The new series from the “Breaking Bad” maker delights critics and leaves many fans perplexed.
“The guy runs through the jungle for minutes and babbles the same sentence to himself!” Such comments can be found in abundance on social networks when it comes to “Pluribus”. The first season of the new series from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan has been airing on Apple TV for a few days now.
The conclusion is different. Many critics celebrated the nine episodes about a humanity that falls into a collective frenzy of happiness after a kind of alien virus and is now trying to let the few immune ones (including the grumpy romance author Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seehorn) take part in the happening.
However, fans have a less positive verdict. This is evidenced, among other things, by the “Rotten Tomatoes” score (critics: 98 percent, users 67 percent). While many recaps describe the seventh episode “The Gap” as the best of the first season, the ratings on IMDB are the worst of all the episodes.
According to information online, the specific reason for the criticism of the series is that there are far too few main characters (who don’t necessarily arouse sympathy) and a story that unfolds very slowly and relies, first and foremost, on revealing the basics of its secret established with the pilot episode.
The “slow pace” feeling was already there in the stories about Walter White and Saul Goodman, but there was more crime and drama around it. “Pluribus” is a satirical dystopia and, like Gilligan’s previous series, a subtle character study. Repetitions and refinements of details are a constant feature here.
“Pluribus” has its own narrative rhythm
So what does former “X-Files” author Gilligan say about this? In the Podcast from Ringer TV When asked about it, he replied:
“There’s a whole universe of people who say, ‘This show is bad. In this show the main character is just running around.’ But you know, that’s the way it should be. There’s nothing wrong with the fact that there are people out there who can’t relate to it. It would be worse if everyone had the same opinion.”
Of course, the showrunner also reflects the exciting premise of “Pluribus” that everyone seems connected to each other and wants and does the same thing.
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But: “It’s okay, we don’t need everyone on the planet. I don’t even know who exactly we need. That’s Apple’s business, not mine, how many viewers they’re looking for to create something worthwhile. But I think it’s very worth watching. And I believe that it should always be about that. And I believe that there is an audience for it. It won’t be everyone on the planet, but there are enough.”
Season 2? Vince Gilligan doesn’t get his hopes up
The calm production of “Pluribus” may test many, but more patience is required for the sequel. According to Gilligan, a production start for the second season in May would actually be the most optimistic option – it is more likely that up to 2.5 years will pass before it becomes clear what will happen next for Carol and the happiness-drunk globe.