Die-hard Vince Gilligan fans come out for 'Pluribus' watch party at Albuquerque brewery

Years after it first broke bad and called Saul, Albuquerque is once again thrust into the TV spotlight thanks to writer-director Vince Gilligan.

Friday night, a group of die-hard fans gathered to watch the premiere of Gilligan’s Apple TV series “Pluribus.”

The sci-fi drama stars “Better Call Saul” actress Rhea Seehorn as Carol Sturka. The premise: people worldwide become infected with a “virus” that turns them into a single, happy hive mind, but Carol finds herself immune.

Nestled in the Flock of Moons beer garden with the television playing and a fire in the background, the group enjoyed the pilot episode, “We Is Us,” released Nov. 7. The second episode “Pirate Lady” also aired Nov. 7 and new episodes will release weekly through Dec. 26.

Carl Chandler saw the show being advertised and recognized the Sandia Mountains in the background. Chandler said he knew then that he wanted to celebrate the premiere by hosting a watch party.

Chandler asked the brewery if he could host the watch party at their location and the owners obliged.

“My TikTok account was only, like, 10 days old, so I had no idea how many people were gonna show up,” Chandler said. “And this was a pure experiment, but people showed up and it worked.”

Chandler said he hoped to host future watch parties for the show as more episodes are released.

One of the attendees, Xandra Michele, was an extra featured in episode one of “Pluribus.” She said she was happy to see Gilligan, an alum of the hit show “The X-Files,” return to the science fiction genre.

“I am a massive ‘X-Files’ fan, so I’m loving seeing Vince Gilligan return to sci-fi as much as I love ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Better Call Saul.’ There’s just a way he has about the sci-fi genre,” Michele said, “and it’s cool that that’s coming back into a mainstream show as well.”

Michele said while filming, she had no clue what the show was about and was just excited to work with Seehorn, who was twice nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of attorney Kim Wexler on “Better Call Saul.”

“Getting to work alongside her and talk to her and just share the screen with her was an exhilarating experience, because she’s just such an amazing artist,” Michele said.

Michele was in the opening scene of the “Pluribus” premiere, which features the Barnes & Noble at Coronado Center, which she said made it even more memorable.

“Every time I drive past there, I think of it, so it’s cool to see it on the screen,” Michele said.

Episode one featured many other recognizable spots around the city, including the Albuquerque International Sunport, wide panoramic views of the city and The Village Shops in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.

Suzanne Edwards also attended the watch party, and although she had not seen Gilligan’s other popular shows, she recognized their importance and is excited to see him returning to the city.

“I did know how big it was and important it was for Albuquerque economy and Albuquerque getting the name out there for people to see,” Edwards said. “And so I was excited that this was also in Albuquerque.”