Apple TV’s new series Pluribus uses the color blue as a powerful visual tool to create its unsettling world. The show, from Vince Gilligan, tells the story of an alien virus that turns humanity into a peaceful hive mind called the “Others.” The lone immune survivor Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seehorn, navigates this strange new reality where the persistent use of blue lighting, costumes, and set design is far from accidental.
This consistent blue tone is a key part of the show’s storytelling. It visually separates the world of the hive mind from the memories of the past. More importantly, it reflects Carol’s own emotional state—her isolation, her depression, and the artificial “perfection” of the world the Others have built around her.
In Pluribus, blue is not just a color choice; it is a world-building element. After the “Joining” event, where the virus transforms nearly all humans, the visual landscape shifts. Scenes set in the present day are often bathed in cool, artificial blue light. This is seen in the clean, sterile environments the Others maintain, from Carol’s home to empty grocery stores suddenly restocked at her request.
This blue stands in direct contrast to the show’s flashbacks. Scenes from before the Joining, such as Carol’s memories with her wife Helen, are often warmer. They use yellows, ambers, and natural lighting, representing the lost warmth and genuine human connection of the past. The blue present feels cold, empty, and manufactured in comparison.
The hive is peaceful to the point that they won’t even kill a bug or pick an apple off a tree, and they are physically harmed by negative emotions.
This quote about the Others’ nature connects directly to the color. Their peace is enforced and unnatural, much like the pervasive blue light. It is a placid but emotionally sterile world, which is exactly what Carol fights against.
The color blue in Pluribus does more than describe the setting; it illustrates the main character’s psyche. Carol Sturka is grieving, angry, and fiercely resistant to the new world order. The blue tones that surround her visually express her loneliness and deepening depression. She is literally living in a world colored by her sadness and alienation.
As the season progresses and Carol’s relationship with her hive-mind chaperone, Zosia (Karolina Wydra), becomes more complicated, the use of blue evolves. It begins to reflect not just coldness, but also the strange, uncertain bond forming between a human and a representative of the collective. The blue becomes a shade of connection that is real, yet undeniably artificial in its origin.
The persistent blue also serves as a subtle hint about the limitations and realities of the hive mind. While the Others present their world as an improved, perfectly harmonious society, the blue tinge suggests something is missing. It hints at the lack of genuine human warmth, spontaneity, and the chaotic beauty of individual will.
This connects to some of the darker discoveries Carol makes about how the hive mind sustains itself, confronting truths that challenge its peaceful image. The cool, artificial blue becomes a visual warning that this “perfect” world is built on unsettling compromises and hidden costs.
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The distinctive visual style of Pluribus has captured audience attention. Fans and critics have noted how the color palette actively contributes to the story’s tense and eerie mood. The show’s unique atmosphere even inspired a Google Search Easter egg, where typing “Pluribus” prompts the search bar to ask, “What are you searching for, Carol?” mimicking the omniscient hive mind.
With the first season’s finale revealing major new challenges—including the startling delivery of an atom bomb to Carol’s doorstep—the stage is set for season two. The role of the blue color scheme may shift as Carol’s mission evolves from mere understanding to potential confrontation. The color that once symbolized her isolation may come to represent the cold, high-stakes battle for the future of humanity itself.
Pluribus Season 1 is available to stream in full on Apple TV+. The series has been renewed for a second season.
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