Paradise delighted fans with its first season, a political thriller that wasn’t revealed to be of the post-apocalyptic variety until the shocking twist at the end of the pilot episode. That’s because it takes place in an idyllic community that looks like it’s right out of a picture book. But in actuality, (spoiler alert!) it’s an underground bunker that a tech billionaire built in anticipation of a pending end of the world natural disaster. As it turns out, the eccentric scientist who tried to warn everyone that one was imminent was right. She took him seriously.
We found out at the end of Season 1 that unlike what Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) wants everyone to believe, people did manage to survive in the Earth above. It’s not completely uninhabitable. But why bother with those poor souls who are likely on the brink of death by now anyway? Season 2 sets out to explore that question. As a result, the story feels more like a season of The Walking Dead or The Last of Us, reclassifying the show as being among the best post-apocalyptic series of the last decade.
This review is based on Episodes 1-7 of Paradise Season 2.
Season 2 Introduces New Characters, a New World
At the end of Season 1, Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) set out to Atlanta to find his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), who he now knows is still alive. Thus, we know that much of this new season takes place above ground, providing an entirely new perspective and scenery.
This perspective and journey is reminiscent of a character-driven episode of The Walking Dead or The Last of Us at times, Xavier our proverbial Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) or Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and the people he meets along the way all having their own counterparts. There are no zombies or infected people (though Teri did study mushrooms, which is an unintentionally funny tie-in). But Xavier certainly has a “don’t mess with me” Rick Grimes-like vibe, but with training that far surpasses Rick’s small-town police chief gun wielding skills. Xavier was pretty badass in Season 1 when he was on the hunt for the truth. But now, he’s looking for the love of his life and to return to his kids. The motivations are amped up to new heights, and so is his, well, badass-ery.
But it’s not all about Xavier. The season begins in an unexpected way with a touching story that instantly draws you in and doesn’t really include Xavier at all. Usually when there’s a side story that eats up an entire episode, it’s an unwelcome dilution from the main story. But I was completely invested. It was like a short movie from start to finish, a brilliant way to begin the season with fabulous characters that keep you deeply invested and wanting to know more about them.
Season 1 was about survival, restarting the world anew in a place with every resource imaginable at your fingertips. By contrast, Season 2 is about survival on the flipside of the coin. Who survives on a planet rocked by a megatsunami? Did anyone who is still alive have an inkling of what was to come, or did they all panic and scramble to get somewhere safe at the last minute and just get lucky? There are downright terrifying end of the world moments and gripping life or death situations that make this season skew far more post-apocalyptic and less political thriller. That’s totally okay because the change in pace and scenery adds another dimension to the show, yet still feels like it exists in the same world.
Remember, three years have passed since the doomsday event, since Xavier and the others have been rebuilding the community below. We know from other post-apocalyptic shows that people can be resilient, can find ways to survive. But this situation seemed near impossible. Season 2 sets out to answer the question of how they managed to do so with an eclectic mic of new characters at the centre, two played by Shailene Woodley and Thomas Doherty that stand out among the pack along with other strong actors taking on survivor roles.
Meanwhile, back in the bunker, the same dynamic exists, albeit with power shifts. Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom), who we get to learn more about this season, is still as frightening as ever. A young woman with a killer smile (literally) and a deep affection for the Nintendo Wii turning out to be a cold, calculating, vicious killer was the biggest twist of Season 1. How does this play out with Samantha this season? The real Frank Sinatra for whom she’s nicknamed after is known for quotes like “the big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.” But Jane is not your average assassin. Still, consumed by grief over the loss of her son, Samantha doesn’t seem to fear anything, nor anyone.
Despite everything going on underground, it’s what happens above ground that is most intriguing this season. There’s a consistent string of episodic cliffhangers that will leave you desperate for the next week to come so you can continue. (Thankfully, the first three episodes will be released at once).
I love that James Marsden has been brought back again for flashbacks, as has Jon Beavers as Agent Billy Pace. Both tell parts of the story that are integral to the plot going forward, filling in some crucial blanks along the way. The kids are getting a bigger story as well, and it’s nice to see courageous young people rise up to fight for what they believe is right.
There are fantastic connections among characters that will leave your jaw dropped once the dots are shown. The show morphs into deeper, puzzling sci-fi elements, some moments leaving you scratching your head at where the plot might go from there. Based on the tee-up, it could end in a shocking, interesting way or fall completely flat, and I’m crossing my fingers for the former.
Paradise Season 2 Shifts the Script
Paradise brilliantly moves the story into new areas, exploring another side of the post-apocalyptic world that we’ve seen in so many other shows, but with a very different, even refreshing, dynamic. It’s an even more visually stunning season with special effects, settings, costumes, and filming that pulls you into every moment, particularly along Xavier’s journey. As far as the story goes, you’re at the edge of your seat the entire time, wondering how these worlds are going to collide eventually, because you know they will.
There are moments of hope, heartache, devastation, and sweetness, shock, awe, and a demonstration of the resilience of the human spirit. There are good guys and bad, bad guys turned good, and good guys turned bad. Season 1 earned a respectable 86% Rotten Tomatoes critics score, but I predict Season 2 will be much higher. It’s like Season 1 was an appetizer, a story to whet our appetites. There was a lot of focus on Cal’s murder, which turned out to be only tangentially related to the bigger story: that of Sam, the bunker, and her bigger plan.
In keeping with The Walking Dead comparisons, this underground world Sam has built is like Alexandria. They’re in their own kind of protective fortress, not against flesh-eating zombies but dangerous weather conditions. The world above, meanwhile, is the same in some ways as the desolate world Rick and his group traversed in the early seasons, very different in others. The theme of survival, whatever way you can, however, rings just as true.
Paradise comes back stronger than ever in Season 2, Brown the beating heart of the show who delivers an expectedly fantastic performance. The new characters are meaningful additions to the story while the others continue to develop and grow in a way that screams for a Season 3. I could see this world growing, expanding the same way other shows of its ilk have done.
Yes, Paradise began much differently from the others, the post-apocalyptic angle barely a backdrop for the political thriller angle. But it’s working its way into being bigger than we maybe ever imagined the show could be. The idea of paradise made sense at the time Samantha created it. But can Paradise survive this eruption of protest that’s brewing? Even the scientists can’t answer that.
Stream Paradise in Canada on Disney+ and on Hulu in the U.S.