Pluribus (Season 1)
Writer: Vince Gilligan
Director: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Rhea Seehorn, Karolina Wydra, and Carlos-Manuel Vesga
Publisher: Apple TV, Sony Pictures Television
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars (6 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

In a world overtaken by a mysterious wave of forced happiness, Carol Sturka, one of the immune few, must uncover what’s really going on – and save humanity from its artificial bliss.

Permanent happiness might come with a catch.

I loved how this show dealt with the practical aspects of such a monumental change to human society. At first glance, the alien virus seemed like it would usher in a utopian future for humanity due to the immediate end of crime, violence, pollution, and anything else that could possibly harm any form of life on Earth. While I don’t want to give away spoilers about what the possible downsides of such a world might be, I thought the writer did an excellent job of including plot twists to explain why Carol was so scared by this change and what compelled her to dig more deeply into this peaceful invasion.

Some of the later episodes in this first season were repetitive due to how often Carol’s anger management issues interfered with her desire to figure out why nearly every human on Earth had been infected by that alien virus. While having such a complex and flawed protagonist was otherwise great, I did find myself wishing that she’d break out of the cycle of feeling her anger building, exploding at someone near her, and then either sweeping her actions under the rug or, as her tale progressed, maybe apologizing instead. Here’s hoping that future seasons give her more opportunities to react to The Others as she calls them in some new ways as I’d love to see the pacing pick up in the future.

On a deeper note, I also enjoyed this tv show’s subtle criticisms of topics like AI, conversion therapy, and conformity in general. The arguments were nuanced and left plenty of space for discussion regardless of whether or not viewers agreed with the points the writer made. This sort of thought-provoking storytelling that kept me interested even when I struggled with how slowly some scenes moved along.

Pluribus was intelligent science fiction.