Vince Gilligan chose Albuquerque as the setting for his successful Apple TV series “Pluribus,” leveraging the strong production team he had relied on for “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul.” This well-established network played a key role in casting two significant background characters in the fourth episode of “Pluribus,” titled “Please, Carol.”

In this episode, Carol Sturka (played by Rhea Seehorn) returns home from a hospital visit to find a group of people diligently tidying up the aftermath of a hand grenade incident. Among them, she identifies “the f***ing mayor,” who expresses gratitude for her support. This character is portrayed by Tim Keller, the real-life mayor of Albuquerque. On the official “Pluribus” podcast, Gilligan shared how Keller ended up in this role. “I had met him a couple of times over the years,” Gilligan explained. “We approached him to see if he was interested, and he spent the day on set, juggling his duties as mayor while also engaging in filming.”

The episode also features a more subtle cameo during a tense scene where Zosia suffers a cardiac arrest due to Carol’s intense interrogation. The paramedic who rushes to administer defibrillation is portrayed by Rosa Estrada, marking her acting debut. Estrada, who worked as a health officer and set medic on “Better Call Saul,” is credited with saving Bob Odenkirk’s life after his heart attack on set in 2021. Seehorn and co-star Patrick Fabian were present when Odenkirk collapsed and called for Estrada, who successfully revived him after two unsuccessful defibrillator attempts.

Gilligan was mindful of Seehorn’s past experience during the filming of the emotionally charged scene that mirrored the real-life event she had witnessed. On the podcast, he remarked to Seehorn, “We were all quite protective of you, knowing you’d relive something similar to what you experienced a few years back.” Seehorn acknowledged their support, adding, “You guys were very considerate when I was trying to resuscitate my wife in the pilot as well.”

Vince Gilligan kept Rhea Seehorn’s well-being in mind when shooting the scene with so many similarities to the real-life event she and others on set witnessed a few years ago. On the podcast he mentioned to Seehorn, “I do remember we all felt a little bit protective of you that you would have to go through this scene having been through this real-life experience.” She responded, “You guys were very sweet when I am trying to resuscitate my wife as well in the pilot.” 

As “Pluribus” begins to wind down its first season and Gilligan and his team start preparing for Season 2, the buzz around the show will likely lead to more cameos like this. We’ve already been treated to a delightful but brief appearance by Jeff Hiller as Larry, who acts as the voice of the hive mind during an interrogation by Carol. You might have missed the voice of Patrick Fabian on the hive mind’s voicemail greeting, and Gilligan could have as many casting surprises as he does plot twists coming for eager audiences. While companies like Wayfarer Airlines and Fionacom have crossed over from the “Breaking Bad”https://www.looper.com/”Better Call Saul” universe to “Pluribus,” we haven’t seen a character from either series in “Pluribus” through the first five episodes. Although “Breaking Bad” saw many devastating deaths, fan favorites Badger (Matt Jones) and Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) survived both series and the movie special “El Camino.” Viewers would appreciate seeing the pair again, although it would be extra tragic if those two unique personalities were absorbed into the hive mind.