Sexiest TV

Paradise is one of the most intense pieces of tv that has been aired in recent years. It follows the story of the underground world that was created for the protection of very few select individuals. 

In the first episode we meet our main characters Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown),The President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), Billy Pace (Jon Beavers), Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall), Jane Driscoll (Nicole Bloom) 

Episode 1 – Wildcat is down – draws us straight in by showing us Cal’s lifeless body on the floor and cutting straight to a flashback of Xavier and Cal’s first interaction, giving us a feel for who the characters really are at their core.

Cal is the jokester of the two. Whilst Xavier is as straight as they come, some may argue that Xavier would be the better fit for President than Cal.

The flashbacks in this episode and the ones that persist through the rest of the season is what really brings this show together. 

One of the most prominent and important flashbacks is when Xavier takes a bullet for Cal, this is where we learn even further the type of person that Xavier is, one that would risk anything.

This moment alone would normally constitute a momentous moment in a tv show, however it is what happens next which is the most gripping, once Xavier returns to duty after the shooting Cal finally lets him in on the biggest secret of them all. 

Paradise. 

“Wildcat is down” – PARADISE, Pictured: James Marsden, Sterling K. Brown. Brian Roedel/Disney ©2024 Network. All Rights Reserved

Then one of the moments that left me most shocked was the flashback argument where Xavier tells Cal the night before his murder that he will forgive Cal when he can sleep again, and he will be able to sleep again when Cal is dead. 

This was one of the most jaw dropping moments for me which cemented my urge to watch due to the complete character swap from what we saw early on from Xavier with no answers as to why he made this statement. 

Episode 2 – Sinatra – this episode does not hold back from being just as jam-packed as the first episode, the flashbacks fully introduce us to Samantha Redmond aka Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) and one of my personal favourite villains in any show. This episode shows us why she becomes who she is now. 

Xavier is brought in for questioning about Cal’s murder, which is where we meet Gabriella Torabi (Sarah Shahi) after she instructs Agent Robinson to leave due to Xavier revealing that she was sleeping with Cal. Dr. Torabi questions if Xavier is happy that Cal is dead and prompts him to say yes with writing on her hand. I have to admit from that point on until the last couple episodes I suspected she was evil. 

The back half of the episode shows us that the new president will be Henry Baines, a less than adequate option but one that can easily be manipulated by Sinatra.

The end of the episode shows us a flashback of Cal and Sinatra meeting for the first time after a seminar about the end of the world due natural causes, which we can infer is the reason why Paradise was built. 

Episode 3 – The Architect of Social Well-Being – was yet another gripping episode, we slowly start to see how strong of a bond Xavier and Billy have, banding together to discover the truth about Cal’s death.

The moment I had been waiting for since the previous episode is when Xavier bursts into Dr. Torabi’s office and demands an update on why she instructed him to say yes in the interview. This is where she divulges the information that the president had been acting disturbed during the lead up to his death. Dr. Torabi then probes into Xavier’s personal life and requests he opens up about his father, this is where we learn that Xavier’s father was a pilot who was struggling with Parkinson’s disease, Xavier turns his dad in and forces him to retire. 

For a moment in the third episode Billy and Jane seem to be suspicious as they have been caught turning the security camera’s off, however we find out they only do this to play video games.

The episode ends with Dr. Torabi explaining to Xavier in the shower that Billy Pace is dangerous and the scene pans to Billy sitting outside the Collins’ house with a gun. 

Episode 4 – Agent Billy Pace – was personally one of my favourite episodes, due to my love for Billy pace, we get to learn his background as a young child and as a young adult through flashbacks. How he killed his Uncle who had instructed him to kill his dog, which I definitely breathed a sigh of relief to not see a dog die.

We see Billy slowly learn to come to terms with being in the bunker and creating a special bond with Xavier and his family eventually becoming ‘Uncle Billy’.

In the current day, Xavier is highly suspect of Billy due to the information he finds in his file, and the warning that Dr. Torabi gave him last episode.

One of my favourite flashbacks in the show happens in this episode when the explorers are sent up to the real world to find out if life still prevails, which it does. Billy is sent to kill them and make sure that they do not return with the survivor.

