Pluribus Is Worth an Apple TV+ Subscription on Its Own
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Back one day later than I originally intended because I wanted to finish the first season of Apple TV+’s fantastic new series, Pluribus. From creator Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Pluribus is a science-fiction drama that follows romance novelist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) through the end of days. While I didn’t watch as much TV as I usually do during the course of a year, Pluribus was easily the most compelling show I watched, and it's worth renewing your subscription to Apple TV+ to watch it.
(Note: Pluribus is part of the Mystery Box genre of serialized storytelling that was popularized by Lost. Characters are often put into unexplained and strange circumstances, while answers are given throughout the course of the show. Given the nature of these shows, the less you know going in is part of the fun. While I will be giving my thoughts on the season as a whole, if you simply want to know if you should watch it, you should. Fans of Serverance and the Invasion of the Body Snatchers film in particular will find a lot to love here.)
When the audience first meets Carol, she’s unhappily signing her latest romance novel. She has aspirations of writing something more meaningful, but these novels pay her bills and allow her to live a pretty satisfying life, so why not? She’d love to make the love interest of her novels a woman to more accurately portray her life with her longtime partner, Helen (Miriam Shor), but that doesn’t make business sense. After the signing, Carol and Helen decide to get a drink, and that’s when everything around them starts coming undone.
As the audience, we’re privy to the danger that’s about to happen because this invasion has been a long time coming. Starting some 439 days before that fateful day with Carol, Astronomers detected a repeating radio signal from 600 light-years away. Eventually, they discover that it's a blueprint for an RNA sequence. Like most outbreak films, this sequence eventually makes its way out into the real world, transforming humans into an alternative species. I liken the way they act to the Borg in Star Trek– creatures that share the same mind and feelings, but have no agency of their own.
While most humans succumb to the RNA sequence and then return “enlightened,” it's a little different for Carol and Helen. Poor Helen, she never wakes up, becoming part of the human race that was sacrificed by the new intruders. Carol, on the otherhand, is somehow immune to the sequence. She’s thankful to still have her mind, but mourns the loss of her wife. From that day forth, she’s determined to get the world back to normal.
Over the course of the season, Pluribus introduces more characters because it’d frankly be a pretty boring show if Carol were the only survivor! There are a few other survivors, including Manousos Oviedo (Carlos Manuel Vesga), who vary in their desire to return the world to normal. The invaders also provide Carol with a companion, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), who acts as the bridge between these invaders and Carol. Notably, she bears the same attributes as the male lead in Carol’s romance novel.
I never watched Better Call Saul, but I had heard how great Rhea Seehorn was in the series. Watching Pluribus, I fully understand where the praise was coming from. There’s often a time in the show where Seehorn is asked to carry the show on her shoulders, and it remains engaging throughout. Some have criticised Pluribus for being too slow, but I don’t share that sentiment. I’m intrigued by all the twists and turns that Gilligan and his writing partners have devised. While there’s no current timetable for season 2 (which likely means 2027 at the earliest), Pluribus kept me engaged to the very last second.