# Pluribus (New Vince Gilligan show on AppleTV) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, apple\ **Created:** [November 7, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659 "2025-11-07T12:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 51
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1001 "2025-12-28T18:38:27Z")
The radio was receiving. He was using it to establish what frequency the communication was happening on (I have no idea what led him to decide it was happening via radio waves). If the others don’t have frequency hopping, it seems plausible that you could break their communication by jamming it. I imagine the others would be pretty upset if that jamming occurred. If nothing else, the nuke could be used to potentially keep the others at bay if that is the path they choose to try to save the world. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1002 "2025-12-28T18:39:36Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > bomb. I’m not sure how a bomb would accomplish their goals of saving the world. It’s a failsafe in case they try to infect Carol. It’s just a big (and really cool) cyanide capsule. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1003 "2025-12-28T18:49:47Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > The radio was receiving. He was using it to establish what frequency the communication was happening on (I have no idea what led him to decide it was happening via radio waves) When we first meet him at his storage facility in Paraguay, he is checking every frequency on his ham radio and recording the results. That one frequency is the only one on which he heard anything. I assume that originally, he was trying to find other survivors. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1004 "2025-12-28T18:53:31Z")
Ahh yeah. It was the only thing he had to go on, I suppose. One thing that just occurred to me: They mentioned that all of the cell towers had been taken offline, and the uninfected needed to use land lines to call. Why the cell towers were offline isn’t really explained. I suppose they’re using part of that spectrum, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1005 "2025-12-28T19:01:15Z")
If Manousos was just playing the signal that syncs the Others, why did Rick and the Others have a seizure over it? ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1006 "2025-12-28T19:04:02Z")
My impression was he started emoting at them (expressing his thinly veiled rage) and that is what caused the seizures. Presumably, he induced the seizures to see if there would be any variation in the noise he heard over the frequency he identified. And there was. So he has confirmed a relationship between the frequency and We. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1007 "2025-12-28T19:04:32Z")
I think the cell phone thing is for storytelling. Vince decided that the story works better without cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1008 "2025-12-28T19:05:59Z")
There could be an in-story reason as well. Like putting cell phones into airplane mode, which for a time was done because there were concerns they would interfere with radio communications to and from the plane. Whether it actually does or not… EMI. > **[Electromagnetic interference](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_interference)** > > Electromagnetic interference (EMI), also called radio-frequency interference (RFI) when in the radio frequency spectrum, is a disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction, electrostatic coupling, or conduction. The disturbance may degrade the performance of the circuit or even stop it from functioning. In the case of a data path, these effects can range from an increase in error rate to a total loss of the data. > Both human-made an... ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1009 "2025-12-28T19:13:34Z")
Sure, of course, I was just noting that writers make decisions like this to serve the story, and then come up with the in story reasoning later. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1010 "2025-12-28T19:13:59Z")
Trying this. [![](https://ae-pic-a1.aliexpress-media.com/kf/S49724695598946d5bac72e518487e6cbY.jpg_960x960q75.jpg_.avif) ](https://ae-pic-a1.aliexpress-media.com/kf/S49724695598946d5bac72e518487e6cbY.jpg_960x960q75.jpg_.avif) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1011 "2025-12-28T19:18:51Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I’d be surprised if the thing in the box was an actual atomic bomb. I’m not sure how a bomb would accomplish their goals of saving the world. If they wanted to neutralize the others, it seems like they could do something, such as capture one and yell at it intermittently to paralyze all the others. I wondered at how much damage Carol and Manousos could do with a single atomic bomb but one of the episode recaps I read suggested that, since Carol killed 11 million people just by yelling at one of them in person, that setting the bomb off might just kill _all_ of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1012 "2025-12-28T19:20:47Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > One thing that just occurred to me: They mentioned that all of the cell towers had been taken offline, and the uninfected needed to use land lines to call. Why the cell towers were offline isn’t really explained. I suppose they’re using part of that spectrum, as well. As for this, it’s _possible_ that taking the cell towers offline was another way for them to reduce unnecessary energy usage, like turning off all of the lights in Albuquerque, or having many people bed down in one indoor stadium. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1013 "2025-12-28T19:30:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > one of the episode recaps I read suggested that, since Carol killed 11 million people just by yelling at one or more of them in person, that setting the bomb off might just kill _all_ of them. I don’t think it works like that. The people didn’t necessarily die in proportion to how vehemently Carol expressed her rage. They died because it was like an unexpected seizure that caught them unprepared, not unlike how Helen died in episode 1. If you’re operating heavy machinery, moving at high speed, or even just standing on pavement and have a seizure with no one to help you, odds are good you’re gonna have a bad time. Perhaps _some_ died from the seizure itself (preexisting conditions), but again I don’t think it was necessarily due to how intense Carol’s emotive display way. I have been imagining it as strictly binary: either they have a seizure, or they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1014 "2025-12-28T19:56:31Z")
As a T-Shirt designer the image being off center in some of the mockups is driving me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1015 "2025-12-28T21:57:15Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I think the cell phone thing is for storytelling. Vince decided that the story works better without cell phones. Ehhh, I don’t see how it works better without cell phones. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > As for this, it’s _possible_ that taking the cell towers offline was another way for them to reduce unnecessary energy usage, like turning off all of the lights in Albuquerque, or having many people bed down in one indoor stadium. Yeah, that seems possible, but they didn’t get around to turning off the lights for several days. Also, if you just cut power to all of the cell phone towers, they’ll run of batteries for quite some time afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1016 "2025-12-28T21:58:35Z")
The cell tower nearby has a Generac generator at its base. My guess is that it’s powered by natural gas. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1017 "2025-12-28T22:01:32Z")
Hmm, the one that was housed at the top of the data center building I used to work in just had batteries as backup. I’m not sure about the tower that was put up after they knocked that building down. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1018 "2025-12-28T23:38:01Z")
I’m jumping around the streaming services that I subscribe to and was a bit amused to see that The Golden Girls is available on Apple TV and was listed among the “What to Watch After Pluribus.” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1019 "2025-12-29T00:49:41Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > (I have no idea what led him to decide it was happening via radio waves) I think he was an amateur ham radio operator before the joining. He decided to isolate himself from the hive but he thought perhaps if there was a resistance movement they’d be transmitting every way they could, including through signals the ham radio would receive. He found the weird signal at that one frequency and I think he wanted to confirm that was the signal the plurbs communicate on by monitoring it while he stressed them out. As far as the cell phone network, the plurbs don’t need it since their brains are cell phones, but they still want the unjoined to be able to contact them, so I suspect they’re just keeping part of the landline network online for that purpose because it’s easier to maintain and uses much less power. Makes enough sense to be plausible, though if Carol asked them to turn the cell phone network back on, at least where she’s at, I imagine they would. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2025, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659/1020 "2025-12-29T01:21:44Z")
Yup, this. Scanning the radio is kinda what you do in a huge emergency. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659.md?page=50) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pluribus-new-vince-gilligan-show-on-appletv/1024659.md?page=52)