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The creative mastermind did not foresee that the Apple TV+ show would turn into a cultural phenomenon. “I am so grateful to the audience,” Gilligan says. “I was surprised by the show being as widely discussed as it is, and it makes me thrilled beyond words.”

With the first season of the popular sci-fi show wrapping up—and Season 2 officially in the works—Gilligan and his team reflected on the viewer reception and whether it will shape the narrative path of Pluribus.

On the Incredible Fan Response

It would be easy to get swayed by the rampant praise and fan theories about Pluribus. He is doing his best to avoid both.

“It's like being force fed your favorite dessert and being laughing uncontrollably,” he says. “It's amazing, but I hear about it anecdotally, and that's by design. I have never looked myself up on the internet, nor do I ever want to. Not because I don't care. It's a bottomless pit I know I would get lost in and then I'd be never leaving the house from the hardware store and I'd rarely emerge from my living room.”

Despite trying to stay away, there’s no escaping the extremely enthusiastic response to the series. The only approach for the writers is to accept it graciously and try not to let it dictate the story of the show.

“We don't try to change the plot,” says Alison Tatlock. “The plot we develop is not influenced by audience chatter.”

“We prefer to keep our noses to the grindstone,” he chimes in.

The Central Mystery: Does Vince Gilligan Have a Plan for the Finale of Pluribus?

So if the writers aren’t being guided by public opinion, does that mean they have mapped out how Pluribus will finally conclude? The answer is yes… in a way.

“We have some compelling concepts about how the story could conclude,” Gilligan reveals. “however, we remain prepared to discard a solid concept for a more brilliant plan. This approach has served us in excellent shape on Better Call Saul and on Breaking Bad even before that. We throw stuff out when we conceive of something superior and I expect we'll continue doing that.”

On the other hand, if they hit a wall, director and writer Gordon Smith has a rather amusing idea to use as a backup.

“I keep pitching that it's all in a snow globe, and that we'll pull back at the end and that's where they've been all along,” he says humorously, “but nobody's taking me up on that.”

Then again, one could always use the classics?

“I'd love for Carol to awaken with Bob Newhart there,” Gilligan says with a smile.

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Pluribus is currently available on Apple TV.