The concept of Vince Gilligan’s latest series, Pluribus, may have some viewers theorizing over its meaning, but writer and director Gordon Smith is in no hurry to spill the beans on what the show is really about. In a recent interview, Smith confirmed that he does not intend to convey the larger theme that the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series is trying to address.
Gordon Smith says revealing what Pluribus is about would render it ‘meaningless’
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy-nominated screenwriter stated that answering fans’ questions about the meaning of Pluribus would spoil the purpose of the show.
“There are themes that come to mind, but it’s less rich to say, ‘Oh, this is a show about fill-in-the-blank.’ If I said that it’s a metaphor about not using your phone, you don’t need to watch the show,” Smith remarked.
He further explained, “The show becomes useless. The show becomes meaningless. There are AI proponents that are going to watch the show, and they might feel attacked or they might feel supported. But for us to say, ‘No, it should just be this one-to-one correspondence,’ it limits both the storytelling and the availability of the show to ask questions that people are going to be interested in. This is such a conceptual show, and my hope is that it makes people think about and feel different things in different ways.”
Notably, the Apple TV series takes place on a version of Earth where everyone, except for 13 people, has succumbed to an extraterrestrial virus that has turned them into members of a peaceful and content hive mind.
Rhea Seehorn portrays fantasy romance author Carol Sturka, who, for unknown reasons, is not affected by the virus. Despite playing the lead in Pluribus, Seehorn has said that she is in the same boat as the audience in terms of not knowing the true meaning of the show. While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the Better Call Saul alum admitted, “I was playing a character that had no idea what was going on because I, Rhea, have no idea what’s going on.”
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.
