TOMAS ALMEIDA
The most unhappy woman in the world, living in a world that always has a smile on her face. A virus, a hive mentality, an extraterrestrial transmission, a protagonist who writes erotic fantasy novels on a mission. There’s little more to say if we don’t want to spoil the surprise that is “Pluribus”, the new original series from Vince Gilligan, creator and maestro of “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”, which revolutionized television in this century. Film and television critic José Paiva Capucho decided to decipher this new creation of Apple TV alongside scriptwriter Henrique Dias, responsible for bringing us series such as “Pôr do Sol” and “Felp”. “It is a series that is also a mirror of society, but which goes against the logic of streaming and turns to the audience and says: now think”, confesses the screenwriter.
The general public has only seen two episodes, but we already know that Carol, a successful writer of erotic fantasy books, was left “alone” in the United States because of a virus that infected all humans and then some with joy and bonhomie. There is a lot to explain, but the protagonist’s moral ambiguity demonstrates that Vince Gilligan came to play a different game in the audiovisual field. “It’s a series centered on an internal conflict, which is very risky and innovative in today’s times. In the first episode we are with Carol for a good couple of minutes just watching her try to pile a body into a pick-up”, argues Henrique Dias.
TOMAS ALMEIDA
Of course, for Vince Gilligan, who made such a big impact on international television, and made his name in Hollywood and beyond, it’s easier to take risks. Still, in an era where “in the US you are asked to create a series to watch while you are on your cell phone”, “Pluribus” is a rock in the water. “You can’t take your eyes off the screen, otherwise it won’t be any fun”, warns Henrique Dias.
“Pluribus” may be an allegory against artificial intelligence — Vince Gilligan has already shown himself to be against it in several interventions — but it doesn’t seem to want to put politics into viewers’ heads. “It seems to be the first series openly against AI, but the political reflection it makes has no way”, says the screenwriter. Will it be one of the best of the year and will it be marked as “Breaking Bad”? “I don’t know that, but I won’t forget that first episode, I won’t forget that”, he concludes.
How many times have I wanted to know more about “that” last episode? Finding answers that create more questions and only leave you wondering when the next chapter will premiere?
In “In the Last Episode”, José Paiva Capucho offers no guarantee of reassuring series fans. Come to join the party.
Features behind-the-scenes stories, audience reviews vs. critics’ reviews, and scene analysis.
All this in a podcast that will be dedicated to the best national and international television of the year.
‘No Último Episode’ airs every Friday on Expresso and all podcast platforms. Listen to the trailer for the second season here.