Even if they turn out to be short-lived in their popularity, certain television shows debut and instantly generate fervent online fan groups or, to put it in more old-school terms, inspire water-cooler talk at the office. These programs — such as the arcane/folksy, mystery-driven Twin Peaks and the sweeping fantasy epic Game of Thrones — offer questions to answer, plot points to ponder, revelations to appraise, and cliffhangers to keep viewers coming back for more. Although it hasn’t generated a national fever comparable to that of a well-crafted puzzle-box series on a broadcast network or cable channel, Apple TV’s Pluribus has triggered the sort of audience buzz that assures it will continue beyond its first run of nine episodes.
Pluribus is among a handful of recent science fiction-oriented TV projects that are so much more than simple shoot-’em-up space operas or creature features. FX’s Alien: Earth series involves an aborted starship research expedition and the deadly extraterrestrials of the Alien movie franchise, but it uses those speculative elements to depict the personal consequences of corporate malfeasance and the weaponization of scientific discoveries by power-hungry technocrats who control a future version of our planet. Set in the middle of the Star Wars movie and TV saga and serving as a prequel to the 2016 film Rogue One, Andor on Disney+ is a mature, electrifying 24-episode tale of military strategy, political extremism, and galaxy-spanning espionage that addresses the price of allegiance to a cause — no matter how just it may or may not be.
As for Pluribus, it puts a new spin on the archetypal interstellar invasion story, taking a unique and chilling direction and having nothing to do with bug-eyed monsters terrorizing humanity or atomic cannons leveling cities. On a random day, the people of the world are united in an unexpected and morally ambiguous way by something from the great beyond. Only a very few folks are unaffected. One of them is Albuquerque, N.M., resident Carol Sturka, a renowned author of romance novels whose success feels trivial and whose marriage to her business manager, Helen, has gone stale. When the sudden change to the population occurs everywhere across the globe, Carol is forced to confront its consequences.
Slow burn and stunning revelations
Carol doesn’t know why she was spared from the “joining,” and she wants to make sure she isn’t brought into the fold against her will. She decides to seek out the others like her, who have not succumbed to this all-pervasive force that has brought humanity together. And she tries to find out all she can from the enigmatic Zosia, a woman who is part of the new order of things and appears to have been assigned to Carol as a sort of chaperone. To provide any further details about Pluribus would be unfair to those who have not yet watched it. Despite the show sometimes taking the slow-burn route, each episode has its share of revelations, and some are quite stunning. And what Pluribus has to say about identity, utopian ideals, the hazards of group-think, and the submission to “the greater good” is thoughtful and stimulating — not the usual fodder of TV drama.
Vince Gilligan, creator and show-runner of Pluribus, first came to prominence as a writer and director on the paranormal FBI procedural The X-Files. He went on to create and write the gritty, award-winning crime drama Breaking Bad and its spin-off series Better Call Saul. Considering that he put in time on The X-Files with its alien-obsessed protagonist Fox Mulder, Pluribus doesn’t come off like a too wild leap into a distant realm for Gilligan. It’s also easy to imagine that the development of Pluribus was influenced by classic sci-fi movies, including 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers and 1971’s The Omega Man, as well as the TV anthology series The Twilight Zone.
Leading stars shine bright
With a story so dependent on its leading lady, Pluribus is both grounded and elevated by the presence of Rhea Seehorn, who was a cast member on Gilligan’s Better Call Saul. Seehorn shines bright in the crucial, many-layered role of Carol, whose intellect, determination, and flaws make her a fascinating audience surrogate as she navigates an unprecedented situation. She isn’t the only notable performer in Pluribus. Karolina Wydra is excellent as the strangely benign Zosia, Carol’s link to those affected by the change, and Carlos Manuel Vesga is smoldering as Manousos, a tormented South American man and potential ally to Carol.
The first season of Pluribus ends with a cliffhanger. Its loyal viewers need not worry, because Apple TV has already renewed it for a second season. Since the show’s production values appear to be those of a prestige motion picture, it will probably take a while to complete the next bunch of episodes. On the strength of Gilligan’s track record, it should be worth the wait. Until then, the discussions about Pluribus on Reddit and other Internet chat communities will doubtless remain lively.
Pluribus is available for streaming on Apple TV.