“I figure, you make even one person happy, maybe that’s not art, but it’s something.” – Helen

The title of Pluribus derives from the latin phrase, “E Pluribus Unum”, meaning “out of many, one”. The show opens with a team of astronomers obsessively drawn to a strong, mysterious signal pattern that’s been detected in far away in space. The opening wide shots of the large satellite dishes already evoke 2001: A Space Odyssey as this unknown phenomenon unfolds, implying we’re in for quite the think piece. A timer is displayed over the screen in anticipation of what may be considered a monumental event. With what appears to be a coded message transmitted from light years away, an entire science community is giddy over what’s transpiring as it’s certainly something to chalk up as a major feat in the human pursuit of discovery.

Meanwhile and elsewhere, we’re introduced to Carol Sturka, who is an established author offering joy and a sense of community to an enthusiastic cult following with her ongoing series of romance fantasy novels. She puts on a strong, convincing front in appeasing her fans during a book tour presenting her latest entry ‘Bloodsong of Wycaro’, but it’s revealed later she finds their adoration and invested interest to be annoying, mindless, and foolish. Little does she know that a similar group of people, driven by a similar intellectual fascination, are on the brink of decoding a transmission which will dramatically change the world as we or Carol know it. Carol’s gripes with her fandom will eventually clash with the pilot’s larger premise when the supernatural event occurs causing the entire world (save apparently for 11 people) to succumb to a hivemind where everyone is happy and willing to help one another. 

The first episode plays out nightmarishly as we follow a panic-stricken Carol as she tries desperately to save her partner Helen amidst the immediate chaos. The physical and psychological toll is abrupt and would shake anyone to their core but Carol’s perspective is especially intriguing because the very thing she found off-putting before the event has now extended to the entire world without any rhyme or reason. Everybody is united and wants nothing but the best for each other, and Carol in particular, as she’s one of the rare outliers who hasn’t been affected by this psychic bind. What was once a small fan following she cultivated with her own artistic expression and human creativity has now become a world where community and belonging is the absolute brought on by an external phenomenon that is alien to any of the human race’s intent. Has she taken for granted what she offered to people and received back, or does this event only magnify her frustration?

There are many questions posed from this pilot. What have we lost vs what have we gained? For Carol, it’s all trauma so far because she’s an outsider to everyone’s unity and transcendent sense of happiness. From her initial perspective, it’s a world of destruction, creepiness, and phoniness. It’s other-worldly. She’s lost her partner because of it. Would she be better off if she found a way to give in to this new united world? What benefits could be bestowed upon humanity for doing so? What higher evolution can be achieved from this monolithic moment? At the same time, what harm can be brought? How antithetical is it to our existence and the human experience? Do we lose our individuality when an entire world is on board to work together and please each other? Is this peace and harmony earned? Should it need to be? Does morality get tossed out the window for the better good when everyone is of the same healthy heart and mind? What is our purpose when we’re no longer striving to find it? Does that matter? There’s so much to explore here and so much promise that it can be done in a thoughtfully entertaining way.

What’s ironic about Carol’s negative attitude towards her fandom before the world shifts is that there’s an inkling that she cares about the connection she’s created with strangers, even if it’s not the ideal connection she’s looking for. In the same way that the lady from the testing facility made an extra effort to lick donuts with the hope it might spark further unity, Carol also makes sure her new books in the Wycaro series are placed on a more accessible shelf in an airport gift shop with the hope it can reach whatever little amount of more people possible. Having Helen do this for her without saying a word implies this isn’t the first time she’s made an effort to be better seen. 

You can argue that perhaps Carol’s just a curmudgeon who wants to milk a bunch of suckers for everything they’re worth. Perhaps to help grow an audience before she releases a story she finds more meaningful, like a project she’s had on the back burner entitled ‘Better Chrysalis’, which is a title that suggests metamorphosis to something greater. It’s a theme that the show seems willing to play with. Either way you look at it though, it’s a means to an end where she ultimately longs for connection and to express a deeper truth in which she can be proud to have shared. Later scenes, like her inquiring about reviews on the internet, suggests she’s genuinely interested in their fascination with what she has to offer the world, even if what she’s offering is a skewed misrepresentation of what she may wish to truly express.

When a fan asks via internet who inspired her fictional character Rabon, the male love interest from her series of novels, we learn the character was likely manufactured as male to appeal to a larger audience. Carol is willing to skew the truth as she’s amused at the idea of responding that George Clooney was the actual inspiration, but it’s clear she’s just not willing to share a certain part of herself. “What do you have to lose?”, Helen asks. The scene beforehand where Carol looks up to the night sky and is awe-struck by the planes flying perfectly parallel in sequence suggests she acknowledges a sense of beauty in the concept of synchronicity. The longing for people to be united on a grander scale no matter in what odd fashion is an idea she’s taken towards. So much so that she makes sure Helen, her lesbian partner, sees it. It’s weird, but it’s something. What does this say about Carol? Does she crave and value acceptance even if under false pretenses over ensuring her own happiness in a smaller corner of her world? What happens when that’s exactly what she gets?

Davis Haffler, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, speaks to Carol on behalf of the many and “assures” her that her life is still her own. However, the hivemind intends to fix what makes her different so that she can join them. Carol is now in a position where she’s forced to face her very own individuality and identity, which up until now she’s been shying away from when it comes to allowing her pocket of the world to truly know her. Can she truly be accepted if humanity has no agency over prejudices? If everyone is one, does love and hate even exist on this planet? This is a post-apocalyptic story that’s completely turned on its head. Carol driving to the hospital as people run behind her to put out fires and save people is shot as if a horde of zombies are chasing her. But this show is not about violence or carnage. It’s about something completely different. Something more. Pluribus is philosophically and psychologically gripping and I’m sure I’m one of man excited to see how this show shapes out.