The debut trailer for Apple TV+'s Pluribus featured an unexpected connection to one of Breaking Bad's most heartbreaking scenes. The new sci-fi streaming series from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan is set to debut on November 7, telling a mind-bending tale of a woman (played by Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn) as she tries to save the world from unending, virus-induced happiness.
The series is one of Gilligan's few non-Breaking Bad-associated TV projects of the last 15 years. However, it may be hiding some key connective tissue with the showrunner's acclaimed drug-dealing drama (which has gone on to inspire numerous things, including one key Star Wars character). Eagle-eyed fans have spotted a surprise Breaking Bad Easter egg in Apple TV+'s Pluribus.
During the show's first trailer, Seehorn's series lead, Carol, is seen sitting on a plane that is completely empty, aside from her. On the seatback behind her is the name of a fictional airline known as Wayfarer, which is the same airline Gilligan used in one of Breaking Bad's most significant moments.
In Breaking Bad Season 2, Episode 13, a plane crash occurs between two planes, one of which also sports this Wayfarer branding. This is one of the first moments in the series where Brian Cranston's Walter White sees the consequences of his actions.
After being teased throughout the season to that point, this heartbreaking moment is revealed to be the result of Walter White's actions.
It is his overworking of Aaron Paul's Jesse that leads him to lean further into his destructive, chemically codependent lifestyle, leading to the death of his girlfriend Jane (played by Krysten Ritter long before she joined the Marvel universe as Jessica Jones) which Walter sees happen and does not stop it, and it is Jane's father who is the air traffic controller responsible for the Wayfarer Airlines crash.
As Walter looks to the sky and sees the crash above him, the debris falling around him is one of the first physical embodiments of his action in becoming obsessed with the craft of synthesizing drugs.
Had he stepped in and saved Jane and not let her be a casualty in his vindictive pursuit to teach Jesse a lesson, the Wayfarer crash would not have happened, saving not just Jane's life but the several hundred people on those aircrafts.
Wayfarer is notably a fictitious creation by Gilligan and the Breaking Bad team, making its appearance in Pluribus all the more confusing for longtime fans. This is not the first nod to the award-winning AMC series fans have spotted, either.
At least some of the new Apple TV+ sci-fi drama seems to take place in New Mexico (the primary setting of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), and some of the homes seen in the show's various teases look suspiciously like those owned by some major Breaking Bad characters.
It is unclear just how deep these connections go, but fans will not have to wait long to find out, as Pluribus begins streaming on Apple TV+ starting on Friday, November 7.
Is Pluribus Secretly a Breaking Bad Sequel?
As fans have gotten more and more of Apple TV+'s Pluribus, the evidence of it potentially being a secret Breaking Bad sequel continues to stack up.
Of course, the series is led by Rhea Seehorn, who previously collaborated with creator Vince Gilligan on Better Call Saul, where she played the series' co-lead, Kim Wexler. And now, audiences are spotting all sorts of Easter eggs, potentially connecting the two series.
Gilligan previously teased this connective tissue in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, telling the outlet, "Fans of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, if they pay close attention, they might come upon an Easter egg or two:"
“There might be a couple if you keep your eyes and ears peeled. Fans of 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul,' if they pay close attention, they might come upon an Easter egg or two."
He has not confirmed or denied whether this is an outright Better Call Saul-esque sequel, but it seems there will be a few things worthy of longtime Gilligan fans jumping out of their seats.
If anything, Pluribus may not take place in the same Breaking Bad universe, but rather the Gilligan general canon, with him simply sneaking in clever nods to his past work (Breaking Bad or not) as fun Easter eggs for fans.
