I was 40 before I got my first tattoo. Since then, I have added to my collection, but I have avoided many pop culture references because I have seen too many of my favorites fall over the years. But the one that I have is of the Vince Gilligan show, Breaking Bad. So one of my most heavily anticipated shows of 2025 was absolutely going to be Gilligan’s new Apple TV show, Pluribus (stylized as Plur1bus). Despite my need to potentially ruin the show by being entirely too excited about it, Pluribus has met my expectations and, in some instances, exceeded them.
After years in the Breaking Bad universe, Gilligan has returned to his sci-fi roots of The X-Files to bring us a show about an alien invasion. But rather than flying saucers and ray guns, the aliens in Pluribus are all about peace and togetherness. And all of that is in the face of the unhappiest woman in the world, Carol Sturka, played brilliantly by Rhea Seehorn.
Carol is a fantasy romance novelist, famous for her book series, “Wycaro.” Prior to what will be called “The Joining,” Carol has released her latest book and is on tour with her manager and romantic partner, Helen (Miriam Shor). She puts on a happy face while speaking with her fans, but as soon as she retreats from the spotlight, we see that she is frustrated with her lot in life, telling her driver that what she writes is “mindless crap.” The only source of happiness that she seems to have is in Helen, but even that is soured, as she chooses to stay closeted to improve her chance of success in the romance market.
But everything in Carol’s life is about to change. After scientists receive a message from space, an accident in the lab releases a virus that causes the Joining. As time passes (noted with a regular clock that pops up at various moments throughout the season), the Joined realize that they need to accelerate the process, releasing the virus worldwide. Helen succumbs to the virus, dying moments after she is part of the Joined.
The first episode, titled “We Is Us,” is incredibly striking as we watch Seehorn walk through various spaces filled with people frozen in place as the Joining begins. And just as we acquaint ourselves with that, everyone becomes part of the hive mind, and we see them all speaking to Carol as though everyone on earth knows her. Which is true, because everyone who knows her is now everyone else.
Carol’s immediate response to what is happening is anger. The Joined send her Zosia (Karolina Wydra), a female version of Raban, the pirate from Wycaro, whom Carol originally wanted to be a woman, to explain what is going on. When Carol has an angry outburst directed toward Zosia, it causes the entire hive to collapse, killing off a significant portion of them. Carol tries to calm herself and demands to know if any others are virus-resistant. They explain that there are 11 others, and Carol demands to meet them.
All survivors who speak English get together, but unlike Carol, the others are happy with the situation. Laxmi (Menik Gooneratne) is happy to still have her family with her. And Mr. Diabaté (Samba Schutte) is just thrilled to have access to all of the things he was denied before the Joining happened. Whether it’s riding in Air Force One or recreating James Bond-type moments in Las Vegas, Diabaté is having a good time. Meanwhile, Carol can only see how this forced uniformity reminds her of the conversion therapy she was required to undergo as a young, queer woman.
In trying to figure out what the Joined are willing to do for her, Carol asks for a grenade, which they give her. Because they are eager to give her a live grenade, which ends up injuring Zosia when Carol doesn’t realize it is live, Carol decides to try to drug Zosia to try to get the truth about how to change everyone back. It results in Zosia being hospitalized again, and the rest of the Joined leaving Carol alone in Albuquerque.
Carol begins exploring her city following every other person’s departure, and she sees tons of discarded milk cartons. She begins looking into this, only to discover that they are drinking “HDP” or Human Derived Protein. Yes, Pluribus has given us a new Soylent Green, and it’s called HDP. This explanation is given by John Cena in one of the show’s funniest moments.
As part of Carol’s quest to put the world back to right, she begins communicating through videotapes to the other survivors. One makes it to the 12th other survivor that was unrecognized at the beginning, Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), a man in Paraguay who is even more independent than Carol. He sees her tapes and begins the journey to meet Carol, resulting in “The Gap,” one of the best episodes of television I’ve seen this year.
The longer that Carol goes without human contact, the more she craves it, eventually painting “COME BACK” on her cul-de-sac, resulting in Zosia’s return, and the beginning of a relationship between them. It is interesting because it happens in an episode titled “Charm Offensive,” so it is difficult to know whether or not this is genuine affection, a result of loneliness, or if Carol is trying to get something from Zosia.
In the finale, Carol and Manousos finally meet, and Carol is forced to decide if she wants to join Manousos in saving the world or if she wants to continue her relationship with Zosia. We do see some conflicted feelings in Carol, but the season ends with an atom bomb sitting in Carol’s driveway, so it will be exciting (in two years) to see what that means!
Seeing Gilligan return is exciting in its own right, but Pluribus has been an absolute triumph, due in large part to the committed performance from Rhea Seehorn. The show requires her to be alone for large stretches at a time, and even when she is the only character on screen, she manages to hold your attention brilliantly. Watching her convey the entire range of human emotion has been spectacular. She was denied an Emmy for her role as Kim Wexler in Better Call Saul, but I do not believe she will be ignored again.
The themes in the show are incredibly diverse and fascinating. Gilligan has expressed his frustration with AI, and it is evident throughout the Pluribus, including a message in the credits saying, “This show was made by humans.” But watching the Joined immediately rush to consume new Wycaro content when Carol started writing again shows how, despite having the most creative minds as part of the hive, they are unable to create, only regurgitating what has already been made.
Pluribus is also a fascinating examination of what it means to be independent. Carol sees herself as truly independent, but when the Joined move all of the food to a centralized location, she finds that she needs them to return it to the store where she shops. Carol is a woman who can do many things for herself, but most of us rely on the work of others to exist. The juxtaposition between Carol and Manousos shows us just how much more difficult it is to be truly independent.
One of the other genuinely interesting conversations that Pluribus brings up is the subject of consent. We see Diabaté surrounding himself with beautiful women who agree to be intimate with him, but if you are programmed to please, is consent really possible? We also see that in the relationship between Zosia and Carol as the season draws to a close. I appreciate that the show allows us to think about complex issues without spoon-feeding answers.
This show continues to give us access to the famous Gilligan POV shots and strong color theory (blue and yellow are heavily present, representing the Joined and Individualism, respectively). It also includes some of the more subdued storytelling we saw from Peter Gould in Better Call Saul, allowing us to have the best of both worlds. In nearly every regard, Pluribus is a spectacular bit of television.
We can’t wait to see you again, Carol.
Pluribus is now streaming on Apple TV.
Learn more about the show at the official website for the title.
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