Pluribus: The Official Podcast

S1E2: "Pirate Lady"

Host: Chris McCaleb
Guests: Vince Gilligan (Creator/Writer/Director), Diane Mercer (Executive Producer), Denise Pizzini (Production Designer), Carolina Vidra (Zosia)

Release Date: November 7, 2025

Overview

This episode of Pluribus: The Official Podcast offers a deep dive into the making of episode 102, "Pirate Lady," of Apple TV's new original series. Host and editor Chris McCaleb leads a candid, freewheeling roundtable with series creator Vince Gilligan, executive producer Diane Mercer, production designer Denise Pizzini, and actress Carolina Vidra (who plays Zosia). The group discusses the complexities of the shoot—from building a replica of Air Force One and a massive cul-de-sac set, to the performance challenges of a superhuman character. Behind-the-scenes stories, technical feats, character insights, and creative collaboration are explored with humor, candor, and detail.

Key Discussion Points

The Production’s Scale & Schedule

• Unprecedented Shooting Timeline: The episode was filmed across various months and locations:
  • March (with episode 1)
  • September (Air Force One interiors/exteriors)
  • November-December (Spain exteriors)

  “The whole world got much, much bigger. We met a ton of new people, including Zosia... That’s a lot of time covered for one of these.” — Chris McCaleb [00:55]

Building Air Force One

• Massive Practical Set:

  • Started with just a door from Air Force One.
  • Evolved to constructing a huge portion of the plane, including functional stairs and interiors.
  • Authenticity involved sourcing airplane parts from Tucson and Arizona airplane graveyards.
  • Engineering considerations were significant due to scale and safety (e.g., strong New Mexico winds).

  “We built this huge structure so we could take the stairs up to Air Force One and the cast could walk all the way up into this set that we built.” — Denise Pizzini [01:52]

• Design for Cinematic Scope:

  • Sets built to allow for long, continuous shots—avoiding green-screen "curse."
  • Ensured actor interaction with practical elements for realism.

Flying and Filming with Real Aircraft

• Authentic Plane Operations:

  • Carolina Vidra (Zosia) was trained to taxi a 70,000-pound C-130 military plane from 1954, brought over from Malaysia.
  • Shots of the plane taxiing filmed at Albuquerque airport with real vistas out the windows.

  “It was wild—it’s this tiny little lever that just turns... You’d imagine something massive. It’s actually not. It’s really small.” — Carolina Vidra [08:32]

• On-Set Anecdotes:

  • Carolina’s earpiece picked up air traffic control, causing momentary confusion during shooting.

  “At one point, he’s like, go right, go right. I’m like, what? What is he saying to me?...” — Carolina Vidra [09:40]

The Character of Zosia & "The Others"

• Acting Challenges:

  • Zosia embodies a near-perfect, unflappable being—constantly calm, skilled, and emotionally steady.
  • Carolina wrestled with erasing her own nerves to convincingly portray this optimized, nearly blissful state.

  “Normally...you go, ‘I’m nervous, give it to the character.’ And this is like: no, you cannot.” — Carolina Vidra [13:15]

• Process and Direction:

  • Vince Gilligan directed Vidra to "go further", heightening the character's non-robotic, blissful confidence.
  • Ongoing exploration of who "the others" are—untroubled, implacable, and skilled.

• Multilingualism:

  • Zosia greets the "Old Schoolers" in multiple languages (Hindi, Mongolian, Quechua, Mandarin, French) to emphasize the show's global scope.
  • Languages learned via phonetic scripts and slow recordings, with assistance from cast and occasional linguist advisors.

  “The original [script] was a paragraph page...I might have asked, ‘Are you sure you want me to say this in that many languages?’ — Carolina Vidra [17:39]

Designing and Building Carol’s Neighborhood

• Cul de Sac Constructed from Scratch:

  • Needed a fully controlled, customizable neighborhood (not feasible in real locations due to property and noise).
  • Six houses designed and built on leased land in west Albuquerque—each uniquely styled to avoid a "cookie-cutter" look.
  • Extensive logistical work: grading for sightlines, waterproofing, windproofing, landscaping (including 350 tons of aggregate and 30 transplanted trees).

