Apple TVWith Pluribus Episode 5 dropping this week, there’s still a way to go until the Apple TV series reaches its finale, but one fan thinks they’ve already figured out the “perfect ending” to wrap up Carol’s (Rhea Seehorn) story, and it’s sparked a debate.
Pluribus is the latest TV show from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, and it’s every bit as brilliant as his previous work. It’s a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story that is every bit as quirky as Severance, involving a virus that transforms humanity into an aggressively kind-hearted hive mind.
At the center of this is Carol, a cynical writer and one of a handful of humans who are inexplicably immune to a virus. In Episode 5, ‘Got Milk’, Carol sets about investigating the hive mind, leading to a horrifying discovery.
With so many unanswered questions, the Apple TV series is ripe for fan theories, including a new concept that argues the most satisfying ending would be a darkly ironic realization for Carol.
Pluribus “perfect ending” theory explained
Hollywood scooper Daniel Richtman took to X after the release of Pluribus Episode 5 to share his idea of the “perfect ending”: Carol “wins,” only to realise she doomed the world to something far worse.
“I think the perfect ending for Pluribus would be this: Carol figures out how to stop them but gets turned into one of them for a while. Then one of the other 12 humans carries out the plan and everything goes back to normal,” he wrote.
“When Carol turns back, she realizes The Others didn’t lie and that it was actually better to live like them and the show ends with her thinking, ‘Sh*t… what have I done?’”
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It’s the kind of twist that fits Gilligan’s love of moral irony, and it echoes sci-fi classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Mist, which at the very least question whether returning to normal, flawed humanity is really a victory.
Richtman’s idea has received plenty of praise, with one writing, “Yeah this is a good plot. How long can it carry on and still be entertaining before the wrap up is the question.”
“This would actually be the perfect ending,” said another, while a third added, “That would be fire.”
Apple TVHowever, for the most part, Pluribus viewers think the finale will take a different route given what we know about the Apple TV series and its future.
Multiple comments argue that this concept is too simple, goes against Vince Gilligan’s criticism of AI, and wouldn’t make sense given the hope is for the show to continue for at least three seasons.
Pluribus was given a two-season order, but the Breaking Bad creator told Variety that he hopes it will continue beyond that. “I think we have a pretty good idea of where it should end,” he said.
“One of the most important things I can do in the writers’ room is not be too precious about the ideas. If we come up with a better way to end this thing, we will.”
As for AI, Gilligan made his thoughts on the technology clear amid the show’s premiere, telling Polygon, “I have not used ChatGPT, because as of yet, no one has held a shotgun to my head and made me do it.”
In a later interview with the outlet, he said Pluribus isn’t an outright allegory for AI as he first came up with the idea for the show around a decade ago.
“Of course, the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ certainly predated ChatGPT, but it wasn’t in the news like it is now,” he said.
But Gilligan didn’t shut down the theory, stating, “I’m not saying you’re wrong. A lot of people are making that connection. I don’t want to tell people what this show is about.
“If it’s about AI for a particular viewer, or COVID-19 – it’s actually not about that, either – more power to anyone who sees some ripped-from-the-headlines type thing.”
Pluribus fans debate ending concept
These are among the reasons fans don’t think Pluribus will go down the route laid out in Richtman’s idea.
Apple TVAnother point that’s been raised is the belief that the real irony in the show is Carol realizing that she had a lot to be grateful for in her life pre-virus – she just couldn’t see it at the time.
“Her arc is realizing all the sh*t in life pre-virus outbreak was great. Which is the irony of the show. She’s fighting so hard to get back to something she claimed to have hated,” said one.
“That doesn’t really fit the motif of the show at all. The story is Carol was unhappy before the change too,” wrote another. “The crux of the show is Carol finding out what happiness means to her. It’s less about the mystery than people think.”
A third added, “I think the opposite. Carol is starting to realize that the life she had before was beautiful. Her writing had a real impact. The trips she took with Helen were actually precious moments.
“She’s spent too much of her life unhappy, and is only realizing because she lost it all.”
“As a show that is very outwardly anti-AI and other forms of passivity, that would be a big middle finger to that message,” a fourth chimed in.
Creative Commons“Could still pan out, but I imagine as much as Them is a paradise, there is more value to our individuality and what sets us apart and the unity from that.”
“We still got minimum 3-4 seasons left of Pluribus, it’s WAY too early to predict the ending, plus I doubt Vince and his writers even know the ending themselves,” commented a fifth.
Others have been sharing their own theories for the Pluribus ending, with one writing, “Pluribus will end with the whole world thanking Carol for saving them, but now everyone is individual and she will be the one that is happy, by herself.”
Another suggested, “Difficult to cover all this in the remaining episodes. Lot of time spent on build up. Most likely she gets someone to team up, they are all set to execute the plan but then Zosia shows up at door. The end.”
As said, this is all just speculation at this stage (and it’s all part of the fun). Pluribus Episode 6 drops on Apple TV on December 5. Until then, read about this sinister hive mind theory, the detail that separates Pluribus from The Walking Dead and The Last of Us, and the new TV shows coming to streaming this month.