By John Hiett
From Vince Gilligan, the creator of legendary shows such as “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” comes a new sci-fi show that looks at the practical consequences of an alien virus. “Plurbius” follows Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn), a cynical drama writer, who is thrust into dealing with the aftermath of an alien virus that takes over almost the entire population on Earth.
For some unknown reason, she and 11 others are miraculously immune to the virus. The infected being part of a collective hivemind that doesn’t turn into zombies or aliens but rather turns into people who seemingly want to make others happy.
While the hivemind’s ultimate goal is to spread happiness, their ulterior motive is to spread the virus to the 12 people who are immune. Unsuccessful in transferring the virus to the immune survivors, the hivemind decides to help make them happy in the meantime before a way is found to successfully spread the virus to the survivors.
The show’s twist on the classic apocalyptic scenario is refreshing; the virus, while rightly terrifying, changes the infected for the better where those within the hivemind gain everyone’s skills and memories. The show asks the question: is it worth sacrificing individuality if the world is practically transformed into a utopia?
In Episode 1, the show starts by showcasing the virus’s slow invasion onto Earth, taking care to not give too much information away about the virus’s origins. The virus is shown to spread like a normal virus: through the spread of respiratory particles and saliva. The infected people spread the virus by either licking various pieces of food to give to others or directly kissing them.
On paper, this doesn’t sound scary, but the idea of how subtle and fast this virus spreads really ramps up the horror. After people come into contact with the virus, they will usually go through a seizure before being converted into the hivemind.
“Plurbius” expertly displays the spread of the virus from Carol’s perspective as it culminates in a day labeled, “The Joining.” This is where she witnesses people around her seize simultaneously before getting back up, immediately offering her help once they realize Carol’s immune.
Next in Episode 2, the show follows Carol struggling to adapt to a world where almost everyone has become much more robotic and colder after their assimilation into a hivemind.
While the virus is bad in that it removes people’s individuality and personalities, it isn’t the worst thing as world peace and hunger have effectively been solved. If you really think about it, there’s no more stealing, racism or murder that exists in essentially what is the textbook definition of a utopia. However, a lot of what makes humans, well human, has been lost for the sake of efficiency and problem-solving.
I want to take a moment to appreciate the unique cinematography and clever writing as every shot and line seems to have a clear purpose behind it. “Plurbius” is a very beautiful and colorful show despite the terrifying and weird premise it presents.
Moving onto Episode 3, the show provides the audience with a much needed flashback where we discover more about Carol’s character and how she’s usually someone who leans towards depression and cynicism. This is a big contrast to the hivemind’s cheery demeanor that isn’t necessarily a conscious choice or an authentic feeling of the infected people
This episode deals with Carol learning about the hivemind and what the hivemind is capable of. Carol uses the hivemind’s earnestness for cooperation and honesty against them in the hopes that the hivemind will be forced to tell her the truth about the cure.
A great example of her testing the limits of the hivemind involves a mesmerizing sequence where she asks the hive to restock an entire grocery store. The scene follows hundreds of extras synchronously working like a well-oiled machine to get the job done as they do it in hopes of making her happy.
Overall, I would highly recommend you watch “Plurbius” as it’s one of the few pieces of television I’ve seen that both respects your time and gives a clever engaging story. Since I’m not part of a hivemind where I can telepathically share my experience with you, I’ll end this review by saying you should experience “Plurbius” for yourself.
‘Plurbius’ is available to watch on Apple TV.
John Hiett is a senior biology major. He is passionate about any and all indie video games and loves getting coffee since starting college.
Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Television.
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