Vince Gilligan Shares He Has an Idea of How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... At the Moment.
Vince Gilligan did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would become a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” Gilligan says. “I did not foresee the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
Now that Season 1 of the hit sci-fi show coming to an end—and a second season officially in the works—the writers' room opened up about the audience reaction and whether it will impact the future direction of Pluribus.
On the Overwhelming Audience Reaction
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories regarding Pluribus. The creator is doing his best to steer clear of all that.
“It's like being force fed something incredibly sweet and being in a state of bliss,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it from others, and that's intentional. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever plan to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would get lost in and then I'd be living in squalor from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Despite trying to stay away, there’s no way to avoid the immensely favorable response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to acknowledge it humbly and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by audience chatter.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Central Mystery: Will the creator Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
So if the creative staff aren't taking cues by audience theories, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will reach its endpoint? The answer is yes… in a way.
“We have some compelling concepts about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan says. “however, we remain prepared to throw out a decent plan for a more brilliant plan. That philosophy has guided us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we find a more perfect path and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, Gordon Smith has a humorous idea to fall back on.
“I constantly suggest that it's all in 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.”
Alternatively, why not reference the legendary finales?
“My dream is Carol to open her eyes beside Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV+.
