Vince Gilligan Shares He Knows How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer could not have predicted that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he remarks. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me overjoyed.”
As the debut season of the acclaimed sci-fi show coming to an end—and the next chapter greenlit and underway—the writers' room recently discussed the viewer reception and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Overwhelming Audience Reaction
It would be easy to get sidetracked by the constant speculation and fan theories about Pluribus. Gilligan, however, is making a conscious effort to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to force fed hot fudge sundaes and being tickled to death,” he describes. “It's amazing, but I get wind of it through word of mouth, and that's on purpose. Never in my life searched for my own name online, nor do I ever want to. It's quite the opposite. It's a deep trap I know I would disappear down and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd never leave my living room.”
Regardless of Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s it's impossible to ignore the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to accept it graciously and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to change the plot,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by online forums.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan concludes.
The Big Question: Has the creator Have a Plan for the Finale of Pluribus?
Given that Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by audience theories, does it imply they have already decided how Pluribus will ultimately end? In short yes… sort of.
“We've developed some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan reveals. “yet we stand ready to discard a solid concept for a better idea. This approach has served us in good stead on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we conceive of something superior and I expect we'll continue doing that.”
Alternatively, if plans fall through, executive producer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to use as a backup.
“My recurring proposal is 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,” Smith jokes, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Of course, why mess with the iconic TV endings?
“My dream is Carol to wake up in bed with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
