abandon a decent plan for a more brilliant plan. That philosophy has guided us in well on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and that's where they've been all along,” he says humorously, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Of course, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“I'd love for Carol to awaken with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is streaming now on the streaming service.
