Pluribus TV Review: Rhea Seehorn is out to destroy happiness in the new series from the creator of Breaking Bad

Plot: A genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.

Review: Vince Gilligan’s career has been defined by his critically acclaimed work as creator of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Gilligan, who has worked on other series including The X-Files, has become synonymous with his pair of AMC series, as well as the feature film sequel El Camino, which he directed. For the first time since co-creating the short-lived procedural series Battle Creek in 2015, Gilligan is back with an ambitious Apple TV series that has been releasing mysterious teasers since its announcement. Having seen Pluribus, I am unable to divulge much about the show’s plot other than that it is closer to Gilligan’s experience writing for The X-Files than it is to Breaking Bad. While the cinematography and tone do share a lot in common with Better Call Saul as well as star Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus is unlike anything Vince Gilligan has been involved with and is distinct from anything else on the air today. While I cannot tell you what is actually going on, I can tell you that Pluribus is a surreal, funny, and dark blend of science fiction and countless other genres that will have you transfixed as you try to figure out what is coming next.

Having seen seven of the nine episodes of the first season of Pluribus, I am still trying to figure out the series’ endgame. The setup is an intriguing one that unfolds over the first two episodes and justifies the cryptic marketing leading up to the premiere. Within the first minutes of the series premiere, the cause of the bizarre behavior seen in the trailers is revealed, but the reason why remains a mystery for the entirety of the episodes I have watched. Needless to say, an event causes a significant shift in the world that sets author Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) apart from the vast majority of humanity. Encompassing the breadth of the entire planet, Carol must figure out what makes her different and if she can undo the event that has changed life on Earth as we know it. There are definite dystopian and apocalyptic elements to Pluribus, but this is not a virus or zombies or anything as we have seen on screen before. Each hour-long episode delves further into the days and weeks immediately following the event at the center of the plot, focusing on Carol as well as some unique individuals who are in a similar situation, including characters played by Samba Schutte and Carlos Manuel Vesga.

A lot of the series is set in Albuquerque, like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and was written by Vince Gilligan specifically for Rhea Seehorn. Seehorn, who was acclaimed for her turn as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, delivers a standout performance here that puts her in the spotlight of virtually every scene in every episode. Seehorn portrays Carol as a sarcastic and angry character who opposes the series’ key antagonist. While I cannot say too much, I will say the series title and hints in the trailers should give you a big clue as to what Carol is up against. The series does offer Carol several characters to interact with, namely Zosia (Karolina Wydra). The dynamic between Carol and Zosia is central to the story, requiring a lot of coordination among the various supporting actors in the ensemble, which includes some familiar faces that may surprise you. Carol is also a reluctant protagonist and acts in the way many of us would if put in similar circumstances, with her choices deepening the sense of uneasiness that pervades Pluribus. With each new reveal in the plot, the series’ narrative becomes clearer while simultaneously adding more questions for the audience. In short, Pluribus is a series that will require an investment from viewers rather than casual audiences.

Watching the first seven episodes in a short amount of time allowed me to digest the overarching plot of Pluribus in a way that differs significantly from how general audiences will. While the first two episodes premiere this week on Apple TV, the series will shift to a weekly release schedule for the rest of the season. This will allow audiences to engage in extensive theorizing about what will come next. Each episode features major reveals that impact subsequent chapters, with many likely to be divisive among audiences. I know that, as entertaining as it is to watch Rhea Seehorn in the spotlight for a full season, the series’ pacing may frustrate some viewers. This holds especially true in the second half of the season, when questionable decisions by characters significantly alter the story. Like his previous projects, Vince Gilligan has taken characters who you would not anticipate as being the protagonists of stories and developed them in ways that are something to behold. There are several moments in Pluribus where the focus shifts unexpectedly, forcing us to move our vantage point to unfamiliar places and deepen the uneasiness in the world of the series.

Creator Vince Gilligan wrote and directed the first two episodes of Pluribus, with the remaining seven written by Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, Ariel Levine, Vera Blasi, Jenn Carroll, and Jonny Gomez. Directors on the series include Gordon Smith, Zetna Fuentes, and Gandja Monteiro. The deliberate pacing of the series captures you and will give you as many laughs as it will gasps. I can say with complete sincerity that I did not know where each episode would go next, nor was I disappointed with any of the creative choices from the writing and directing teams. The production values are excellent, giving the series a scale larger than Gilligan’s prior New Mexico-set projects, yet retaining the same Southwestern charm. The complexity of coordinating and executing some of the sequences in this series is impressive, both technically and creatively, and becomes more amazing with each new episode.

It is challenging to write a review for a series without revealing any of the concepts that define it. Still, in an effort to preserve the shocking truth behind what the series is about, I will keep these details as vague as possible. I can tell you that Vince Gilligan has created something unlike anything else he has worked on before, while maintaining the same sense of pitch-black humor he incorporated into Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Pluribus is another ambitious genre offering from Apple, but shares no similarities with anything else on their platform. Pluribus is not like anything else I can think of, despite following in the footsteps of some films and stories that I cannot share here. Trust me when I say that the writing and acting in this series, along with the resumes for Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn, should be more than enough for you to give Pluribus a shot.

Pluribus premieres with two episodes on November 7th on Apple TV.