Pluribus Revisits A Tragic Breaking Bad Location Fans Will Definitely Remember

The following contains heavy spoilers for "Pluribus" episode 7. You have been warned.

Vince Gilligan has delivered one of the best TV shows of the year with the peculiar sci-fi series "Pluribus." The show is unlike anything Gilligan has done, combining the high concept sci-fi intrigue from his "X-File" days with his meticulous approach to character drama from "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul."

No, "Pluribus" is not at all related to either "Breaking Bad" or "Better Call Saul" and the shows are extremely different, with Gilligan actively avoiding sharing many cast members or even locations between the two universes. For one, "Pluribus" takes place in a world that's taken over by an alien hivemind, and there is not a single hint of drug empires or lawyers in it.

Granted, there are similarities, like Gilligan's visual and editing style, and a possible reference to a roof pizza, but for the most part there is next to nothing about the "Breaking Bad" universe in the Apple show. That is, until the latest episode, where we revisit a small but pivotal location from "Breaking Bad," one tied to one of the most tragic storylines in the entire show.

Now that she's aware she can't ever be turned into one of the hivemind without her consent, Carol (the spectacular Rhea Seehorn) travels back home from Las Vegas with newfound confidence and reassurance. She also now fully embraces the benefits of the hivemind for her pleasure, asking them to do menial things like shipping a single Gatorade to her at a gas station, having them prepare her favorite meal at a very expensive restaurant, or stealing a painting from the Georgia O'Keeffe museum after a quick visit. Yes, the Georgia O'Keeffe museum that Jesse and Jane visit in "Breaking Bad."

In season 2 of "Breaking Bad," Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter) talk about visiting the museum, but their plan is spoiled by Walter (Bryan Cranston) wanting to cook some meth for four straight days. Not two episodes later, she dies of an overdose that Walter witnesses and does nothing to prevent — one of the most tragic moments in the show, one so intense it even took Krysten Ritter by surprise.

It isn't until season 3 that we get a flashback showing Jesse and Jane visiting the museum together, and Jesse being quite unimpressed, arguing that O'Keeffe always painted the same door over and over again before Jane responds that it's all about finding comfort in repetition and the small joys of life.

This is important because, in "Breaking Bad," it symbolized a moment that Jesse wasn't ready to appreciate before it was gone. In "Pluribus," it's the opposite, the message becomes about a false sense of comfort that Carol is desperately clinging onto as she lives her best "Last woman on Earth" life, pretending like she finally got everything she wanted and doesn't need anyone but herself and the reassurance that her life is her own.

Of course, it's but a fleeting feeling, and no matter how much she tries to hide it, the lack of human contact finally becomes too much for Carol to bear. She might be the unhappiest woman on the planet, but at this moment Carol is also the loneliest woman alive and she can't bear it anymore. Much like how Jesse's visit to the museum came right before a turning point in his life, so does Carol's visit come right before she begs Zosia and the Others to come back and accept that she needs company.