The Showrunner Shares He Has an Idea of How His Sci-Fi Series Might Finish... Currently.
The creative mastermind did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would emerge as a breakout success. “God bless the fans,” Gilligan says. “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 a second season greenlit and underway—the creative team recently discussed the fan response and whether it will influence the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Fan Response
One could easily to get sidetracked by the widespread acclaim and audience predictions surrounding Pluribus. He is striving to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to an endless supply of your favorite dessert and being tickled to death,” he explains. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it anecdotally, and that's by design. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever intend to. It's not a lack of interest. It's a bottomless pit I know I would fall into and then I'd be living in squalor from the hardware store and I'd be stuck in my living room.”
Despite trying to stay away, there’s it's impossible to ignore the immensely favorable response to the series. The best he and his team can do is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.
“It is not our goal to tailor anything,” says Alison Tatlock. “Our storytelling is not influenced by audience chatter.”
“Better to keep our noses to the grindstone,” Gilligan adds.
The Central Mystery: Will Vince Gilligan Know the Ending of Pluribus?
So if the creative staff aren't taking cues by public opinion, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? Essentially yes… in a way.
“We have some potential directions about the ultimate destination,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to discard a good idea for a superior concept. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We scrap ideas when we find a more perfect path and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if plans fall through, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to fall back on.
“I keep pitching that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and that's where they've been all along,” Smith quips, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”
Then again, why not reference the legendary finales?
“I'd love for Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on the streaming service.
