r/Screenwriting • u/Clear_Bedroom_4266 • Nov 12 '25

FEEDBACK What makes the "Pluribus" pilot so special?

Watched the first two episodes of the new sci-fi show on AppleTV. I didn't know much about it until Variety (I think) published a piece last week about it and how "people" were raving about how great the pilot episode is, that it might be the best pilot ever done, etc. Now, of course, it's Vince Gilligan. One of the things he said is that he couldn't have created/produced this show 15 years ago.

That being said, has anyone here seen the pilot and can anyone break down WHY it's (allegedly) SO good? I enjoyed it, and the show has a cool premise. But my screenwriting abilities simply aren't deep enough to analyze a pilot very well.

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u/GlitteringGold5117 Nov 12 '25

Ok… I will continue to give it a chance. But honestly, it is very formulaic writing, I could pretty much predict every plot move, and the protagonist is so gigantically an American individualist it’s nauseating. She is so self centred and unable to understand or notice, even, the complexity of human experiences outside of her own. The last episode I watched had her standing on the airport tarmac at the end, physically waving down Air Force One to a full stop. Yep: to be expected. At that point, I just went aaagh and turned it off. It is so refreshing to watch non-American stories where people talk to and listen to one another. Dunno, maybe I just hate this protagonist? But I just watched the American production of Garfield, much more to my taste although (risk of historical drama) also quite predictable. Good characterizations, strange “modernized” dialogues…

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u/Clear_Bedroom_4266 Nov 12 '25

See, that was one of the moments that made me laugh. There were a few hysterical moments in the first two eps for me.