Paradise Season Two Review

When I reviewed season one of Paradise last year, I wasn’t allowed to mention that the series takes place in the aftermath of a massive volcanic eruption and nuclear bombardment with our central characters living in an underground bunker that pretty perfectly mimics life back out in the real world in the before times. Not my favorite Do Not Reveal requirement, since that piece of information was crucial to getting into who these characters were in the present and why they acted the way they did throughout much of the series. For example, despite it being three years post the event, Xavier Collins is still having a hard time dealing with the guilt amassed by thinking that he left his wife to die in Atlanta – although we, and he, find out in the season finale that she (and a lot more people) are alive and mostly well out there beyond the walls of the bunker. Which sets us up for what Paradise is trying to do in its second season – another season that has the highest of highs and some frustrating elements of storytelling.

Where season one was telling two intertwining stories – the murder mystery and power struggle in Paradise and the various flashbacks to explain certain characters – this time around we’re getting two separate arcs within the present (buffeted of course by generous flashbacks). In the first, we follow Xavier (Sterling K. Brown, still exceptional) on his journey to find Teri (Enuka Okuma, wonderful now that we get to learn a bit more about her) off in the greater Atlanta area. And in the second, we spend time with the citizens of Paradise as tensions continue to rise and trust in each other fades after everything that went down in season one. Now, if you enjoy a pressure cooker storyline where you can pretty clearly tell the good and the bad guys from one another, you’ll like the Paradise story a lot more than I did. For me, despite some good work once again from Julianne Nicholson (Sinatra, our genius who crafted the bunker plan) and Nicole Brydon Bloom (as Jane Driscoll, the former Secret Service agent working for Sinatra – she even gets her own dedicated set of flashbacks this season and boy do they explain a few things), this piece of the story fell flat. There’s a lot of telling and not showing when it comes to this arc, with characters explaining what they are doing, why they are doing it, and why they think it will benefit the Paradise community at large. There’s also a lot of moving parts, with different characters acting at different cross-purposes, trying to accomplish their goals despite other characters working in their own arcs trying to do the same. And some of the characters are pretty insufferable – especially in the minor teenager story arc, which is so often a pain point in a series.

As for the Xavier arc, well, that’s where the series reaches some pretty impressive narrative heights. Brown is such a good actor that he elevates pretty much anything he’s in. But in this half of the story, he’s paired up with some absolutely exceptional guest actors who let him cede control of the story at times. In particular, Brown gets to go toe-to-toe with Shailene Woodley (who is incredibly effective). Woodley’s character is someone who survived the events of the last three years on the outside, contrasting nicely with Xavier, who spent that time safely tucked away in a climate-controlled home. It’s our first look at what it took for the people on the outside to survive and a chance to wonder at just how Teri managed to do the same. Did she find a kind group of people who could offer her shelter? Was it a difficult time for her? This slice of the story – Xavier traveling to search for his wife – recalls a lot of other post-apocalyptic stories we’ve seen on TV in the last twenty years, albeit without the threat of zombies. Lots of shades of early The Walking Dead (back when it was a really great story about the strengths and weaknesses of humanity) and The Last of Us (looking at the immediate bond that can form between two people when facing the seemingly insurmountable odds of traveling outside). Hell, if the entire season was just Xavier’s journey to try to find Teri, I would have been satisfied. But it isn’t.

So, once again, I’m here to say that Paradise season two is a mixed bag. If there’s one thing Dan Fogelman and his writing staff know how to do, it’s tell emotionally resonate stories about humanity. And the Xavier arc this season has that in spades – it’s incredibly effective on nearly every level and I was wholly engrossed throughout every moment. And Woodley is such a great addition – steady, utterly compelling, and able to hold the screen on her own. But the Paradise side of things is much less successful. Clunky, at times, relying on characters telling us just what they’re about to do (including some villain mustache twirling), and spending too much time trying to build up tension to moments that we can see coming from miles away. It’s not a bad season – but if the story in Paradise was simplified a bit, maybe if some people actually opted to work together rather than always try to push their personal agenda, it could be a truly great show. But that Xavier arc, and everyone involved in it? Just stellar. A great look at the different facets of humanity, what isolation can do to people, how building a community happens, and what can be done when we work together with a common goal. Just wonderful. And, of course, Brown remains a complete star.

Season two of Paradise premieres on February 23. Seven of the eight episodes were provided for review.