This writer was working on a roundup of those bizarre teaser clips for Vince Gilligan’s Apple TV+ Show Pluribus when the Apple TV YouTube channel went ahead and finally released a surprise trailer for the highly anticipated show. So it goes.
This teaser trailer confirms much of what we already knew or suspected about the series. It stars a woman named Carol (played by Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn) who is described as a perpetually miserable author. As fate would have it, though, Carol’s misery proves to be an unlikely asset when a virus that causes people to experience eternal happiness seemingly infects everyone else on Earth. Soon, Carol becomes convinced that the only way to save the world is to spread her own brand of suffering, however and whenever she can. The name of the show is even seemingly a reference to the Latin phrase “E pluribus unum,” which translates to “Out of many, one.”
The big reveal in this new teaser is the fact that the rest of the world (or perhaps just the people of the United States) are not only aware of Carol’s condition but are actively seeking to “cure” her immunity. Previous teasers portrayed Carol as a lone operative in largely isolated spaces, so it’s fascinating to see that she actually seems to be the target of what appears to be an Invasion of the Body Snatchers-esque collective. Based on what Gilligan has said, though, we’re likely only scratching the surface of what he has described as an incredibly weird concept that may not quite be what fans of his previous shows expect (despite also taking place in New Mexico and starring some familiar faces).
Oh, and there is one more potentially fascinating wrinkle to consider. When that first Pluribus teaser dropped, fans were quick to point out that the show may actually be an adaptation of the Neal Shusterman novel All Better Now. Like Pluribus, All Better Now deals with a virus that causes happiness and even uses the same smiley face design motif we’ve seen throughout Pluribus‘ promotions. Interestingly, Shusterman actually used to write books based on The X-Files, including 1999’s Dark Matter which was adapted from a Vince Gilligan-penned episode of the show called “Soft Light.” While there has been no official indication that Pluribus is directly or indirectly based on All Better Now, the similarities are noteworthy and intriguing. If the show is based on the book’s narrative in any way, then you should indeed prepare yourself for a truly wild ride that takes a hard look at the state of the world and how happiness interferes with the mechanisms that keep the whole thing churning.
As for Pluribus, it’s still scheduled to debut on Apple TV+ on November 7. The first season will only run for nine episodes, but Apple has already ordered a second season of the series.
