A spoiler-free theological primer for the new Apple TV series
By Rev Will Nicholas | OddRev.com
There’s a new story flickering on our screens — a quiet, unsettling hymn of light and unity called Pluribus. Created by Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan, this Apple TV series asks what happens when the human race finally achieves peace — and what it might cost us to keep it.
When I first heard it was from the creator of Breaking Bad (which I loved), it formed some expectations in my thinking, and certainly, Rhea Seehorn provides an amazing performance in the narrative, but the two stories could not be more different.
I won’t spoil a moment of it. Instead, think of this as a Session Zero — a way to step into the story with spiritual eyes open, hearts ready, and no need to know what happens next.
The Invitation
Pluribus isn’t just science fiction; it’s a parable about belonging and becoming. It wonders what might happen if “we” started to replace “I.”
Before you press play, take a breath. Ask yourself:
“What kind of unity do I long for — and what would I be willing to surrender to find it?”
This show isn’t built for bingeing. It’s built for dwelling — for conversation, contemplation, and a lingering sense of holy disquiet.
Worlds Behind the World
Without revealing any plot, here are the questions humming underneath Pluribus:
- What is the cost of perfect peace?
- Can love exist without difference?
- Does happiness require struggle to stay real?
- What makes us truly human — our joy, or our pain?
The show moves slowly, like a prayer whispered through static. Its world feels both healed and hollow, as if beauty itself might be hiding something.
A Theology of Unity and Difference
For those of us who live and think in theological colour, Pluribus touches deep waters:
- Imago Dei — what remains divine in us when individuality fades?
- Theosis — does becoming one bring us closer to God or dissolve us into something less?
- Incarnation — how do bodies matter when minds are shared?
- Communion — can we love without the friction of otherness?
It’s the same dance found in Scripture and science alike: unity without uniformity, love without loss of self.
Watching as Spiritual Practice
Try approaching Pluribus the way you’d enter a sacred space:
- Lower the lights.
- Silence the notifications.
- Watch with intention.
After each episode, sit for a moment. Write words that name how you feel — as well as what you think. Allow the words to explore each other.
Peaceful. Uneasy. Seen. Alone.
Whatever the word is, it matters.
That’s the show doing its work.
A Candle for the Journey
If you’re watching with others — a church group, a classroom, a circle of friends — begin with a single flame in the centre. After a short pause, each person lights their own candle from that one.
A simple act. A living metaphor.
Out of many, one — yet each still burning in their own way.
Why It Belongs in the Sonderverse
Pluribus feels made for communities like ours — where faith meets fiction, and screens become stained glass. It’s a meditation on unity, identity, and divine likeness that fits right beside our conversations about AI, Imago Dei, and Theosis.
It invites us not to escape the world, but to see it anew — to find the holy questions in the stories that move us.
Watch It. Don’t Rush It. Reflect.
Let it linger like a psalm you haven’t finished singing.
And when you’re ready, come back here — to OddRev.com — and we’ll keep talking about what we saw, what we felt, and what it means to be many and one.
I would love to know what you think, so if you have thoughts (spoiler-free at this point), let me know. I will be posting about episode one in the next few days.
The comment section is open and free of Judgment!
“Out of many, one. Out of one, many. Somewhere between the two — that’s where grace lives.”