I feel like people forget how slow Vince Gilligan’s first seasons can be. I believe people are comparing the series finales of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul to the season one finale of Pluribus.Breaking Bad ending its first season with the Tuco deal, even repeating the scene in the season 2 premiere, I didn’t even realize the season ended until I checked my episode midway through season 2. Better Call Saul ended its first season with a bottle episode in Jimmy’s hometown with Marco. These are not big climaxes but they never oversell themselves, Vince Gilligan’s first season always sets out to fully define a character before putting them through challenges that changes them.

Cons: I'm not a fan of shows that don't have at least 10 episodes per season, and this show suffers from being the length of a limited series. Pluribus easily could have been a movie honestly. If a story can't last for at least 10 episodes a season, then it should be made into a movie, not a TV show in my opinion. TV should be for long-form content only. I'm tired of everything being a limited series. The reason I think this is because the story tends to drag a bit with not much going on in many of the episodes, making this show kind of un-rewatchable. It's fun the first time around when you don't know what's happening and are discovering everything for the first time along with the main character Carol. However, I don't know who would take the time to rewatch all 9 episodes again after figuring everything out. If Pluribus was a movie, then this would be a different story. Pros: It's a very unique premise for an alien invasion story. The plot is very unpredictable. I remember always being on the edge of my seat whenever Carol tried to press the hivemind's buttons to test their limits of what they would let her get away with. The mystery of the hivemind's nature that unfolded throughout the show was also very engaging. The creepy and mysterious vibes were on point throughout the entire show.

slow pacing, lack of character diversity (too focused on just one protagonist with not many layers), lack of hooks or intrigue to have you wanting to see the next episode. May be decent as a binge it all at once show, but the 1st season has me not interested at all to see where this is going.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

LIVE FROM THE HIVE-DOME OF NARRATIVE DESPERATION…WELCOME TO THE PLURIBUS SMACKDOWN 2025!! A Vince Gilligan Production — where science is optional and narcissism is destiny! IN THE RED CORNER — THE “HEROES” OF HUMANITY... C A A A A A R O L “THE RAGE-MESSIAH” S T U R K A ! ! ! fighting style: screaming, sulking, destabilizing planetary consciousness finishing move: The Global Seizure Slam — kills millions, causes no character growth special ability: narcissistic armor class 30 weaknesses: accountability, empathy, basic logic alignment: Chaotic Entitled catchphrase: “HOW DARE YOU NOT LISTEN TO ME!!! ”AND HER TAG-TEAM PARTNER…M A A A A A N O U S O S “THE STORAGE SAMURAI” O E D O ! ! ! fighting style: paranoia, canned dog food, cardboard-based Faraday cages finishing move: The FM Frequency Fumble special ability: plot teleports him across entire continents weaknesses: language, skill, narrative coherence alignment: Chaotic Clueless catchphrase: “NO TOCAR LA COMIDA!!! Together they are: TEAM NARCISSISTIC APOCALYPSE!(Talent: 0. Plot Armor: 999.) IN THE BLUE CORNER — THE “VILLAIN” WHO MAKES TOO MUCH SENSE K U M B A “THE BOND OF BAMAKO” D I A B A T É ! ! ! fighting style: suave hedonism, French charm, and impeccable tailoring finishing move: The Air Force One Champagne Guillotine special ability: hive-mind bodyguards + infinite complimentary buffets weaknesses: humility, scruples, monogamy alignment: Chaotic Hedonist catchphrase: “Why fight the hive when you can LIVE like a KING, mon frère?” According to Gilligan:speaks French → EVIL wants beautiful women → EVIL accepts the hive → SUPER EVIL But:never killed anyone actually enjoys life is the only one thinking clearly knows how to use resources doesn’t cause global seizures Which makes him, by the show’s logic: THE BAD GUY! because he’s having too much fun THE MATCH OF THE MILLENNIUM“THE PLOT-ARMOR APOCALYPSE!” Round 1:Carol screams → 300 million dead → hive mildly inconvenienced. Round 2:Manousos barricades himself → hive “cannot detect” him because plot said so. Round 3:Carol “investigates” → discovers nothing → thinks she discovered everything. Round 4: Diabaté orders room service → hive applauds → viewers fuse with Carol and accuse him of being Satan. Round 5:Carol vs. Manusos vs. the Hive vs. Logic vs. Coherence vs. Sanity(only one survives… it’s certainly not coherence.)