The 'Breaking Bad' Creator Discloses He Knows How The Apple TV+ Show Will End... At the Moment.
The creative mastermind never anticipated that Pluribus would emerge as a breakout success. “I am so grateful to the audience,” he remarks. “I did not foresee the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”
With the first season of the hit series wrapping up—and Season 2 already in development—the writers' room reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the storyline of Pluribus.
Regarding the Incredible Audience Reaction
One could easily to get sidetracked by the rampant praise and audience predictions regarding Pluribus. He is doing his best to ignore the noise.
“It's like being constantly eating hot fudge sundaes and being laughing uncontrollably,” he says. “It's the greatest thing, but I learn of it through word of mouth, and that's on purpose. Never in my life Googled myself, nor do I ever plan to. It's quite the opposite. It's a bottomless pit I know I would disappear down and then I'd be living in squalor from Home Depot and I'd never leave my living room.”
Despite Gilligan’s best intentions, there’s no escaping 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.
“We don't try to change the plot,” says co-executive producer Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by what people are saying.”
“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” he chimes in.
The Central Mystery: Does the showrunner Have a Plan for the Ending of Pluribus?
Given that the creative staff aren't taking cues by public opinion, does that mean they already know how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… with some caveats.
“We've developed some potential directions about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan says. “yet we stand ready to discard a good idea for a better idea. That philosophy has guided 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 imagine we will be doing that.”
On the other hand, if plans fall through, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to serve as a last resort.
“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll reveal the snow globe and we're in there,” he says humorously, “though the idea hasn't gained traction.”
Alternatively, why not reference the iconic TV endings?
“I want Carol to awaken next to Bob Newhart,” Gilligan says with a smile.
Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.
