Plur1bus: Season 1 - Review 

Rating: 5 out of 5

VINCE Gilligan has already struck TV gold with his seminal show Breaking Bad (not to mention other hits such as Better Call Saul and The X Files), and he looks set to strike again with Plur1bus.

Designed as a two-season series, the first nine episodes have emerged as some of the most engaging, thought-provoking and downright provocative of 2025. They were also funny, horrifying and incredibly tense.

The story itself is centred around a woman named Carol (Saul’s Rhea Seehorn), middle-aged, bestselling writer of romantic fantasy novels, who is one of only a handful of people on the planet to be immune from an alien virus that sweeps the globe, turning everyone (now named The Joined) happy and content.

It’s Carol’s sole purpose to reverse the virus, thereby freeing humanity from its new hive mind. But it’s not a view shared by many of the 13 other immune humans: most of whom view her with suspicion and hostility.

They would prefer, instead, to reap the benefits of a new world in which The Joined are happy to provide anything that they want - from Air Force One to fly them around the world to a hand grenade (well, just because….).

Her only ally would appear to be a man named Manousos (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), a like-minded sceptic who refuses to so much as even interact with the ‘aliens’, but whose steadfast refusal to accept any help from The Joined has isolated him in Panama.

Where Carol is reckless and impetuous (frequently flying into temper tantrums that kill several hundred of The Joined at a time), Manousos is meticulous and principled, writing IOUs whenever he does (eventually) use other people’s property to get where and what he needs.

Manousos is a loner. But Carol needs company. She therefore allows herself a relationship with the chaperone The Joined provide for her - a woman named Zosia (Karolina Wydra), with whom she eventually comes to feel highly protective of.

Season one’s arc is very much building towards the meeting of Carol and Manousos, while also exploring the developing relationship between Carol and Zosia, which transforms from purely transactional to something approaching romantic.

And while the pacing of season one is often leisurely in a slow burn kind of way, it’s testament to Gilligan’s creativity that he always keeps us intrigued and guessing about what lies ahead: fearing the worst, while hoping for the best.

Plur1bus also works on many levels beyond the sci-fi premise. It is drama as allegory for so many things, with the Internet ablaze with fan theories about what some of its deeper meaning represents.

On the one hand, there’s the deep dive into what constitutes humanity: ie, what it means to be human. Why, for instance, does Carol pine for a return to the type of world that is chaotic, unpredictable and where people can be mean to each other? It’s made clear from the opening episode, pre-virus, that Carol is very introverted, selfish and no fan of people (even some of her fans annoy her). So why the determination to revert to the way things were?

The Joined exist to please those that haven’t been turned. They are incapable of lying. And they are incapable of harm: refusing to even pick apples off of trees (an ideology that leads to some surprising revelations about their food sources). Is this such a bad state to be?

At a time when the world feels in such disarray, Gilligan is making a bold move by having Carol be the ‘hero’ (anti or otherwise) of the piece. But this only adds to the challenge and profound joy of watching: trying to work out what you’d do given the same situation, while also applying scepticism to The Joined’s true motives.

Then there’s the association with AI that the show holds… are The Joined representative of the algorithms that are designed to make AI so friendly (yet devoid of soul)? They’re all-knowing and certainly all-pleasing. But is that a good thing? Is it healthy or dangerous?

Certainly, by the time Carol discovers their true motivations by the season finale (that they have procured her eggs with a view to having her Join without her consent), this veers towards the latter. The Joined could therefore pose as much of a threat to independence and autonomy as AI.

There’s another level too: one that appreciates the beauty that exists in the world… a beauty at risk of being destroyed by humanity. Several episodes linger over stunning shots of the natural world (witness Manousos’ drive or a stunning shot of mountains in the finale), while a montage of Carol and Zosia globe-trotting together shows idyllic locations that are all but people free.

It’s a reminder of what our planet has to offer, and what humanity threatens to ruin, either by over tourism or climate change.

And then there are issues of altruism and whether Carol is acting out of a desire to genuinely save the world or purely just herself, as well as manipulation and whether this is being used by both sides with purely good intent.

Plur1bus works on deep levels, while also being tremendously enjoyable as a hugely entertaining slice of sci-fi.

It’s capable of being exciting, funny, profound and even emotional, and is driven by top performances - especially from Seehorn, who often spends a lot of time by herself.

It’s also highly original: a show that stands out in its own right for its bold, fearless and meticulous approach. The wait for season two’s climax looks set to be lengthy as Gilligan and company take their time to perfect the journey. But I feel sure that it’s going to be a wait that’s well worth it.

Plur1bus already feels like a classic.