Created by brilliant screenwriter/filmmaker Vince Gilligan, nine-episode Pluribus offers a sci-fi scenario that will deter some viewers but hopefully entrance others. Very much anchored by a superb star turn by Rhea Seehorn as romance writer Carol Sturka, the show posits that Carol finds herself one of a couple of handfuls of humans not turned into seemingly blissed-out, hivemind-connect, now billions strong and forced to accommodate the immune. The first episode is flat-out bananas, as Carol experiences a wave of conversions into happy zombies while the love of her life dies. Irascible, unstoppable, and profane, Carol embarks on a mission to return the world to sanity. This type of show hinges on its screenplay and direction, and both of them never miss a beat as Carol’s quest flails and flounders. Visually stunning and brilliantly paced, Pluribus needs few actors other than crowd extras and bit players (such as most of the other immune people from around the world), but Seehorn’s acting is complemented by fine performances by Karolina Wydra (as Carol’s “chaperone” from the infected) and Carlos-Manuel Vesga (as an uncompromising immune Paraguayan). Interesting issues such as ethics, freedom, and agency are explored with poise. All in all, Pluribus is a hoot and Season 2 cannot arrive fast enough.
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