Vince Gilligan Reveals He Has an Idea of How Pluribus Might Finish... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that his new science-fiction series would turn into a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” Gilligan says. “It was unexpected the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
As the debut season of the popular series wrapping up—and the next chapter greenlit and underway—the creative team reflected on the fan response and whether it will impact the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Viewer Reception
It would be easy to get distracted by the widespread acclaim and fan theories about Pluribus. He 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 explains. “It's amazing, but I hear about it from others, and that's by design. Never in my life looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever intend to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down 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 Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no way to avoid the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it influence the direction of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not changed by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our heads down and working,” Gilligan adds.
The Big Question: Does Vince Gilligan Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if Gilligan and his team aren't taking cues by public opinion, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“There are some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan says. “however, we remain prepared to abandon a solid concept for a superior concept. That has held us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we get a better idea and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
Alternatively, if they hit a wall, executive producer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and the characters are inside it,” Smith jokes, “but no one is buying it.”
Then again, one could always use the iconic TV endings?
“I'd love for Carol to open her eyes next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan adds, smiling.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
