Paradise (2025): Season 01 - It Just Works Without High Expectations - RECAP

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Paradise (2025) is a series I wanted to cover on an episode by episode although irl stuff got into the way and I'm still processing everything that happened in those eight episodes, after all the series that look like a very average attempt end up been great. Created by Dan Fogelman the mastermind behind great productions like Cars and This Is Us, this TV series manages to deliver the emotional punches I was expecting from it along with a ton of action, what is a TV series or movie without making you react to it. The series stars Sterling K. Brown playing the role of Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent whose world gets turned upside down when he finds President Cal Bradford; played by James Marsden dead in his bedroom. This is the startup of a huge twist for the story, turning into an investigation that reveals the multiple layers of conspiracy in what initially appears to be the perfect community of survivors. I gave this first season a solid 7.5/10, it's not perfect but it's definitely worth watching, especially if you enjoy political thrillers with sci fi elements and strong performances. The show sets itself up beautifully with a deliberate pace that doesn't rush to reveal too much too soon, first episodes in fact were a bit draggy, offering just enough breadcrumbs to keep you interested until things start to speed up drastically and changes everything you thought you knew about the world of Paradise.

• IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27444205/
• Platform: HULU

Source Xavier Collins lives with his two children; Presley and James, while working as the head of security for President Bradford but there is something strange about the world they living in, things seem just too too perfect. The show begins with Xavier going through his morning routine, taking a run through his beautiful neighborhood before heading to work; too perfect neighborhood, where he discovers the President dead on his bedroom floor. Been Xavier the last person to see the President alive and the first to discover his body, he immediately becomes a suspect while also trying to lead the investigation himself, big no no when it comes to this kind of situation so he immediately is push out of it, but the real hook comes at the end of the first episode it is reveal to us that this community isn't just any town, it's actually an underground bunker housing around 25,000 people following some kind of apocalyptic event. The sky isn't real, the ducks in the pond are mechanical, and everything about this "Paradise" is manufactured. This revelation completely changes the stakes of the murder investigation, as Xavier begins to uncover a conspiracy that goes far beyond a simple assassination, after all they are lock down on the same bunker, how could the murder escape??!!.

What makes Paradise stand out from other political thrillers is its unique setting of an underground city and the gradual way information is revealed to both the characters and the audience, it's this mix of sci fi aspects and enclose environment that includes the murder of a big figure within the plot. The show uses flashbacks to provide context and backstory almost through the first half constantly, showing us how this underground community came to be and the relationships between characters before the disaster. We learn that the bunker was created by Samantha aka Sinatra played by Julianne Nicholson, the world's richest self made woman who lost her child before the apocalypse and had to nose dive into her career to get over her grief over time creating a survival plan based more on control than empathy. There was always this conflict for power between Sinatra and President Bradford and this aspect becomes a central element for the story, with Bradford portrayed as a puppet President who eventually starts questioning the system they've created, that he let them create.

Source Source The show does an excellent job of creating a world that feels both familiar and slightly off, from the lighting in outdoor scenes is intentionally artificial, with wide shots are beautifully blocked, and the handheld camera work during tense moments with Xavier adds to the feeling of disorientation and uncertainty. I find the music during the season particularly effective, with covers of well known songs like Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise" and Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" mostly coming from the President Bradford, he and subsequently his son Jeremy; played by Charlie Evans, were mostly that center of attraction to background music.

The cast is strong or at least the main characters; because there are a few like most of the kids who are very average, but its Sterling K. Brown who delivers a performance that made me look him up and realize how good he is but really stays off radar, I hope he gets a big part on the big screen to show off more of his talent, on Paradise he shows his ability to deal with complex emotions with just his facial expression either his eyes or mouth that makes Xavier a character you can't look away and indirectly kept eyes lock down on him. James Marsden brings charm and deep sadness to President Cal Bradford, making him more than just a typical politician, while Julianne Nicholson as Sinatra is a great villain but turn out to be a fool at the end, she is both evil and quietly commanding and driven by her own twisted logic. The supporting cast is equally strong, particularly Jon Beavers as Billy Pace, Xavier's trusted friend whose murder midway through the season increasing the drama as someone is trying to cover their tracks and Nicole Brydon Bloom as Jane Driscoll, who reveals herself to be far more dangerous than cute as she might look.

The season finale episode "The Man Who Kept the Secrets" brings many of the season's story lines together while keeping the door open for a second season, this series reminds me to Shogun at FX, not that its as good but turn out better than many expected so season two is a must. Xavier now has some clues and knowledge; I still doubt it, that his wife is alive, the ending also shows how he follows clues left by the deceased President that lead him to the town library, he discovers information that could help him find his wife and other survivors, but before he can act, he's knocked unconscious, when he wakes up, he finds himself face to face with Trent, the town librarian, who confesses to killing President Bradford and an entire new story line is build just within the last two episodes, it felt great because even though the season was ending, the story kept giving more and more to the audience entertainment.

Source Source Trent reveals that he was a construction worker on the Paradise project who tried to warn others about safety hazards but was fired before he could do so, he wasn't even invited to live in the bunker he helped build. It was obvious that he would take this personal and toward the President, who he sees as responsible for this injustice, led him to attempt to kill him and serve justice. This is what I mean by "keep giving" is particularly effective because it introduces a character who's been hiding in plain sight throughout the season, we've seen Trent in the background but never focused on him as a potential suspect.

Meanwhile, Jane's story line takes a fascinating turn, after kidnapping Presley on Sinatra's orders, Jane is kinda tested by Sinatra to figure out if the times comes, does Jane have it in her to kill Presley. Instead of killing Presley, Jane betrays Sinatra over a Wii, shooting her when Xavier has his gun to the her head. At first this seems like Jane might have had a change of heart, but her chilling message to Sinatra that she is willing to follow orders but don't take her for a fool and better get her what she wants, this comes back to the moment Jane asks Sinatra to get her the Nintendo Wii she use to play with Billy, which Sinatra refused to give her, assuming it was a stupid request. This shows Jane to be not just a pawn but a true psychopath who values her own desires, no matter how small, over human life.

There is way so much more than what I have mention on this blog post that make the series works, at first it look like a very average series based on the assassination of a President, something very common and nothing revolutionary but when the Sci Fi aspects of the bunker, the investigation that keeps taking down other characters and the fact that there might be survivors to the nuclear blast, all this team together makes it a very interesting one with the the well executed twist and the trimming of each one of them. Sterling K. Brown proves once again why he's one of the most captivating actors, at least on TV and the supporting cast had his back cover all the time. Paradise has already been renewed for a second season, and based on the finale, there are plenty of directions the story could go. The revelation that millions of people survived outside the bunker opens up the possibility of exploring the post apocalyptic world beyond Paradise, with the big question been "Will Xavier find his wife?" along with all the other aspects of this new adventure jumping between the bunker and the outside world stories, very similar to the situation of Silo Season 2.

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