Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Paradise episodes 1-3.
Paradiseepisode 3 ends on an enticing cliffhanger. The newHulu showbegins with the premise of Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) making the shocking discovery that President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) has been murdered. Flashbacks reveal Xavier’s close history of working with President Bradford, including taking a bullet for him. At the same time, Xavier and President Bradford’s relationship was strained, although this does not make Xavier any less determined to solve the murder.
Beyond his own mission to learn the truth, Xavier must overcome suspicions about the role he may have played in the president’s death. The series was marketed as apolitical thrillerand as a mystery. By the end of the first installment in the three-episode premiere, itbecomes clear thatParadiseis also a science-fiction series. Manyreviews forParadisehave largelypraised Brown’s leading performance while also exploring the ramifications of the sci-fi twist and episode 3’s cliffhanger.
Paradise Takes Place In An Underground City After An Apocalyptic Event
The Twist Is Cleverly Concealed
The major twist at the end ofParadiseepisode 1 is that the idyllic community Xavier, President Bradford, and the other characters are living in is an underground city. Episode 2’s flashbacks dig into the past of Samantha Redmond, nicknamed Sinatra, who is the one responsible for the city’s creation. After the sudden death of her young son, and learning of the impending natural disasters that would destroy the Earth, Sinatra worked with Bradford, Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi), and others to make the city a reality. It is meant to honor her deceased son and to ensure humanity’s survival.
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An overhead light that feels like the sun, recordings of real insects, organic grocery stores, and restaurants that serve cheese fries are among the many elements that attempt to create a sense of normalcy and authenticity in the underground society. Only a few thousand reside there, asall the citizens were selected by Dr. Torabi to survive the apocalyptic natural disasters. Until his death, Bradford was the community’s president. When the series begins, the characters have already been living underground for several years.
Everything We Know So Far About President Cal Bradford’s Death
Xavier Found The Body First
While the flashbacks explore the events leading up toParadise’s sci-fi twist, the inciting incident in the present-day story is President Bradford’s death. Xavier reports for work on a day that initially seems like any other in recent years. Xavier’s friend and fellow Secret Service agent, Billy Pace (Jon Beavers), leaves as Xavier enters the residence for the day shift. After repeatedly knocking on the president’s bedroom door, there is no response. When Xavier goes in, he finds President Bradford’s bloodied corpse on the floor. In addition to the murder,a datapad containing government secrets has been stolen.
Xavier does not immediately tell anyone except Billy about President Bradford’s death.
There is a near hour and half lapse in the security footage from when the murder occurred. This lapse is not something nefarious, though, and is due to Billy and another Secret Service agent, Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom), playing Wii tennis and eating junk food. Xavier is questioned and dismissed from his Secret Service position. He does not trust Sinatra, who oversees the investigation, or Agent Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall), who was having an affair with the president. Sinatra installs a new individual as president, although he is little more than a figurehead.
Dr. Torabi Shares The Message With Xavier
Episode 3 sees Xavier turning to Dr. Torabi for potential answers after she wrote,“Say yes"on her hand when asking him a question during the investigation. After an episode of bonding and Xavier even opening up to her, they become physically intimate and end up in the shower, where Dr. Torabi whispers to him that she has a message from the president. The message is thatif anything happened to President Bradford, Dr. Torabi needed to find Xavier, and tell him that Billy Pace is dangerous.
The running water should prevent Dr. Torabi’s words from being picked up by any listening device.
This message is shared in the shower because the sound of the running water should prevent Dr. Torabi’s words from being picked up by any listening device. When Xavier first goes to Dr. Torabi’s office, she subtly refuses to answer his questions and suggests they go for a walk, which indicates her concern about their conversation being bugged, and that the community is seemingly a surveillance state. As for the contents of the message, President Bradford did not trust Billy, and while it is too soon to unmask him as the killer, Billy’s final scene does make him seem more sinister.
Why Billy Is Parked Outside Xavier’s House At The End Of Paradise Episode 3
It Is Meant To Add More Weight To The President’s Message
President Bradford’s message about Billy being dangerous seems to have merit given thatthe final scene sees Billy driving to Xavier’s house and ominously looking at the gun beside him. Xavier’s daughter, Presley (Aliyah Mastin), is seen looking out the window and glancing at the device on her wrist as she is concerned that ther father is not home yet. If President Bradford was right about Billy being dangerous, Presley and Xavier’s son, James (Percy Daggs IV) may also be in danger.
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With five episodes left in season 1, and given that Billy has been nothing but a loyal friend to Xavier, it is more likely that episode 3’s ending is a red herring. Billy may just be going to Xavier’s house to inform him about the latest developments in the investigation and to see if Xavier and his family need anything. However, Xavier returns to unexpectedly find Billy at his home after hearing the message from Dr. Torabi, Xavier may lose trust in his friend and former colleague.
What Paradise Episode 3’s Twist Means For The Show
Xavier Will Have To Make Difficult Decisions
Paradiseepisode 3 leaves Xavier in a precarious position. Dr. Torabi seems like she could be an invaluable ally, along with being a love interest for Xavier. Then again, Xavier barely knows her, and Dr. Torabi goes back a long way with Sinatra, who seems like the one pulling the strings. Dr. Torabi could easily be manipulating Xavier and intentionally sowing distrust between him and Billy in an attempt to better hide who really killed President Bradford.
If he is dangerous and the president knew this, it is strange that Billy was allowed to remain a member of the security team.
With episode 4 titled “Agent Billy Pace,” the next installment will undoubtedly reveal more about Billy, both in the present and through flashbacks, along with whether there is any weight to President Bradford’s warning that he is dangerous. If he is dangerous and the president knew this, it is strange that Billy was allowed to remain a member of the security team. More information about Billy, Dr. Torabi, and the rest of the characters will come to light inParadiseepisode 4.
