Warning: This review contains spoilers for the Paradise season 1 finale
The season finale ofParadisedelivers on the promise of a whodunit. I didn’t see the librarian reveal coming, which madeParadise’s season 1 ending so shocking. However, even a solid twist does not truly work without the momentum of well-crafted storytelling. As season finales go, every beat is hit, but very little character development is gained. That being said, the finale does its job and does it well.
Armed with the knowledge that his wife is alive and Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) has kidnapped his daughter, Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) sets out to follow the clues left for him by the now-deceased president. The secret messages lead him to the town library and he realizes he can find his wife and any other survivors with the information he has uncovered. Unfortunately, he is knocked out before he can act.
He awakens to find the town librarian, Trent (Ian Merrigan), confessing that he was a construction worker on Paradise. The site was hazardous to the workers and, when he tried to tell his bosses, they fired him before he could warn anyone else of the fatal harm they were in. Combined with the fact they were not invited to live in the bunker they built, Trent sees no other choice but to kill the president he feels is responsible for everything. When all is said and done, Xavier sets off into the unknown to try and find his wife.
Paradise’s Finale Answers All Our Questions
Cal’s Killer Revealed
The season ends with the answer to the show’s literal whodunit and our lead character on a mission to leave the main setting while the ancillary characters are left defenseless. It’s a perfectly satisfying end to a satisfying viewing experience. Season finales are tricky, butParadiseis up for the challenge, and showrunner Dan Fogelman is not to be doubted in that regard. The plotlines were clearly drawn out and concluded in a way that suited the story. Structurally, Fogelman crafted a tale we have seen before, but sticking the landing is something greater shows have failed at.
Paradise is average art but good TV.
The use of flashbacks throughout the series has been tasteful but, at times, overwhelming. Not in the sense of disorientation but more so in how it makes you question if the story needed to be told in that manner. The answer is ultimately yes, but the finale’s flashback was fitting. It’s very common for a penultimate episode to be a flashback that reveals something major. But in shows that are built on flashbacks, it’s on the show to save the best ones for last.Paradiseknows that all too well, and the best flashbacks are in the final two episodes.
A Finale Done Right
Paradisechooses to highlight a new character in the finale as well, utilizing the “killer was hiding in plain sight” method. Merrigan plays the role of Trent well, but for a show already skating on thin ice in terms of performances, resting the entire episode on his shoulders is a tough sell. But his placement here was well-thought-out. Having him be a would-be assassin earlier in the flashbacks and having one small scene in the current timeline was the perfect amount of screen time to keep us guessing while also justifying his existence.
Fogelman’s vision is well-executed and no stone is left unturned.Paradisefound its audience over the course of the season and delivered an overall enjoyable finale.Paradisehas been confirmed for season 2, andSterling K. Brown has even hinted at future plot points. The biggest question might be whether James Marsden will return and, if so, in what capacity. Hulu has a hit on its hands, and it will likely be up to Fogelman to stretch it out or pinpoint an ending sooner rather than later.
Paradise
Paradise is a crime drama set in an affluent community where prominent residents' lives upend after a shocking murder.
