Paradise Season 1 Episode 5 Review: In the Palaces of Crowned Kings

On Paradise Season 1 Episode 5, “In the Palaces of Crowned Kings,” Xavier learns of Billy’s death and begins to form shaky alliances in the wake of the truth this second murder uncovers.

We get a few glimpses of the initial reaction to Billy’s “suicide”, capped by some excellent acting by Jane. She almost convinces even us that she hasn’t killed the very man she’s weeping over. Xavier and Nicole are soon cautiously united in grief.

Most of the hour, though, is dedicated to flashbacks of Cal’s life in Paradise before his murder. His own shaky relationships with his father and son shaped both his public attitude and his unhealthy use of alcohol as a coping mechanism.

When not slugging down drinks, he stumbles upon footage of what really happened during the expedition outside the city. The explorers found at least one person alive before Billy killed them all on Sinatra’s orders.

Everything Sinatra does is to maintain the image Paradise’s citizens are forced to believe. It’s clear she’ll do whatever it takes to preserve that image. Billy, the people he’s killed, and likely the president himself are all just excusable losses to that end.

By the end of the episode, Xavier orders his kids to safety and begins using his alliances to expose these secrets to the public. This starts with a message of giant red letters in the sky for all of Paradise to see: “THEY’RE LYING TO YOU.”

The dichotomy between who appears to have power and who actually controls the system is a timely one, mirroring both real-life and fictional political conversations. Cal kept his role as president easily because it was little more than a title.

Sinatra, now only referred to as “Samantha” by a few daring individuals, manipulates the narrative and dictates the very reality of Paradise. That she’ll so casually do anything to preserve these images is unnerving say the least.

While she begins to feel untouchable, the emotional backstories given to other characters make them sympathetic in spite of their own sins. From Cal’s early years to the weeks before his death, there’s plenty to unpack about everyone in his life.

His father is a piece of work and the primary factor pushing him to politics in the first place. A billionaire powerhouse, the older man seems to have an “in” with Sinatra that Cal did not in spite of anger issues and looming symptoms of Alzheimer’s.  

His son also saw straight through his façade and is left now with only questions. For all his faults, some of Cal’s last acts were in the name of trying to expose the truth. It may very well be the reason he’s dead now, leaving that quest to others.

Both he and Billy had plenty to account for, but those who cared for them are still left reeling. Any quest for justice will mean facing Sinatra head on. Those stakes are high enough that it’s likely we’ll see at least one more person make the ultimate sacrifice.

For now, we end the episode with a sense of hope and defiance as Xavier’s undercover ally lights up the sky with his words. The truth getting out will likely create the chaos Sinatra fears above all. Who that chaos will help most remains to be seen.

 

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New episodes of Paradise first stream on Tuesdays on Hulu.

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