Rhea Seehorn as Carol in ‘Pluribus,’ the only hater left in a world where everyone is happy
Apple TV
Pluribus, the bold new sci-fi series from Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has kept audiences guessing.
We’re only a few episodes into Apple TV’s new series, and it’s now clear what the concept is—an alien hive mind has taken over Earth, leaving only a handful of humans immune, including protagonist Carol (Rhea Seehorn).
But what is Pluribus really about?
Critics and audiences have been discussing the show’s themes, and many assume that the series is a satire of the recent generative AI invasion.
Gilligan’s negative commentary about AI, along with the disclaimer in the Pluribus end credits stating that “this show was made by humans,” has helped fuel such speculation.
But is it accurate?
Is ‘Pluribus’ About Generative AI?
It’s easy to see why so many have embraced the AI reading of the series, as the idea of all humans being absorbed into a unified entity that is annoyingly eager to please very much reflects the state of AI.
After all, ChatGPT is famous for its sycophantic tone.
Generative AI models have been “trained” (without permission) on the work of artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers and countless internet commentators, whose words were vacuumed into the data set.
The premise of Pluribus echoes this situation, as the vast majority of the population was absorbed into the alien hivemind against their will, creating a world without individualism.
One memorable scene from episode two sees Carol in a meeting with the remainder of Earth’s true individuals, the people who are naturally immune to the hivemind virus.
To Carol’s astonishment, they are all happy with the peaceful, unified state of the world. Carol understands that this serene pacifism is not “real,” but her fellow humans just don’t care.
The scene very much reflects the feeling of being an AI-hater surrounded by people who simply do not care if their media is AI-generated or not.
Notably, one of the individuals has a son who has been absorbed by the hivemind, and is no longer himself. When Carol points out that her son is gone, the mother gets angry—she doesn’t want to know the truth.
Again, this reflects a disturbing AI trend, in which mourners try to recreate their dead loved ones using the technology, creating a lifeless, AI-generated puppet that mimics the deceased.
However, assuming that Pluribus is purely a satire of generative AI risks flattening the themes of this series.
Not to mention, creator Vince Gilligan has stated in a Polygon interview that he “really wasn’t thinking about AI [when I wrote Pluribus], because this was about eight or 10 years ago.”
So, if it isn’t satirizing AI, what is Pluribus actually saying?
What Is ‘Pluribus’ Really About?
It’s still a little early to say for sure, but I propose that Pluribus is about the importance of being a hater.
Episode three underlines this clearly, opening with Carol and her lover Helen (Miriam Shor) visiting a high-end hotel formed entirely of ice.
The ice hotel is designed to be a unique experience, hand-carved every winter before melting away in the summer.
Helen is overjoyed by the novelty, but Carol, as always, finds something to complain about.
There’s a viewing window above their room that gives a perfect view of the Northern Lights, and Carol is unimpressed, comparing the sight to a “screensaver.”
Carol is dismissing one of the greatest natural wonders of the world, but there’s a reason it feels like a computer simulation to her—she is experiencing it inside a gimmicky tourist attraction.
The ice hotel is an opulent, overpriced ode to novelty (rather like Disney’s disastrous Star Wars hotel).
As Carol points out, their icy room isn’t even comfortable.
The basic appeal of staying in a luxury hotel—a soft, warm bed—has been forgotten in the endless quest for novelty, for the sake of a few Instagram posts and an “experience.”
Carol displays this critical attitude many times in the series, most notably during her introduction, in which she attends a book signing for her wildly popular fantasy romance book.
The series has made Carol rich, famous and admired by her fans, but she knows she is writing escapist garbage.
Crucially, she knows she could do better, but the world has rewarded her for pumping out low-effort, easily consumable work. Hence, Carol resents her own success.
Carol is unhappy in a world of empty consumerism, in which mediocrity always finds a wide audience and every experience is carefully designed to induce another jolt of dopamine in customers.
It’s all cheap novelty, all the time. The arrival of the hivemind is the next step in the neverending quest to keep the customer satisfied.
Remove all friction from human interaction, all differences in personality, culture, race and political leanings, and you’re left with a smooth, mellow state of bliss.
Carol can’t accept this, because it’s not real. There is no meaning to a utopia that has erased all individual wants and needs. She knows that the messiness, ugliness and frequent disappointment of everyday living is what gives life texture.
In fact, Carol’s cynicism is so toxic to the hivemind that her anger physically harms them.
Perhaps Carol could stand to lighten up, but it seems likely that being a hater is key to saving the world—if there’s anything left to save.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/11/18/what-is-pluribus-really-about/