Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Paradise season 1, episode 7, “The Day.”
Paradisestar James Marsden breaks down why President Cal Bradford kept a critical piece of information from Secret Service agent Xavier Collins. Created byThis Is Usshowrunner Dan Fogelman,Hulu’s hit sci-fi drama takes place in an underground community three years after an apocalyptic event, following Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier as he investigates the death of President Bradford (Marsden). The most recent episode,Paradiseseason 1, episode 7, “The Day,” revealed the natural disasters that led to humanity’s downfall and Bradford’s last-minute heroic decision in the face of a burgeoning nuclear war.
In an interview withVariety,Marsden unpacks his character’s choice to conceal the lengths he went to save Xavier’s wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma). As disaster loomed, President Bradford employed the use of the “blue code” to disable all electronic devices on Earth, including nuclear missiles. This ultimately saved countless lives, including Teri, who was spared from a missile headed towards Atlanta. However, the commander-in-chief never revealed this to Xavier. Read what Marsden had to say below:
It’s a good question, right: Is he martyring himself? I had that thought as well.
There’s moments where he begins to, and especially in that scene in the first episode, where they’re in the bedroom, and Cal asked Xavier about if he can forgive him, and I think in that moment, Cal is going to tell him, butI feel like he’s also not going to stop the very first time Xavier is speaking honestly from his heart with fire, with fury, with passion, with a very strong point of view, and he has shed every layer of his code that his job requires.
This is a man talking to a man. This isn’t a Secret Service agent talking to the commander-in-chief. Xavier even stops him, he says, “Stop.” So I feel like that was his chance to tell him and I think that, had he not met his demise, Cal would find another way to tell him.
But I do think that Cal senses this is coming. This is why he’s going to plant these clues, to talk to the therapist, all of this. But it’s a great question: why doesn’t he just come right out and say, “Hey, by the way, here’s this and this and that.” But he’s also tried to reconnect with his son. There’s other parts of his life that are very big as well that he’s trying to put together. AndI don’t think he has the language at that point in his life to express that, but he’s still riddled with so much guilt over it.
What President Bradford’s Secret Means
The Struggle For Power In Paradise
President Bradford’s decision to employ the blue code saved countless lives. He chose to give humanity a fighting chance, going against the advice of Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson), who told the president to allow those on the surface to meet their instantaneous deaths rather than condemning them to an apocalyptic wasteland.This fundamental ideological divide between Bradford and Sinatra fuels the ongoing power struggle inParadise, with her leadership prioritizing control and order at all costsas Xavier’s rebellionseeks out truth and justice.
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This revelation also shiftsParadise’s murder mysteryin an unexpected direction. Episode 7 confirmed that the DNA found at Bradford’s murder scene did not match anyone inside Paradise,suggesting the president’s killer came from outside the underground community. It’s possible that survivors on the surface, unaware of Bradford’s sacrifice, may have viewed him as a symbol of the elite who abandoned them. A flashback introduced new suspects, such as Marsha (Amy Pietz), a former White House aide who was left behind.
The Cost Of Survival & The Burden Of Leadership
Image via Hulu
President Bradford’s silence isn’t just plain secrecy. He withheld the truth of his impossible choice like a self-imposed exile, unable to express the guilt for the lives that he couldn’t save, even to his closest ally. With Sinatra tightening her grip on the community and Xavier stuck between finding his wife or leading the revolution,Paradiseseason 2 won’t just be about survival—it’ll be about who ultimately secures the power to define it.
Paradise
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Paradise is a crime drama set in an affluent community where prominent residents' lives upend after a shocking murder.