In the present-day Billy is worlds away from the old Billy Pace, storming to Sinatra demanding that she stay away from Xavier and his family. 

What he doesn’t and what I certainly didn’t anticipate was him not being the only killer that Sinatra bought down into the bunker.

Billy dying was arguably the most shocked I was during the whole 8-episode season, my jaw dropped instantly when Jane admits that he wasn’t the only killer down there. 

Episode 5 – In the Palaces of Crowned Kings – We see Cal explain to his father he wishes to be a teacher; however he is pushed into politics and his eventual untimely death. Cal then making his son a CD on the day of his death was one of my favourite scenes in the whole show, although admittedly I should have paid more attention to that scene as it comes back up in a big way in the finale.

Xavier hides his children with their neighbour to keep them safe, however we see a small scene of his daughter having a government iPad under her bed which she stuffs in her backpack when leaving. 

This Episode truly is bursting at the seams with different storylines, the DNA from the crime scene going missing is something that you would normally focus heavily on, however it completely leaves your mind after Xavier pulls his high-tech stunt.

“They’re lying to you” – I don’t know about you put if that suddenly appeared on the sky whilst I was in an underground bunker I would definitely be panicking. 

“Sinatra”- PARADISE, Pictured: Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson. Brian Roedel/Disney ©2024 Network. All Rights Reserved

Episode 6 – You Asked for Miracles – this episode introduces us to Xavier’s wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), Teri is easily one of my favourite characters in the show and she brings a different side to Xavier in the flashbacks that you can’t help but to smile at.

Cal promises to pick up Teri and ensure that she makes it to the bunker, which we know from her never appearing before most likely did not happen. 

In the present-day Xavier’s team are raiding the weapons stash, whilst he is meeting with Dr. Torabi at the diner. This is where he cuts off his wristband in front of her once Robinson gives him the signal. It is such a small scene but incredibly powerful. 

Jeremy Bradford (Charlie Evans) and Presley Collins (Aliyah Mastin) have been growing close over the episodes and Jeremy offers to help Presley find out what is on the iPad, using Jeremy’s Grandad’s handprint to unlock it.

This is where they find out the secrets that Sinatra has been keeping, which prompts Jeremy to preach to the people about the lies that are being spread. 

My heart was in my mouth when Jane takes Presley with her, I truly did not trust that she would not hurt her.

The ending of this episode was perfect with Xavier hearing his wife asking for him and their children. 

Episode 7 – The Day – this was the one episode that I wanted to look away from but just couldn’t, it certainly was the most realistic doomsday I’ve seen on a tv show in a long time.

This is the episode where we find out why Xavier resents Cal so much, and rightly so. 

He lost his wife, and their kids lost their mother due to Cal being vague about the amount of time left.

The focus of this episode should be the world ending but when I think of episode 7 all I can think of is the incredible performance Sterling K. Brown and Enuka Okuma displayed on that phone call as Xavier and Teri. The emotional components that went into that scene were perfect. I truly have to commend them on how powerful just a phone call was. 

Episode 8 – The Man Who Kept The Secrets – this episode was the perfect finale to season one, not only did it answer a ton of questions I had since the beginning of the show, but it also gave me wanting so much more (so thank goodness for that season two renewal) 

Finding out who killed Cal was one of the most shocking things I’ve watched, it is the first time in a long time that I haven’t been able to call who the killer is but also simultaneously know exactly who it was once it was revealed.

Thankfully this episode allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief when I found out that Jane hadn’t hurt Presley, although with the iconic line “you should have just given me the Wii” after shooting Sinatra really shows how much of a psychopath she is. 

The final scene of Xavier preparing to fly felt like a full circle moment, filling me with such a sense of pride for him. 

The twists and turns of Paradise are ones that have left my jaw on the floor constantly, from Xavier finding out that Teri may still be alive to who really killed Cal. 

The best part of the first series of this show is how detailed every single episode is, you cannot take your eyes off the screen for one second incase you miss a vital piece of the story. This is one of those shows where you immediately want to go and rewatch, just so you can catch all the moments you missed the first time. I can only assume that season 2 will be just as gripping.