Weight Of Being One: Pluribus, A Chilling Apocalypse Of Hive-Mind Happiness

Depression is real and we all seek happiness. Thus, when the trailer of a sci-fi show has a catch line which reads, "The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness", one is bound to get intrigued.

In a world where the pursuit of happiness is an enigmatically unending race, Pluribus has the audacity to question what being happy even means. The series has a way of making hope feel heavy, with the core plot effortlessly flowing higher than social constructs and the very fabric of collective reality.

This sci-fi spotlights an 'apocalypse of contentment,' a chillingly serene twist on end-times storytelling that suggests the greatest threat to humanity might just be a hive-mind state of peaceful bliss.

Vince Gilligan’s craftsmanship in character building is on full display here. Much like his work on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Pluribus treats its protagonist with a rare honesty and depth.

In the difficult Carol Sturka, we find another morally complex “flawed good guy,” brought to life by Rhea Seehorn in a powerhouse performance that anchors the entire show. Seehorn’s portrayal, especially when she undergoes a 40-day enforced loneliness spell, has been praised as commanding, nuanced, and emotionally rich, a tour-de-force that signals that multiple award nominations await.

Opposite her, Karolina Wydra delivers a stellar performance as Zosia, innocently portraying the "one new mind of all" that threatens to consume individuality.

If these two were not complex enough, the third main character in the series, Manousos, played by Carlos Manuel Vesga, adds another layer to the story. If you think you have met people with dogged determination, wait till you see this guy's journey.

Pluribus feels like a glitch in the simulation as it blends existential drama with high‑concept storytelling in a way that stands apart from anything currently on TV. It's pace is deliberate sometimes painfully slow, only to deliver a detail that forces a refocus. Pulling the viewer into a single person’s response to a global cataclysm, it explores the raw fight-or-flight reactions and the quiet acceptances of a world that may or may not want saving.

The show is smart, entertaining, and deeply thought-provoking, though its ending leaves the viewer with an unsettling feeling that is difficult to shake. Spoiler alert: there is an atom bomb play in the end!

Debuting with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and surpassing the likes of Severance, Pluribus has been labeled the best series of 2025 by critics at GamesRadar and Metacritic.

The show stands apart in a genre that rarely offers truly original ideas. While recent triumphs like Dune lean on literary foundations, Pluribus joins the rarified air of Dark as a piece of high-concept, original storytelling.

Beyond the eerie joy and the hive-mind spread, the series succeeds because of its profound human connect. It digs into the marrow of grief, self-loathing, and what it truly means to be "one" among many. It is a rare achievement, a show that haunts you not with violence, but with a smile.