  “We found the land first, and then we started plotting out how the neighborhood would be...designed six houses...Carol’s being at the end of the cul de sac.” — Denise Pizzini [20:19]

• Attention to Detail:

  • Ensured details like roof realism, drainage, and practical backyards for helicopter drone shots.
  • Interior and exterior integration allowed for continuous shots and realistic vistas.

  “I wanted it to be like a custom neighborhood...not one of these cookie-cutter suburbs.” — Denise Pizzini [21:36]

Collaboration and Creative Process

• Teamwork and Trust:
  • The episode benefited from extended production time, allowing cast and crew to fully inhabit and refine characters and their relationships.
  • Diane Mercer’s increased on-set involvement facilitated creative cohesion across departments.
  • Established working relationships from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul were key to executing complex ideas.

  “Everybody leans on everybody else, but everybody also knows they can lean on everyone else...It’s just magical.” — Denise Pizzini [35:07]

Cinematic Approach & Key Scenes

• Table Scene in Spain—A Technical Feat:
  • A complex lunch scene in the Basque country involved international cast, heavy dialogue, and precise blocking.
  • Shot over four days under a custom-built gazebo; relied on detailed pre-planning (30-40+ labeled shots), multiple cameras, and careful editing.
  • Praised editor Skip’s work and Marshall Adams’ cinematography.

  “You could really teach an advanced editing class with that sequence because of the amount of material, the shot choices, and how you constructed it.” — Chris McCaleb [38:00] “That was my least favorite scene...it wound up being one of my favorites because of the wonderful actors.” — Vince Gilligan [38:18]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Building Air Force One:

  “On a normal, like, TV budget schedule, you would not be able to get the scope in the shot.” — Diane Mercer [03:56]

• On Playing Zosia:

  “If anything happens, you’re just not affected by it. You just roll with it like nothing.” — Carolina Vidra [12:46]

• On Set Construction:

  “You don’t want it to look like a set. The bad part is, it’s thankless because people don’t realize how much work and planning it took.” — Denise Pizzini [27:09]

• On Creative Collaboration:

  “We would have failed catastrophically at this show if we did not have this history with this crew.” — Diane Mercer [35:56]

• On Trust:

  “There’s so much trust...so much understanding...it’s really magnificent.” — Carolina Vidra [35:27]

Notable Timestamps

• [01:52] — Denise Pizzini details building the Air Force One set.
• [06:21] — On searching for usable airplane parts in Arizona and Roswell.
• [08:29] — Carolina Vidra recounts learning to taxi a real 1954 C130.
• [13:15] — Carolina expresses the acting challenge of suppressing nerves.
• [17:39] — Vince and Carolina discuss the original, much longer, multilingual greeting scene.
• [20:19] — Denise on designing and constructing the cul de sac neighborhood.
• [29:38] — Diane Mercer’s perspective on creative and production challenges.
• [33:50] — Diane and Carolina discuss Vince’s unique shot design for Zosia’s introduction.
• [38:18] — Vince on the daunting and ultimately rewarding lunch scene in Spain.
• [40:18] — Vince shares his directing process and the intricacies of shot planning.
• [41:31] — Shouting out Spanish crew and conclusion.

Tone & Takeaway

The discussion is friendly, precise, and packed with anecdotes, practical insights, and mutual admiration. There is a tangible sense of both the scale and heart behind the show. The group’s openness about problem-solving, happy accidents, and creative trust offers fans a vivid picture of the collaborative engines powering Pluribus. This episode is a testament to how ambition, preparation, and teamwork are foundational to breakthrough television.

For New Listeners

This summary provides a comprehensive lens through which to appreciate the enormous logistical, creative, and emotional labor going into Pluribus. Whether you’re intrigued by set construction, the actor’s process, or storytelling on a grand canvas, you’ll find the “Pirate Lady” episode a compelling behind-the-scenes journey.