Pluribus Review

When Vince Gilligan (the creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul) announced that he would be creating a new series for AppleTV+ starring Rhea Seehorn (the beating heart of Better Call Saul), I was beyond excited. And now that the series is here – and now that I have seen seven of the nine episodes in its first season – I am here to tell you to get excited, too. Because folks, this is one hell of a series – even if it’s a hard one to explain (without spoiling too much).

Pluribus follows Carol (Rhea Seehorn), a misanthrope fantasy romance writer, fresh off a national book tour (alongside her romantic partner/manager, Helen (Miriam Shor). When a world-shattering event happens, leading to almost everyone around turning into a sort of hive mind hell-bent on creating an idyllic world where everyone helps each other with no violence or anger, Carol is one of the few not impacted. Faced with a new world (and some devastating loss of her own), Carol must figure out not only where she fits within this new world (both among the hive mind and among her fellow survivors) but how to maintain her sense of self among the new way of life. Along the way, she meets some interesting new folks – some who find themselves in a similar situation to Carol as well as some who have wholly embraced the new world order – which challenges Carol’s steadfast determination not to change at all. Even as she starts to realize that perhaps she does need others in her life – even if it means she needs to make herself a bit more vulnerable.

It’s probably not a surprise to anyone who watched Better Call Saul, but Seehorn is utterly astonishing in this role. From our earliest interactions with Carol to the complex emotional turmoil the series puts her through in later episodes, Seehorn is able to make us care about a woman who often doesn’t seem to care about others. I say seem because Gilligan and the rest of the writers cannily thread moments of humanity for Carol throughout the season. In the premiere, you see her treat Helen as an assistant – even when the pair aren’t hiding their romantic relationship from Carol’s fans at a book signing but are just on their own in the airport. But then, a few scenes later, Carol is laying her head on Helen’s shoulder, quiet, contemplative, listening to her partner. Seehorn makes sure we never believe that Carol doesn’t care about Helen – in fact, she shows that this woman is the most important person in Carol’s life multiple times – while still making it clear that Carol is not an easy person to be around. Not for Helen, not for anyone else Carol comes across during this series. She’s stubborn, a loner, sarcastic, and scared. She’s so scared that her fans might turn on her that she refuses to be publicly out. She’s so scared that she might fail if she releases a book that means something to her that she continues to churn out her fantasy romance series that she doesn’t care all that much about. And she’s scared to be vulnerable – especially with herself. And Seehorn makes sure we see each facet of Carol, often with little to no dialogue to help her performance.

And Seehorn is not the only member of this small but talented cast. Karolina Wydra’s Zosia is perhaps my favorite character of the series. Part of the hive mind, she’s quixotic in a way other characters from this segment of the population aren’t. Wydra takes what could be a flat character – she’s tasked with offering a lot of exposition in early episodes – and turns Zosia into someone the Carol might not be able to live without (although, of course, Carol would never admit that to anyone). And Zosia’s place in the framework of the series is so interesting – in ways I can’t get into in this review (but I’ll talk more about in my episodic review, dropping tomorrow). Carlos-Manuel Vesga and Samba Schutte also turn in two very different, but really well-acted, turns as two of Carol’s fellow “normals” in this new world.

As for the show itself, well, Gilligan has concocted a complex morality tale that delves into a host of complicated questions. If I had to pick a recent series that is similar, I’d say Pluribus is like The Leftovers meets Mrs. Davis. An event has changed the course of world history, and those left unaffected by it are left trying to not only see where they fit, but also if there’s anything they can or should do to rectify what has happened. With a kind of sci-fi horror premise but a very human series of conflicts – both internal and external – for Carol and others to confront, there’s a deep emotional center present that can often be missing in genre shows. I trust that Gilligan and his team know where they want to take this story, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that I wondered on more than one occasion just where Pluribus could go. There’s a lot going on here – both on a micro and macro scale – and the story of Carol only has so many beats it can take before it settles into a set path. But, then again, Gilligan and his writing staff (many of whom wrote on both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) have created two of the finest television shows in TV history, so I’m content to trust them on this journey.

And what a journey it is. I’ve written in the past about how I take note when watching a screener on often I’m tempted to pick up my phone. With Pluribus, I was absolutely riveted from the jump. It’s an expertly crafted series, with smart, engaging (and often laugh out loud funny) writing and performances. I cannot wait for you all to jump on in.

Pluribus premieres on November 7 on AppleTV+. Seven of the show’s nine episodes were provided for review.