Note: This story contains spoilers from “Pluribus” Episodes 1 and 2
After wrapping up “Better Call Saul,” series star Rhea Seehorn was eager to work with the creative team behind the critically acclaimed AMC series again. That’s when she approached series creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
“Peter said, ‘I definitely want to work with you again. I have things in mind, and we will work again in the future, but I really think that Vince needs to say something,’ ” Seehorn told TheWrap. “That’s when Vince said, ‘I wrote something for you if you’re interested,’ which made me laugh.” She agreed to the show without seeing a script.
The project Gilligan pitched was about as far as you can get from the seedy deserts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. In some ways, “Pluribus” is a return to form for Gilligan, who started his career writing, directing and producing on “The X-Files.” The drama starts with what seems to be a global apocalypse, a catastrophic event so decimating that the world is plunged into chaos mere hours after it’s unleashed. As the first episode progresses, it becomes clear that the world has been invaded by a hive mind — a creature that’s taken over the minds of every human on the planet to become one all-knowing, collective, peaceful entity.
And in the middle of this new world order is Seehorn’s Carol, an alcoholic, self-hating, cynical author who may be one of the worst mascots for why humanity should have free will.
It’s that friction — Carol as the lone voice pleading for humanity’s freedom and a unifying creature wondering why — that stands at the center of “Pluribus.” Seehorn noted that Carol is “nearly the opposite of Kim Wexler,” the attorney she portrayed for six seasons in “Better Call Saul.” No matter how dark or morally complicated Saul Goodman’s (Bob Odenkirk) schemes were, Kim stood as the show’s rock. Even when she plotted and manipulated herself, there were lines she refused to cross. And when Saul was at his most chaotic, Kim was still by his side, ponytail perfectly styled and suit nicely pressed.
That’s not who Carol is. Whereas Kim was endlessly composed, Carol is brash and emotional. She lashes out, screams, throws temper tantrums, slings sarcastic remarks and cries. Her emotions are so volatile, they actually come to harm The Others throughout the show’s second episode.
“She’s a pretty raw, emotional person with a lot of anger issues and very defensive, very funny,” Seehorn said. “One of [Kim’s] positions of strength was, ‘If you can’t read me at all, then I’m going to have an upper hand in this room.’ For Carol it’s almost, ‘My upper hand is that I don’t care what you think, and I am fine leaving.’ “
Discovering who Carol was as a character was one of Seehorn’s biggest joys on set, and serves as a great example about why she was so excited to work with Gilligan and his team again. Before the world-changing takeover, Carol was a successful romance author who hates her fans. While working on an episode, set decorator Ashley Michelle Marsh asked Seehorn what she thought Carol’s office should look like.
“She was like, ‘Carol likes to talk about better writers and the better stuff she could be writing. Do you think she actually reads the classics?’” she recalled. Together, Seehorn and Marsh decided that Carol was the type of person who did read classic literature, but she would also performatively display the most esteemed works she loved. And though she absolutely reads work from other romance authors, she would only hate read those for research. To show their lesser value in Carol’s eyes, those needed to be stacked on the floor “because they’re dirt.”
“I’m still forming Carol too, but I’m forming her with 300 people, which to me, is so exciting,” Seehorn explained. “You get that all day long, from costumes to makeup to hair to sound. Everybody wants to help tell this story, and everybody gets excited that they are thought of as value add.”
Much like “The X-Files,” “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” before it, “Pluribus” is a show that defies easy answers at every turn. Even the show’s central conflict between Carol and The Others isn’t cut and dry. Yes, Carol has retained her individuality and freedom, but she’s also far more miserable and selfish than The Others. Yes, The Others live in a constant state of tranquility as they build a perfect utopia, but they’re incapable of feeling wonder, joy, anger, sadness or any of the other emotions that make the human life worth living.
“There are some really complex questions that are raised throughout the show that I don’t have definitive answers to,” Seehorn said.
As an example, she brought up Carol’s belief that she should be writing something more important and substantiative than romance novels. On one hand is Carol’s own belief that she’s not living up to her expectations. On the other is the fact that Carol’s art has brought her fans joy and gave her a lovely life with her wife.
“What is the important art? Then, additionally — Carol wouldn’t have admitted it — but part of her happiness was striving to be better at her chosen craft. Now, if everybody is the same at it, is that an ugly comment about ambition? Or is it a positive comment about the happiness that comes from pursuing happiness as opposed to being happy?” Seehorn asked. “Where does creating art and wanting to be better at it live between those things?”
At the end of the day, it’s questions like these that make Seehorn proud to be part of this twisting, wildly ambitious project. And in “Pluribus,” there are endless plot points and stray moments that inspire these sorts of musings.
“To me, that would be the most wonderful thing is if [‘Pluribus’] inspired conversations,” Seehorn said.
“Pluribus” releases new episodes Fridays on Apple TV.
