Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Paradise episodes 1-3.Paradise’s three-episode premiere presents a challenge that the series will need to overcome. Created byThis Is Us' Dan Fogelman, the newHulu showis a combination of a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a dystopian science-fiction story.Paradise’s cast of charactersis led by Sterling K. Brown, who plays Secret Service agent Xavier Collins. Xavier is sworn to protect President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), but everything is upended when Xavier discovers that the president has been murdered.
Xavier’s search for the killer is only the tip of the iceberg, asParadise’s sci-fi twistreveals that Xavier, President Bradford, and the other characters are living in an underground city after a cataclysmic event.The episodes alternate between the present-day timeline and with flashbacks that explore Xavier’s history with President Bradford, along with flashbacks that flesh out Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) and other key characters.Paradiseis off to an intriguing start, but is already struggling with one overarching issue.
Paradise’s Flashbacks Are Much More Interesting Than The Present-Day Storylines
The Flashbacks Are More Emotional
Despite the intrigue surrounding President Bradford’s mysterious and sudden death,Paradise’s flashbacks have so far been more compelling than the present-day storylines. Xavier’s complex relationship with President Bradford, Sinatra’s tragic backstory, and Xavier’s relationship with his father (Glynn Turman) are three of the show’s most engaging stories so far. The issue is that all three of these stories are happening in the flashbacks and not in the present-day timeline.
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The political sci-fi thriller is a great sign for TV this year, though it routinely reveals itself to be better on paper than in practice.
The flashbacks are meant to flesh out Xavier and Sinatra, along with providing context for the show’s murder mystery and the creation of Paradise. Sinatra struggling to process the death of her young son and Xavier trying to convince his father to quit his pilot job due to his Parkinson’s disease are stories that feel emotional and genuine. Additionally, the flashbacks are gradually telling the story ofParadise’s cataclysmic eventand of the underground community’s origins. These storylines are more interesting than what is happening in the present-day plot lines.
Paradise’s Premise Made The Flashback Problem Inevitable
James Marsden’s Character Is Only Alive In The Flashbacks
Paradise’s premise involves President Bradford being dead from the first moment he is seen in the present day. This necessitates thatone of the show’s best actors, Marsden, can only appear in the flashbacks, and is otherwise sidelined from the rest of the show. Getting to know the charming, but flawed president through the flashbacks has been one of the best parts ofParadiseso far. Marsden brings a dynamic presence to the character that makes it easy to see how President Bradford won over the public, and his presence is sorely missed outside the flashbacks.
Xavier’s father is not alive in the present-day story, meaning that another one of the show’s best characters is constricted to flashbacks.
The flashback problem is made worse with Xavier’s father. As an Emmy Award-winning actor, Turman unsurprisingly delivers a phenomenal and heartbreaking performance in the single episode he has appeared in so far. The love and pride he feels for Xavier is palpable, as is the heartbreak he feels when Xavier gives him no choice but to quit his job due to the safety risks of posed by his Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Xavier’s father is not alive in the present-day story, meaning that another one of the show’s best characters is constricted to flashbacks.
How Paradise Can Fix Its Flashback Problem
The Show Needs To Do More With Its Present-Day Characters
Paradisecan fix its flashback problem by giving the audience more reasons to care about the characters and storylines in the present-day timeline. Other than the mystery of who killed President Bradford, there is currently not as much to get invested in beyond the flashbacks. This canchange by better developing other characters, including Dr. Gabriela Torabi(Sarah Shahi), Agent Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall), Agent Billy Pace (Jon Beavers), and the relationships that Xavier has with them. Xavier’s relationship with his children, Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and James (Percy Daggs IV) could use more focus as well.
The names of Xavier’s children are inspired by Elvis Presley andJames and the Giant Peach.
The series should also spend more time digging into the dystopian nature of the setting in order to take full advantage ofParadise’s episode 1 twist. Dr. Torabi’s reveals in episode 3 about the community, such as her choosing who got to go there and why certain design choices were made, is a step in the right direction. Learning more about the characters and the setting can elevate the murder mystery and make it easier to get invested in the various suspects.
Episode 8
March 4
Exploring storylines other than President Bradford’s death in the present day would also be beneficial. Every storyline is intertwined with the president’s death, but the burgeoning friendship between Presley and the president’s son, Jeremy (Charlie Evans), Xavier’s friendship with Billy, and the potential romance between Xavier and Gabriela are all stories that show promise. These relationships offer storytelling avenues that can make the present day as interesting as the flashbacks inParadise.
