Apple TV/AMCA “pattern” we saw with Breaking Bad may be repeating itself with creator Vince Gilligan’s new series Pluribus now that the lead character, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), has been branded a “Karen”.
Adding to the ever-growing list of impeccable Apple TV shows is Pluribus, a Severance-coded series in which a strange virus transforms the world into an annoyingly friendly hive mind.
Cynical writer Carol is one of a handful of humans who are inexplicably immune to the virus, and she’s struggling – understandably so, given the circumstances.
However, one corner of the internet isn’t giving her the benefit of the doubt. Across social media, you’ll see Carol being branded a “Karen,” with one even saying she’s “one of the most unlikeable main characters in TV history.” Does that sound familiar to you?
Pluribus viewers defend Carol amid “Karen” backlash
Apple TVThe discourse surrounding the Pluribus lead sounds similar to the backlash Skyler White (Anna Gunn) received at the height of Breaking Bad, but now fans of the show are clapping back at the criticism.
Taking to the Apple TV show’s subreddit, one wrote, “I’m loving this show but I’m SHOCKED at some of the hatred for Carol.
“I found the show through TikTok clips and it seemed intriguing, but one of the comments described the show as ‘A Karen Influencer crashes out when humanity gets taken over by a hivemind and she loses her audience.’”
“I feel like the original definition of Karen was a woman who utilized her privilege to make service workers and random POC passerby’s lives hell. I guess now it’s just a woman who doesn’t smile enough,” they added.
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AMC“The Carol that I see is generally negative, self-deprecating, and self-sabotaging but she’s also incredibly empathetic. Her primary motivator is saving as much life as possible.”
The Redditor went on to outline examples from the first three episodes, including trying to help the man who crashed his car, saving the baby at the hospital, and vomiting when realizing she unintentionally killed people after causing the hive mind seizure.
“I know that most fans of the show will be smart enough to see this. But there’s just a very irritating subset that can’t stand that Carol is upset by the situation,” they said.
One person responded to the post, “Remember how people judged Skyler White in Breaking Bad? Yeah. That pattern is absolutely repeating here,” to which another wrote, “Makes you wonder how Carol’s character would be perceived if she were a man.”
A third added, “Too many people like to view characters like they’re really people and they have to take sides, but you wouldn’t have an interesting story if you didn’t have flawed characters and conflict (which Vince does as well as anyone, such as with Walter White and Saul Goodman).
“Characters also have to have a direction to go. Jesse Pinkman’s progression as a character wouldn’t have been meaningful either if he didn’t start out as a junkie meth dealer.”
And as one pointed out, “I think it’s extremely easy for people to overlook that not only is the situation she’s in absolutely f**king bonkers, but she’s doing it alone, without her one person, having witnessed her traumatic death and is now in the throes of immense grief,”
“It hasn’t even been a WEEK. I can’t blame her for wanting to hold onto any level of normalcy from before, like being able to grocery shop in a normal store only to get Stouffers.”
Criticism compared to Breaking Bad’s Skyler White discourse
Ahead of Friday’s episode, TV and movies TikToker Cris shared a video on this topic in which she compared it to the Skyler White situation.
“I cannot believe we’re already having ‘unlikeable female character discourse’ for Pluribus after two episodes,” she said.
“I knew it was coming because there’s a not insignificant number of Breaking Bad fans who thought Skyler White was the most evil character on TV and harassed Anna Gunn for years, but I was hoping they’d sit this one out.”
Cris went on to highlight the issues Carol is facing right now, including the fact that just a couple of days earlier, the love of her life died in her arms, before stating that the term “likeable character” is often used to describe women.
“No one sits around talking about unlikeable male character Tony Soprano. He’s just a great character. It doesn’t matter if you like him… what matters is they’re well written, complex, and interesting to watch,” she said.
HBOThe TikToker also suggested that because Carol’s grief is coming out in anger, it’s being taken in a worse way.
In response to the comments, one wrote, “I’m baffled by people calling her a Karen for not being okay with a devastating situation. If this was a male MC he’d be considered relatable.”
“Skyler did not deserve the hate,” said another, with a third adding, “Vince Gilligan literally said he’s been so excited to write a main character who’s a good person again and people do this.”
To find out when the next episode drops, check out our guide to the Pluribus release schedule. You can also read about the detail that separates it from The Walking Dead and check out the new shows coming to streaming this month.