The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Knows How The Apple TV+ Show Might Finish... At the Moment.
The acclaimed writer-producer never anticipated that Pluribus would emerge as a massive hit. “God bless the fans,” he states. “I was surprised by the show being as passionately debated as it is, and it makes me deliriously happy.”
Now that Season 1 of the hit sci-fi show reaching its finale—and the next chapter already in development—the writers' room opened up about the viewer reception and whether it will shape the narrative path of Pluribus.
Regarding the Overwhelming Audience Reaction
It would be easy to get distracted by the rampant praise and fan theories about Pluribus. The creator is doing his best to ignore the noise.
“The experience is akin to an endless supply of hot fudge sundaes and being in a state of bliss,” he says. “It's the greatest thing, but I get wind of it from others, and that's by design. Not once have I looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever intend to. It's quite the opposite. It's a deep trap I know I would disappear down and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”
In spite of trying to stay away, there’s it's impossible to ignore the overwhelmingly positive response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to take it in stride and try not to let it alter the course of the show.
“We make no attempt to tailor anything,” says writer and executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by audience chatter.”
“We prefer to keep our focus on the work,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Will the showrunner Know the Conclusion of Pluribus?
So if Gilligan and his team aren’t being guided by fan response, can we assume they have already decided how Pluribus will ultimately end? The answer is yes… sort of.
“There are some interesting ideas about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “yet we stand ready to discard a decent plan for a more brilliant plan. That has held us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we get a better idea and I suspect we'll be doing that.”
Alternatively, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a pretty funny idea to use as a backup.
“I constantly suggest that the entire story is inside a snow globe, and that we'll zoom out in the finale and that's where they've been all along,” Smith jokes, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Then again, one could always use the iconic TV endings?
“I want Carol to open her eyes with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus can be watched on Apple TV+.
