Pluribus Apple TV Series Review: Vince Gilligan's Stoic Take on Sci-Fi

The very first teaser trailer of Pluribus Apple TV Series got me hooked, along with the background score. There are two names to watch out for in this series - Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan. Seehorn carries the show well, and Gilligan has a grand vision that unfurls with each episode.

It isn't your typical sci-fi, and blends various elements - Zombies, Alien Invasion, Stoicism, existential dread, all spread out onto to wide open landscapes and even wider, meditative and contemplative soundscapes.

Vince Gilligan named the show Pluribus as it reflects the theme of humanity merging into one - both literally and philosophically. The title was picked from more than a hundred choices as a little tribute to America’s unofficial motto, E pluribus unum—Latin for “Out of many, one.”

The Plot of Pluribus Apple TV Series

The show opens with a countdown spanning a few months that begins with people on a remote radio station picking up coded radio signals that eventually turn out to be the DNA bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T), which us dumb humans rush to build. This RNA finally infects a human, and things snowball from there into initial chaos to eerie harmony across the world.

Most people, probably billions, become a part of something like a Hive mind that is always calm, content and at peace at a pathological level. Since I am a big fan of Rick and Morty, I found it hard to take the series seriously at firs,t considering Rick Sanchez dates a hive mind named Unity.

The first four episodes of Pluribus Apple TV Series seem less about scifi and more about the world as it is today. If you are expecting something like Severance you might find it to be less intense and more introspective in nature.

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The Cast of Pluribus

Rhea Seehorn is a one-woman show in the first few episodes, at least.

Seehorn's acting ability was never in question, but her talents are put on blast in this series, where every single one of her expressions gets the screentime it deserves.

Karolina Wydra plays Zosia, the person that the Hive mind chooses to interact with Carol as she is what Carol dreamt up of for one of her novels. Wydra makes you wonder whether her name inspired the novel in the series named Bloodsong of Wycaro.

Knowing Gilligan, the scifi show will lean more into ethical issues, maybe as a species, introduce grey areas that humanity has created for themselves, and even a viewpoint of the hive-minded aliens that might have significant merit.

Peter Bergman already looks like a zombie with a vacant expression on his face and plays the role of the Secretary of Agriculture with great ease.

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Miriam Shor plays Helen, Carol Sturka's romantic partner, who is supportive of her and is shown to be a good person in the short time she is on screen, as well as in any possible flashbacks. The relationship between Carol Sturka and Helen is shown to be loving and affectionate, one with genuine care for each other in place of a marriage of convenience that is probably the norm in society these days.

One of the guest stars from Fisk named Menik Gooneratne plays Lakshmi, one of the few single-minded people left on Earth.

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Visuals, Cinematography, Sound Design, and Symbolism

The visuals are amazing and can easily be screened on a multiplex screen for an optimal viewing experience. You can see Vince Gilligan's affinity for Albuquerque showing up in this series as well.

The scene where a person named Zosa calmly helps out another hive-minded person before climbing onto a moped and then piloting a massive military cargo plane shows how interconnected the hive entity is and that they are seamless in their thoughts and actions.

Seehorn immediately begins to take stock of the situation, making quick observations about the Hive Mind, their abilities, limitations, general nature and tendencies, and how such information can be used against them to bring the population of the Earth back to single-minded people with individual thoughts and feelings.

The intro of Pluribus showing a bunch of dots looks like a point cloud, which reminds me of waves in the ocean, the spread of a pandemic, and even an interstellar signal represented by dot pulses.

The fact that the Hive mind in this series cannot handle negative emotions at all is a commentary on the current generation of people, the Gen Z'ers, who are unable to process negative feedback of any kind without dulling it with social media, relentless venting, and fleeing from the situation.

The Hive mind may also be a subtle satire on the worst aspects of Communism, capitalism, and most importantly, the general populace of the world that are kept distracted by the powers that be to make them easier to control and make them easily suggestible.

The sound design in this series is a major aspect of storytelling, where they had to nail the acoustics of large and small spaces for the scenes to work. The whole vibe of this series is that of a person going on a solo trip, or using a good set of ANC earphones, anything on those lines or a blend thereof.

Episode Updates (1-9)

Episode one sets up the whole series nicely with a slow burn, a hint of current-day science, and a main plot that branches out to a few sub-plots, complete with countdown timers that are set to before and after the event that turns the whole world into a hive mind.

The second episode shows us how the world is working post the hive mind incident, and if there is more than just Carol Sturka with an individual personality. Carol meets a few people and learns how they are coping with the new world.

Episode three shows us the inner workings of the Hive mind and how it is omnipresent and omni-dumb, as their priorities are completely different. It seems that the Hive mind will do anything for Carol and give her anything she wants - to disastrous ends.

The fourth episode gets Carol's mind buzzing with the possibilities of a Hive mind that will do anything for her, and she tries to find out how to undo the Hive mind event. She uses the person who is called her chaperone to find out more about the Hive mind and how to release the world from the "joining."

Episode five sees the Hive mind react to Carol's methods to get at the truth of the Hive mind as a heartbroken lover would, and move away from her altogether. In real terms, it means she is physically alone with all Hive-minded people putting a great distance between her and them, including phone calls being replaced by a message service.

The sixth episode collapses this house of sci-fi cards with a completely underwhelming shock reveal that devolves into more underwhelming plot points. Where Vince plans to take the series from here is completely left to him, as Neo says to the Matrix in The Matrix (1999) movie.

Episode seven features Manousos Oviedo, a man from Paraguay, who shares a single-minded hatred towards the hive mind that has hijacked the world. He is shown journeying through different landscapes and terrains until he reaches a stretch of forest that seems impenetrable. His ethics seem to remain unchanged even in the apocalypse, which is shown even in the smallest of his acts, and how he trusts no one, and very rightfully so, given the situation.

The eighth episode sees Carol Sturkas relent and give in to the self-exiled loneliness by requesting the Hive-mind to return to her in a unique way. The episode plays out like one of those pop songs about friendship, except at a crawling speed due to the nature of the plot in this series. The end of the episode gives the audience its first taste of suspense and ambiguity about Carol's current mental state ( well, not really, but it's close ).

The Finale

Episode nine, or the finale of this series, pretty much maintains the tone of equanimity that it gets its audience used to throughout the series. Manousos and Carol finally after a lot of initial friction and come to an understanding that casually shapes the whole series and points it towards the next season. If you are looking for a cleanly wrapped up series, this isn't it. But is it worth a binge-watch, probably.

The visuals are amazing, and the actor is really good, especially since the dialogue is almost non-existent. It kind of begins the redemption of the sloppy plot twist, which might or might not save the show from an anaemic core plot point that was revealed. Fingers crossed!

Should You Watch It? Yes!

If you want to watch a Scifi show that isn't as intense as Severance, as complicated as Foundation, and as pointless as Dark Matter, then this is the show for you. It has a simple plot, is a light watch (relative to other scifi shows), a proven cast, especially the lead, and good execution.