Pluribus

Although she feels her cheesy romance novels are soulless trash, cynical author Carol Sturka is reasonably content with her life. As long as she has her beloved book manager Helen, and a bottle of whiskey by her side, there's nothing in the world Carol can't tackle. When the world suddenly ends, however, her whole world falls apart, and when a new world order is established, she not only becomes one of the few people left on earth - she is also caught up in a telepathic collective consciousness where her grumpy mood can determine the future of all mankind.

What has happened to the world is explained very quickly through a few expositional scenes, but it's not particularly important to know why exactly the apocalypse is happening in Vince Gilligan's strange new science fiction comedy. Rather, it's about how someone can mentally cope with the fact that their individualism is being threatened. It's the Twilight Zone meets the communist horror of Space Attack, but here it's much more acidic, funny and sharp. Gilligan's X-Files roots are evident in the show's simple simplicity, reminiscent of Damon Lindelof's recent thought-provoking shows. It's stripped down and yet cheerful in its melancholy. It's easy to put yourself in Carol's shoes as she tries in vain to hold on to what little remains of humanity's identity and intelligence while the world burns.

"Hello Carol! Would you like some coffee to go with your daily existential angst?"

Unlike Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, this protagonist never steps into the anti-hero role, refreshingly. Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn shapes a disillusioned character who would normally bring you down with her clouded worldview, but in this new doomsday context becomes the alcoholic swan song of humanity. Seehorn creates a strangely tragic figure with clear flaws, layers and goals. She wants to do something about it, but what can you even think of doing when the endgame is already decided? Would it be so terrible to capitulate to her disgustingly empathetic and well-meaning enslavers who only want to serve her all the love and privilege in the world? You can see the conflict in Seehorn's tear-filled eyes as she constantly swings from exploding to commiserating. Brilliant performance!

Apple TV has only released a couple of episodes so far, but I really like what I see. It's quirky enough to make me float away in speculative "what's going to happen next" thoughts, but also down-to-earth enough to keep my feet on the ground as a viewer. Pluribus is so far unpredictable, original, and disturbingly fun in its small-scale dystopia. I will continue to follow this science fiction comedy with great pleasure. Because what if the toxically positive end of the world wasn't so bad after all?