How Pluribus Coordinated Hundreds Of Actors For Episode 4's Intense Hivemind Scene

Vince Gilligan's "Pluribus" is one of the most fascinating shows of 2025. It's a peculiar sci-fi series featuring a superb Rhea Seehorn performance that takes the same kind of slow-burn approach to character drama as Gilligan's "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul," all the while including enough worldbuilding and intrigue to keep you guessing as to what, exactly, the endgame is.

This has so far allowed "Pluribus" to avoid the problem that plagues most mystery box series, in which the mystery overshadows everything else, and the show's lack of answers becomes disappointing. Here, we know pretty much everything there is to know. Thus, the question becomes what the series' characters (more specifically, Seehorn's protagonist, Carol Sturka) are going to do about it, which is more in line with the way Damon Lindelof's phenomenal supernatural TV drama "The Leftovers" plays out.

It's not just the story, though, as "Pluribus" is still very much a Vince Gilligan show when it comes to its visual and editing style. That means plenty of montages, cold opens, stunning camerawork, and more. It also means that, even if the series isn't exactly action-heavy, it features a surprising amount of stunt coordination.

Speaking to Polygon, stunt performer and coordinator Nito Larioza discussed the importance of having good coordination when it comes to "The Others," aka the extra-terrestrial hivemind that's taken over most of humanity in "Pluribus." This is especially true in episode 4, where Carol essentially drugs the hivemind with a truth serum, causing a large group of people to surround her and repeatedly chant "Please, Carol."

"I found a lot of talented people in New Mexico that really wanted to be a part of this scene, and it looked amazing, especially the overhead shot," Larioza explained. "It was awesome, but trust me, it was tough."

According to Larioza, the sequence required "a lot of takes," as it involved numerous people taking multiple steps that needed to be timed to the second. The performers were organized in groups coordinated by colors and then arranged like numbers on a clock, radially. "Like any other drill team — Marine Corps, army, or dance troop — I always put the people in the front that I know will hit their mark, will get to where I need them to be, and perform well in the front," Larioza noted. "And then I hate to say it like this, but [I put] the bad apples in the back, so they can follow, to make sure that they know what they're doing."

This is the kind of attention to detail that makes Vince Gilligan shows so unique and special. The hivemind and the way they coordinate their actions are an essential part of "Pluribus," so to see so much work going into their movements is inspiring. These elements are extremely methodical and calculated, and it's easy to miss them if you're not paying attention, yet they add a lot to the world of the show. "Pluribus" is a series that lends itself to deeper analysis the way "Better Call Saul" and "Breaking Bad" did (remember that shot that made Bob Odenkirk's Saul/Jimmy McGill look like a blobfish?), to the degree that it can start to feel like a film school course unto itself (unlike other, same-y looking streaming shows).

It remains to be seen where Carol's story is headed and exactly how much pay-off there will be. For now, though, we can at least take comfort in knowing we have some visually stunning episodes of TV to look forward to.

"Pluribus" is now streaming on Apple TV.