There aren't many TV shows that captivate me like Pluribus did. Finished it last night and it left me thinking for hours.
In case you haven't come across it, the premise is deceptively simple. Humanity gets "infected" by an alien virus (that's a simplification) that merges all minds into a single collective - one "us." No individuality, no separation, all minds instantly connected. All of humanity, except for 12 people who remained unaffected.
That's where the show appeal starts and keeps on giving. Take Carol, the main character, being at the same time sharp, messy, deeply troubled, and what seems like impossible to root for. But she's also the only survivor that is intensely human. You can watch the whole show just for her character. I have to admit, part of the appeal of her character is personal. Having my own disdain for people, which can actually coexist with a fascination with the human nature; somehow feels magnetic with Carol's character.
And then everything else comes. What happens to the world when there's no need for individuality? Which angle would interest you most? The end of diversity and the sole role of spreading? The ecological cost of individuality? The lack of another opinion? There are countless themes you can pick up and explore.
If there was one scene that hit me really hard - and call me a softie if you want - it was the moment when one of the survivors, a Peruvian girl, decides to join. Willingly. Before the procedure, she comforts a baby goat, must be her pet or something. At the point of joining, she's rid of all her individual emotions, of herself, and she's content. As she joins the Others, she lets the animals free. Her goat runs after her, crying for attention, but she doesn't look back. Has no reason to. It's not important to them. It's no longer her. This simple but powerful scene was a masterpiece.
One can argue you could stretch it into a warning against AI - the loss of individual thought, the comfort of outsourcing your thinking to something bigger. But you don't have to reach that far. At its core, Pluribus is about the pain of being you. The fears, the joys, the messy emotions we'd sometimes rather not have. And the seductive promise that everything will be fine if you just... let go. Buy this. Subscribe to that. Smooth out the edges. Stop struggling. You don't need a virus for that. We are already there.
It's not common for me to spend so much time thinking about a TV show. This is what makes - together with great execution - Pluribus a gem for me. If you want to be inspired and you don't mind slow story telling, then please - go and see it. You won't regret it.