After thrilling audiences with acclaimed TV dramas Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Vince Gilligan returned with a very different kind of show last year. Reuniting with Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn, Gilligan spearheaded the sci-fi series Pluribus, which put a unique spin on the post-apocalyptic genre. Like Gilligan’s previous projects, Pluribus earned considerable praise (and awards nominations), with much praise being given to Seehorn’s performance as Carol, a woman mysteriously immune to the hive mind known as “the Others” that has taken over Earth. Pluribus Season 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger, increasing demand for the second season. Unfortunately, it sounds like there’ll be a bit of a wait for new episodes.
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Speaking with Deadline after Pluribus secured 18 Emmy nominations, Seehorn addressed the ending of Season 1, where Carol returns home with an atom bomb in tow after learning the Others are using her stem cells to create a virus that will make her part of the hive mind. “I do not know what I’m doing with the atom bomb in the driveway, I can tell you that. It’s definitely there,” she said. “I don’t think it’s secretly an ADU for a mother-in-law. I think we’re going to do something with it.”
Seehorn also provided an update on the progress of Season 2. “I am at the stage of dying to read scripts. I don’t have anything, but I know they’re so hard at work,” she said. “I haven’t even dropped by the office for fear of disturbing them. There is every intention to get us started as fast as we can. I know that that’s so important to the whole writing stuff, but it’s also important to them to maintain the level of writing and production that they’ve done in the past and to reward the intelligence of our audience.”
What Could Carol Use the Bomb For? (And When Will Pluribus Return?)
Upon returning home, Carol tells Manousos (another immune person who wants to wipe the Others out) “You win” and agrees to join him in his quest to save the world. In all likelihood, Season 2 will pick up on this thread, following Carol and Manousos as they attempt to devise a strategy to accomplish their goal. It’s unknown how Carol’s atom bomb will fit into that plan. Perhaps an extreme measure, a “break glass in case of emergency” button to press if the two are unable to find a way to reverse “the Joining” and restore the Others to their pre-apocalyptic selves. If all other options have proven fruitless, Carol may decide to drop the atom bomb on the Others to take them out, which would be a very bleak conclusion (but somewhat fitting, given Pluribus‘ tone).
One would have to assume Seehorn is right in saying the Pluribus team will “do something” with the atom bomb. Chekhov’s gun is a common principle in storytelling that dictates anything introduced in the narrative needs to have a purpose (think: the air tank in Jaws, which is used in the climax). Seeing Carol have her very own atom bomb at home is an amusing payoff to a scene in an earlier episode where one of the Others says they would happily bring Carol an atom bomb if she asked, but this is also a major development in the overarching Pluribus story. If it was just dropped at the beginning of Season 2, viewers would likely be confused. Gilligan has always been a stickler for details, so it would be surprising if he didn’t have a plan for the atom bomb.
When audiences will see that plan come to fruition is another matter. If Seehorn hasn’t seen scripts yet, it means Season 2 is still in the writing phase. Earlier this year, Gilligan noted that “it takes a long time to come up with these episodes,” confirming that Pluribus is not going to have annual season releases. Hopefully, the wait for Season 2 isn’t too long. One of the biggest issues plaguing modern TV is extended gaps between seasons. While nobody should want Gilligan and Co. to rush things to get Pluribus Season 2 out as quickly as possible, taking too long can have negative effects as well. Pluribus established a lot of momentum by becoming one of the most acclaimed new shows of the year. Now, that momentum has been halted.
Pluribus has a fan base that will happily tun in when Season 2 arrives, but if it takes too long for the series to come back, there’s a chance general audiences will lose interest. There are always new shows and entertainment options popping up, looking to become the next big thing. Viewers don’t like to be left hanging for an extended period of time, so Apple will have to ensure people don’t move on from Pluribus when it’s ready to return.
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Courtesy of 20th Television Animation -
Courtesy of 20th Television Animation
