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 itself 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 first considering Rick Sanchez dates a hive mind named Unity.

The first four episodes 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 under 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 species, introduce grey areas that humanity have created 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 pilots 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 hoe 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.

Should You Watch It? Yes!

If you want to watch a Scifi show that isn't as intense as Severance, complicated as Foundation and 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.