Pluribus Season 1 Finale's Alternate Ending Explained By Creators

• Television
• Science Fiction Shows

Hi, Carol! This article contains major spoilers for the season finale of "Pluribus."

You might say that Vince Gilligan's long-awaited return to television after "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" hit like an atom bomb. No? Can't blame a guy for trying. After spending an entire season blurring the lines between Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) and the "Others," making up the hive mind that's taken over the world, "Pluribus" came to a sudden and shocking end with its recent finale — mostly by ending where things originally began, fascinatingly enough. This time, however, Carol's antagonism towards the Others takes an even more personal turn. After Zosia's (Karolina Wydra) heartbreaking betrayal and her shocking reveal that they may soon have the ability to forcibly turn Carol into one of them? Yeah, I'd bring an atom bomb to a gunfight if I were her, too.

But as brilliant and full-circle as that was, acting as a punchline to that dark joke from earlier in the season, would you believe that Carol's utterly satisfying final line wasn't always intended to be the plan? As we await word on an official release date for season 2 (which, rest assured, Apple already ordered when they greenlit the show), Gilligan and the rest of his creative team are still shedding light on the season that was. In a new interview with Variety, Gilligan opened up about his original ending:

"We had an ending that was perfectly good. It would have been satisfying but not as satisfying. And we got a note. You know the old thing about how executives always have stupid notes. Actually, Apple and Sony said, 'Is there an even better ending to be had?' And we listened, and I'm really glad they gave us that note. It made for a better ending."

Here's how Pluribus season 1 was originally meant to end

You know what they say about plans: Writers make them, and the film/TV gods laugh. Few creatives know that better than Vince Gilligan, who famously approached both "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" with a flexible (dare we say improvisational) mindset. Those instincts served him well on "Pluribus" as well, by all accounts, as that last-minute studio note helped deliver a memorable finale, leaving fans eager for more. Writer, director, and executive producer Gordon Smith joined Gilligan to talk to Variety about exactly when this final decision to incorporate that atom bomb callback was made. As Smith explained, "A day or two into shooting the [final] episode was when that became clear." So what would that original plan have looked like? According to Smith:

"It was similar to that ending. It was more subtle. Carol secretly forges a pact with Manousos [Carlos Manuel Vesga], slips him a note, and is perhaps going to play double agent. There wasn't as much of a flag planted, like: 'Nope, I'm not doing this. This relationship with the Others can't continue.'"

Gilligan went into even further detail, suggesting that, "Other than the atom bomb not being part of it, it was not open warfare. It was, 'I'm going to continue to be a double agent.' It was covert. Even before we got the note, we thought, 'Is this the most satisfying way to go? Do we buy this?'" Although a more subdued tone might've fit the season as a whole, we agree that they ultimately made the right call. Carol reaching her breaking point and drawing a line in the sand against the Others? That's the good stuff, folks.

"Pluribus" season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on Apple TV.