Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus sparks a frenzy of questions and fan theories as Redditors dissect its two-episode premiere

Pluribus is Vince Gilligan's latest creation for Apple TV, after his globally successful and critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi psychological thriller debuted its two-part premiere on November 7 that took the Internet (read Reddit) by storm.

The show follows a mysterious extraterrestrial virus that has transformed humanity into a collective and peaceful hivemind. However, 12 people seem to be immune to this world-changing event. Among the 12 is a famous (but miserable) fantasy romance author, Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), who must find a way to save humanity from this eerie happiness.

The hype around Pluribus' premiere proves that when Vince Gilligan drops something new, the internet listens and then immediately starts theorizing. The creator’s highly anticipated return to television after Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul was overwhelming. Within hours of release, discussion threads exploded with fan analyses and wild hypotheses about the show’s mysterious premise and haunting themes.

From dissecting visual symbolism to drawing connections between the characters’ cryptic dialogue and Gilligan’s past works, the online conversation surrounding Pluribus is nothing short of electric.

Let's have a look at what Reddit is saying about Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus' two-episode premiere.

*Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Pluribus Episodes 1 and 2. Readers' discretion is advised.*

Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus: This is how fans took over Reddit with theories after that shocking premiere

Vince Gilligan’s latest dystopian sci-fi series kicked off with a strong two-part premiere, which introduced the joined and the others and left more questions than answers. While Apple TV is already renowned for the weird and unique premise of its Emmy-nominated series, Severance, Gilligan's latest venture offers solid competition. Fans flocked to discuss theories and questions about Pluribus Episode 1 on Reddit, and they have some interesting observations.

Let's dissect some of the most interesting ones.

The second episode introduced Zosia, one of the Joined, who reveals the workings of this new world to Carol. She explains to her about the collective hive mind and how all of humanity shares one consciousness, containing each other's memories and feelings. This concept has raised many questions about the workings of this new world. What are the rules of this world and can it function in the long run? One user has voiced this theme from Pluribus on Reddit as:

''I'm so curious about the logistics of it all. For the world to function do they delegate jobs amongst themselves? People mining oil, refining into jet fuel? What is their goal? Right now they just serve the 12(?) people not a part of them, but once that's gone what is there to work towards besides just surviving? It's so good...''

While the Pluribus premiere confirmed that an accidental lab leak triggered the formation of the human hive mind, the mystery surrounding its enigmatic extraterrestrial origin still looms large. One of the users believes that the collective 'joined' will try to form a connection with this unknown origin source:

''My theory is the overarching goal of the joined is to join others, and the only others they know beyond the 12 are whoever sent that signal, so I think almost all of humanity is silently and happily turning themselves to developing ways to reach out...I'm really interested to see where this series goes.''

Episode 2 saw Carol meeting with the other 5 English-speaking uninfected humans, who seem to have accepted this new reality. While Carol is even more miserable and wants to bring humanity back to its old ways, the other uninfected humans are enjoying these events. In fact, hedonistic Koumba Diabaté (one of the survivors) even plans on making Zosia his s*xual companion and traveling the world with her.

Since the virus and humanity's collective consciousness threaten Carol's individuality and hinder her from being 'miserable', she wants to put an end to it. One user compared this premise to one episode of Rick & Morty:

''Is like the Unity episodes from Rick and Morty. The thing is I believe is an attack to other ways of thinking beyond "freedom" as the supreme value, and not life or a better way to live that includes some sacrifices and responsibilities.''

Lastly, u/K1L- summarized the major conflict in Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus on Reddit. While the mysterious human hive mind seems 'ideal' for many, as it will result in an end to war and racism, it also marks the end to individuality and companionship. The user describes it as:

''I guess the philosophical implications of this is that if all of humanity, including the 12, are joined, there would essentially remain only one mind and one personality. Would the hive-mind, at this point, become lonely and feel isolated? Could this isolation cause the hive-mind to self destruct with the stress it seems vulnerable to? Or would the mind come to the conclusion that it needs the 12, and more like them to give it purpose?''

The frenzy of questions and theories on Reddit suggests that Vince Gilligan’s Pluribus is certainly a genre-bending show that has opened a world of possibilities after its two-part premiere. Fans have many questions about the show's universe and it remains to be seen what these changing dynamics between the 12 and the 'Joined' will lead to.

Pluribus releases weekly episodes every Friday on Apple TV.

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