Cultural Nuances in Apple TV’s "Pluribus" |
Cultural values can influence responses to global crises.
This is well-represented in the sci-fi TV series "Pluribus."
The American protagonist’s reactions can be interpreted within the theory of individualism and collectivism.
Perspective-taking, cooperation, and group dynamics also vary across cultures in the series.
This post is written by Anirudh Tagat and Hansika Kapoor at the Departments of Economics and Psychology, respectively, at Monk Prayogshala, Mumbai, India.
Note: This article contains spoilers for the first season of the Apple TV series, Pluribus.
Pluribus is the Emmy-award-winning drama by Apple TV that is set in a fictional universe where Earth’s inhabitants are infected by an alien RNA virus that unites their consciousness, creating a “hive mind”. In the first season of the show, we follow protagonist Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn), an American romance novelist, who is told that she and 12 others on Earth are immune to the virus. The plot follows Carol’s trials and tribulations as she grapples with life without her partner (who dies, after being subsumed into the hive mind) and comes to terms with her own role and identity.
For the most part, the show is set in the United States of America, in Carol’s home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Almost immediately, we see Carol’s approach........