Slowly but surely, the deal with Pluribus is becoming more clear. Details of the new Vince Gilligan Apple TV+ series have been kept very hush-hush, but we’ve learned a little along the way. Per the logline, Rhea Seehorn plays “the most miserable person on Earth” who “must save the world from happiness.” A new teaser released on Thursday provides yet more clues.
In the Pluribus clip, a frightened Carol (Seehorn) speaks on the phone with a reassuring voice who advises her to stick close to home and promises that a mysterious “we” will provide her with anything that she needs. “Rest assured Carol, we will figure out what makes you different,” says the person, who appears to be the President of the United States, addressing her personally on television. When Carol asks why she needs to be “figured out,” he replies, “So we can fix it. So you can join us.”
In Carol’s words, “What the f—?” (Ah, the classic trailer move of cutting off right before the cuss.) Previously, Gilligan and co. revealed that Carol, a curmudgeonly romance writer, is immune to a virus that makes everyone else super happy. In the teaser, it’s clear that the virus also makes everybody else part of a hive mind. “E pluribus unum,” or “out of many one,” get it? That explains Gilligan’s previously revealed inspirations for the series, which includes Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation. But lest we think we cracked the series’ code, Gilligan promised TV Insider that the show attempts to “hit every [sci-fi] trope and turn it on its ear,” so the story may not be so simple as one woman vs. the Borg.
“Carol does not want to be tasked with saving the world, but no one else is rising to the occasion. She goes on a quest to the other side of the world trying to save it from a crisis that in her mind is apocalyptic,” Gilligan explained to the outlet. “But perhaps it’s not as bad as she thinks. We leave that to the audience: Is this dystopic or utopic?”
