Vince Gilligan‘s Apple TV sci-fi sequence Pluribus has now revealed its total first season, ending on a cliffhanger that may stay rent-free in our minds till season two arrives. io9 was thrilled to speak to Rhea Seehorn (Higher Name Saul), who gave us one of 2025’s most memorable characters in Carol Sturka: a sarcastic, hilarious, messy, passionate best-selling writer who’s one in every of very, very few folks on the planet not subsumed right into a hive thoughts following the arrival of an alien virus.
We did ask Seehorn questions associated to the finale, “La Chica o El Mundo,” so in the event you haven’t watched it but, right here’s one in every of these:
Cheryl Eddy, io9: The timing of Manousos’ arrival in Albuquerque is ideal, perhaps not for Carol, however undoubtedly for maximizing stress on the present. What do you suppose makes her angrier: the interruption of her new life with Zosia—or the truth that he’s an annoying reminder of why she will’t give in to that fantasy that Zosia represents?
Rhea Seehorn: Good query and good factors, as a result of I believe it’s each of these. After which I’d add, Carol’s not the best at sitting in her uncomfortable feeling. She’s very reactive and impulsive and often goes to anger or defensiveness. And on this case, I believe she feels discovered as a result of she is mendacity. She’s completely mendacity. She is aware of deep down there’s something that may be a bit willingly delusional in regards to the relationship she’s embarking on.
Nonetheless, it comes from very mitigating circumstances. I believe she is totally damaged from the isolation that she’s gone via. And never simply the 40-plus days, but additionally the concept that was going to be the remainder of her life. She was going to die alone, by no means chatting with anyone ever once more. There was no finish in sight. I believe she was actually damaged by that, and I believe that she is enjoying home—however there is part of her that’s nonetheless her and is aware of there’s one thing improper with what she’s doing, and she or he actually hates being referred to as out on it.
io9: All through the season we’ve seen Carol act impulsively and emotionally, however she can be fairly methodical. She plans. She has the whiteboard. Which aspect of her do you suppose spurred her to deliver house the atom bomb? Or was it somewhat of each?
Seehorn: I personally suppose that was an impulsive act. It felt proper to me. I began to ask Vince, like, what’s her plan with it? What precisely is she going to do with it? And I might inform that he wished to present me area to search out it and/or remains to be figuring out precisely what he thinks. And I sort of left it alone as a result of it simply felt proper for me that Carol—in a second of being this damage, this betrayed, this terrified that “they’ll now flip me once more and I’ve obtained lower than a month”—[would] grasp on the largest, most damaging factor she will with out a plan. It simply felt proper to say, like, “Effectively, I would like an atom bomb, and don’t ask me why.”
io9: Close to the tip of the season we be taught somewhat bit extra in regards to the origins of Carol’s literary profession. Why do you suppose Vince Gilligan zeroed in on the romantasy style particularly, pairing such a cynical character with a style that’s so earnest?
Seehorn: I don’t know. You’d must ask him. It felt proper to me that—it’s virtually the best world to her that she needs we had. She’s such a cynic. And this world that she’s describing, and even visually, she makes enjoyable of herself with the purple sands, however she made these choices as a result of she was creating this lovely world the place everyone will get to be themselves, regardless that she herself was afraid to make the lead character feminine. However it undoubtedly is fantasy. I might see Carol loving to stay in fantasy typically.
io9: Did you do any analysis or learn any specific romantasy books when you had been determining the character?
Seehorn: I learn a few chapters of a few completely different types, simply to listen to some completely different cadences, and albeit I used to be extra shocked by, I’m embarrassed to say, the breadth of various types of the romantic style. It’s not like they’re all written like these steamy novels. I went to the Ripped Bodice, which is a romance novel retailer right here in Culver Metropolis, and I used to be blown away by what number of subgenres there are and the way particular it will get. And I went to a few ebook readings, and simply listening to the followers speak in regards to the writer was very eye-opening.
io9: Talking of earnest, The Golden Women is Carol’s consolation present. Did you think about any backstory behind why she’s so drawn to it, particularly in occasions of disaster?
Seehorn: Typically [Vince] will ask me my ideas on some kind of particular factor that they’re selecting [for the character]. On that one, they didn’t, however I had no questions instantly. I fully perceive why The Golden Women could be someone’s consolation place. I additionally understood on a technical stage why it’s very humorous, even from the theme tune, “Thanks for being a buddy,” and it’s actually her solely buddy in that second.
However I additionally was considering it’s a bunch of unbiased ladies with their very own company, of all differing kinds, dwelling collectively and discovering a option to be in the identical group—however they’ve extraordinarily individualized considering and unbiased thought of every part and nonetheless are managing to stay in concord. And that’s a part of what Carol’s preventing for.
io9: She’s undoubtedly a Dorothy, perhaps somewhat little bit of Sophia. Now, I do know you possibly can’t reveal something about Pluribus season two, so I’ll simply say I’m very excited to see what occurs.
Seehorn: [Laughs] I don’t know something, so it’s straightforward to not reveal it!
Pluribus‘ nine-episode first season is now streaming on Apple TV.
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