Pluribus Review: Breaking Bad Creator Vince Gilligan's Return To TV Was Worth The Wait

With "Pluribus," his new Apple TV original series, writer and director Vince Gilligan is attempting to follow what feels like an impossible double act. After cutting his teeth doing great work on shows like "The X-Files," Gilligan went on to create "Breaking Bad," one of the great TV phenomenons of the 21st century so far, then followed that up with the prequel-slash-spinoff "Better Call Saul." Both shows are acclaimed, beloved, and the kind of appointment television that feels rare in an age of streaming.

The point here is that "Pluribus" is a series burdened with incredibly high expectations, not just for its creator but for its celebrated star, Rhea Seehorn. The bar is exceptionally high, and yet "Pluribus" not only clears that bar, but makes it look almost casual, easy, like this is the sort of story Gilligan was born to tell. It's easily one of the most compelling new series you'll see this year, and for Gilligan fans it was absolutely worth the wait.

Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol, a successful author of historical romance who's dreaming of doing something more with her career. She has the money, and the fame, but now she's hoping to grow into something new, let go of the kind of work that seems to be dragging her down. But she won't get the chance.

Carol's just returned home to Albuquerque after a book tour when the world suddenly and seemingly totally shifts. A mysterious event has triggered a strange reaction in virtually every other human being Carol can find, turning them into contented, gracious, and frankly creepy foot soldiers in some kind of larger purpose that Carol doesn't understand. Confused, angry, and just plain scared, she suddenly finds herself alone in a world that seems to have, if not ended, then at least reorganized itself in shocking ways.

While the audience does get a few more clues as to the origins of this phenomenon than Carol herself has at the start of the series, we spend most of the show's two-episode premiere simply following her around as she tries to come to grips with what's happening around her. Why is she seemingly immune to something that's affecting everyone else? Are there others like her? Will she eventually change too? These are straightforward, logical questions sitting in the middle of a gripping sci-fi concept, and they're evidence that Vince Gilligan has brought every ounce of his brilliance and TV writing experience to bear on what has the potential to be another episodic masterpiece.

Making Carol a writer is, while not absolutely essential to the story of "Pluribus," a kind of thematic master stroke from Vince Gilligan and his writing team, because creative writing is, at its core, problem solving. Put a character in a complicated situation, then figure out how they escape it. It positions the lead character of the show, who spends a lot of time onscreen by herself, as someone whose wheels are constantly turning, whose mind is fiddling with this particular dramatic knot all day, every day, and it's something Rhea Seehorn can play perfectly.

As Carol, Seehorn brings to bear all the gifts she delivered in "Better Call Saul," and proves she can indeed carry a high-concept dramatic series without a single consistent co-star for every major scene. "Pluribus" is at once mysterious, frightening, thrilling, and hilarious, and Seehorn does it all, delivering one of the year's must-see performances and fulfilling all the promise "Better Call Saul" fans have long seen in her work. There are other great performers at work in this show, of course, but Seehorn's turn in "Pluribus" is absolutely a triumph.

So, too, is Gilligan's, not only as a writer but as a director whose work has matured and progressed beyond even what he was able to do in the "Breaking Bad" universe. Despite its conceptual hook and mystery box opening gambit, "Pluribus" is a show that reveals tremendous patience in the way it unspools its narrative. Gilligan's past work is a gold mine of unexpected moments of tension, fear, and comedy, and he brings all of that to bear here with an added visual flair that makes us hang on even the quietest moments of the show. Whether he's filming a grocery store parking lot or an empty jetliner, Gilligan seems to always find the most intriguing angle from which to capture Carol's slowly spiraling existence, and you won't want to look away.

Though the finer points of its story will have to be discussed later once the world has seen everything "Pluribus" has to offer, the central dramatic tension of the series premiere is both potent and instantly relatable. This isn't just a cool "What if?" scenario that peters out as something shinier comes along. This is Gilligan creating what might be the world's most hilariously tense sandbox and then gleefully rolling around in it. If you've ever in your life felt like you're the only person who's making sense in a world gone mad, this show is for you. It replicates that feeling so completely that it's capable of absolutely shredding your nerves, and then it immediately turns around and fills in those wounds with heart, humor, and intrigue that carries through each and every episode. This is TV's next great show, and you won't want to miss it.

"Pluribus" premieres November 7 on Apple TV.