ince Gilligan’s Pluribus was billed as a thought-provoking exploration of individuality in a world overtaken by a hive mind. Instead, it often feels like a slow-motion exercise in frustration. On paper, the premise is interesting, but the execution is frustrating, to say the least. Over nine episodes, the series drags and meanders, often losing the viewer entirely, turning what had once potential to become a gripping psychological drama into a tedious test of patience.

Right from the first episode, a blatant disconnect is apparent. By way of an opening, Pluribus establishes a world at odds with traditional science fiction drama. A laboratory scene in the first episode hints at a scientific context and narrative stakes. However, this thread is never revisited, leaving the audience with a gulf between setup and payoff.

The protagonist’s choices raise questions that go unaddressed. Carol never uses a cell phone, despite her companion Helen being shown with one earlier and she never seeks information online about her circumstances or others who might share her resistance. These omissions are not mysterious or intriguing. They are frustrating gaps that make her journey feel arbitrary and unearned.

The series is also painfully slow and monotonous. There is minimal dialogue and much of the screen time is taken by Carol wandering, sulking or expressing contempt for others, sometimes in ways that feel performative rather than emotionally justified. Secondary characters contribute almost nothing. The same motifs repeat endlessly - for instance, listening to the same voicemail. The result is a show that feels padded; it is as if nine episodes were drawn out simply to fill a quota rather than advance the story.

Character decisions strain credibility. Carol spends the season resisting the hive mind and appearing disgusted by those who embrace it, only to pivot suddenly into a romantic relationship with Zosia. There is no setup and no emotional justification, just an abrupt change that undermines the tension the series has worked to create. The stories of twelve other survivors are largely ignored, limiting the scope of the series’ world-building.

Unlike Gilligan’s Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, which balanced suspense, character study and story progression, Pluribus relies almost entirely on mood and reflection,leaving the audience bored and restless.

Some fans might argue that the slow pace and minimal dialogue are intentional, designed to probe philosophical themes like conformity, morality and human consciousness. That may be true, but the execution fails spectacularly. The story meanders, the pacing drags and the viewers are expected to assign meaning to silence and repetition rather than being guided toward it.

The nine episodes could have been condensed into a single film or, at most, a mini-series. Instead, the series stretches a thin premise far beyond what it can sustain. There is no narrative momentum and the ending provides no explanation.

Unlike Gilligan’s Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, which balanced suspense, character study and story progression, Pluribus relies almost entirely on mood and reflection, leaving the audience bored and restless.

The cinematography is competent and occasionally striking, but no amount of visual polish can disguise a story that drags, repeats itself endlessly and goes nowhere.

Pluribus tries to tell a story but ends up frustrating the audience. It boldly attempts to probe philosophical and emotional territory and somehow manages to make a slow-paced, dialogue-less and ‘barely-there’ plot feel like the height of storytelling genius.

The series expects viewers to do all the heavy lifting for meaning. It shows that slow, reflective storytelling can only succeed when it has a story worth telling. Here, the story is stretched too thin, leaving viewers restless, confused and unsatisfied.

By the end of the season, the audience is left wondering: what is this show trying to say? What is its purpose? What does Carol’s journey actually accomplish? It leaves the viewer asking why they bothered at all.

The writer is a freelance contributor