Paradise Sterling K. Brown Paradise Season 1 Episodes 1-3 Review: Hulu’s Political Thriller is Actually Something Much More Unsettling

Paradise Season 1 Episodes 1-3 Review: Hulu’s Political Thriller is Actually Something Much More Unsettling

Reviews

Paradise refers to both the title of the series and the small utopic city in which it takes place. But, even accounting for the brutal murder of “former” President Bradford, there’s something deeply unnerving about the whole town.

We find out exactly what within the first episode. Xavier Collins (Sterling K Brown), the president (James Marsden) and several thousand others are the sole survivors of an extinction-level event that wiped out all the rest of humanity.

Xavier, who at least in the past has been Bradford’s most trusted advisor, survives with his kids, but without his wife, who the president either directly or indirectly abandoned. And, until his death, Bradford is indeed the current POTUS of Paradise.

Still from Paradise Season 1 Episode 1 of James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown pictured from left to right.
PARADISE – “Wildcat Is Down” – Pictured: James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown (Disney/Brian Roedel)

Additional episodes expound on our suspects—er, characters. There’s Samantha, who goes by the name “Sinatra”, a high-level agent who lost her young son before the apocalypse. Only slightly below her is Nicole, who’s been having an affair with Bradford.

Billy and Jane are also agents and having an affair of their own. Billy appears to be Xavier’s closest ally and friend but as we eventually learn from Dr. Gabrial Torabi (Sarah Shahi), may actually be just the opposite.

Dr. Torabi could be the most interesting of all, at least by the third episode. She passes on a warning about Billy directly from the president. She also reveals to Xavier that she chose every single person meant to survive the end of the world.

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Still from Paradise Season 1 of Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Shahi, and Julianne Nicholson pictured from left to right.
PARADISE – First look – Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Shahi, and Julianne Nicholson (Disney/Brian Roedel)

Though the reveal of Paradise’s true nature is about as major as it gets, we have plenty of signs that something is Off about it to the point that, when the full truth is revealed, it’s not so much a jaw-dropping plot twist as an answer to our many questions.

The non-chronological way events unfold can also be more confusing than dramatic, at least in these early episodes where we’re constantly being bombarded with new information to process. It’s often hard to be sure where or when we are.

Still, though it might be slightly disjointed and heavy-handed, the show is riveting from start. We’re left with no clear idea who to trust.  We probably can’t completely trust anyone, possibly including Xavier himself.

Still from Paradise Season 1 of Nicole Brydon Bloom.
PARADISE — First look — Pictured: Nicole Brydon Bloom (Disney/Ser Baffo)

There’s also great depth of emotion for everyone, no matter where they fall on the show’s murky protagonist—antagonist scale. Witnessing some of Samantha’s last moments with her son, asking about heaven, is particularly affecting.

As a post-apocalyptic story, it also feels deeply sobering. For how many more generations can the last people in existence reproduce, even if there are tens of thousands of them now? Everything, per the town’s name, is made just a bit too perfect to last.

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The Powers that Be certainly realize something about their general state. The assassination is posed instead as the natural death of a good man. The announcement is made and the presidency handed down in a highly choreographed ceremony.

Still from Paradise Season 1 of Sarah Shahi and Julianne Nicholson pictured from left to right.
PARADISE – First look – Pictured: Sarah Shahi and Julianne Nicholson.(Disney/Brian Roedel)

The political side of things gives us our biggest question, of course. Who killed President Bradford? It could be anyone we’ve met already or someone entirely new. But it’s the questions about human nature in the end times that stick the hardest.

Regardless of whether you’re into any of the show’s main genres, I’d give Paradise a chance. The acting, writing, and cinematography are all top-notch and the feelings we’re left with seem especially relevant in an incredibly tumultuous world.

 

What did you think of these episodes of Paradise? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Paradise streams Tuesdays on Hulu and later airs on ABC and FX.

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Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.