Paradise
By Sioph W. Leal
Set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals, secret service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) is still protecting President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). The tranquillity of their paradise is jeopardised when the president is murdered, and the last one to see him alive is none other than his head of secret service, Xavier Collins. With the president gone and billionaire Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicolson, also referred to as Sinatra) left to figure out who wanted the president dead, secrets will be revealed that will be catastrophic for all in this peaceful community.
While Paradise sets itself up to be a murder-mystery thriller, there is more beneath the surface. Every character is consumed with grief, each with their own reasoning, be it loss or even the consequences of their choices. Shows like The Leftovers truly embody this without compromising on the storytelling, but Paradise struggles to find its strength. Xaiver suppresses every emotion throughout the first few episodes, and while that is a character choice, when every character is repressed in some way, it’s hard to connect with them.
Billy Pace (Jon Beavers) is a standout in Paradise, and while his character doesn’t get the same screentime as others, Beavers delivers one of the most emotionally nuanced performances of the series. Not only does Billy offer some levity to the series, but he’s also a complicated character that, deep down, has a heart of gold. Even though Billy and Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi) don’t share much in terms of screentime, both offer a lot to Paradise. While Billy offers levity to the series, Gabriela brings the warmth and nurturing type that add a lot more depth to the world of Paradise. Gabriela is severely underused, especially given the fantastic performance from Shahi, but if Paradise gets renewed, it will be interesting to potentially see what impact Gabriela could have.
Paradise marketed itself as a murder mystery-style thriller, but by the fourth episode, this plotline is reduced. Granted, the new plot line (which we aren’t allowed to reveal) is much more interesting; fans of a famous novelist may find some intriguing similarities with one of his books. The series is supposed to be commentary on the relationship between those with ultimate power and those who are charged with protecting them, but Paradise doesn’t utilise this as much, only through flashbacks of Xavier and Cal’s professional friendship. Instead, we are told that Samantha is an instrumental force behind most of these plot lines, but Nicolson doesn’t give a believable performance. Like many of the characters, she feels as if she is repressed until the later part of the series, but by that point of a reveal, the performance falls flat. Paired with Sterling K. Brown, maybe it was that more was expected from both, but their emotional scenes fall flat, feeling quite forced. Had the show focused on the dynamic between Gabriela and Samantha, it could have been a much stronger series.
The question of humanity and the weight of choices made is one of the more interesting plots of Paradise, and while others try to get the levity of this, none can do it quite like Shahi, Beavers, and James Marsden. As the president of the United States, Cal is responsible for a lot of people, and while we mostly see him during flashbacks, Marsden delivers an exceptional performance as a man with too much responsibility. Despite those around him wanting to only benefit themselves, the seventh episode is a standout. The correlation of these great performances is that the characters who aren’t repressed or actors who are trying a little too hard in their performance have the time to shine. Had Paradise focused more on characters that show emotional responses to things and not waited until the penultimate episodes, it would have been a much stronger show.
Paradise tries to capture the cost of one’s choices, as well as the age-old question of what is good for humanity, but as it tries to juggle a lot of plots and some flashbacks that feel unnecessary, it struggles to find its identity. There are times when the show shines for its emotional performances, but these characters are lost in the bigger picture of Xavier Collins and his own goals.
Paradise premiers on Hulu and Disney+ January 28, 2025.