This article contains spoilers for ‘Paradise’ Season 2.
Given today’s television climate, where it often takes years to produce eight episodes, a series returning a year after its first season is a rare achievement. Matching the quality of an outstanding debut is even more unlikely. Yet Paradise accomplishes this with apparent ease. Season 2 debuts with three episodes on Hulu on February 23, followed by weekly releases through March 30. The swift turnaround is especially impressive given the show’s scale and ambition as a post-apocalyptic political sci-fi thriller. Overall, it proves that production speed and quality need not be mutually exclusive.
Paradise‘s first season drew viewers into a mystery surrounding a presidential assassination, only to reveal later that the story takes place in the titular post-apocalyptic bunker. Season 1 flashed back and forth between the past and present to reveal the truth about what happened to the President (James Marsden) and why Paradise was built in the first place. Marsden returns in Season 2 through flashbacks.
Season 1 followed Special Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) and the billionaire-turned-public official Samantha ‘Sinatra’ Redmond (Julianne Nicholson). Set in the present day, the pair investigate the President’s murder. Flashbacks reveal that Xavier lost his wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma), at the end of the world. Meanwhile, the death of Sinatra’s son, Dylan, haunts her, a theme that continues in Season 2.
However, Sinatra later reveals to Xavier that Teri may be among the survivors on the surface. The first season ends with Xavier boarding a plane and leaving the Colorado bunker to find her. Season 2 picks up from this moment, expanding the world beyond Paradise as Xavier encounters other survivors. This includes Annie, a Graceland tour guide, played by Shailene Woodley. While Woodley’s role may not be circumstantial across the season, it is the one viewers will not forget, allowing her to reach heights she has not attained since Big Little Lies.
Through Annie, we meet Link (Thomas Doherty) and his biker gang. Annie has spent nearly two years alone at Graceland following the tragedy, until the men abruptly confront her. After forcing her out of isolation, a cautious bond begins to form. Link reveals they believe a bunker exists in Colorado, describing an underground city with supplies found nowhere else. These include aeroplanes, electrical grids, and energy sources capable of jump-starting the world. The show explores not only who these survivors are now but who they were before disaster struck, moving between past and present.
Sterling K. Brown delivers a tour de force performance as Xavier, a man driven by the singular goal of reuniting his family. Leaving Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and James (Percy Daggs IV) with Robinson (Krys Marshall) in Colorado, he journeys to Atlanta to find Teri after receiving word that she sent a radio transmission from somewhere near the city centre. His storyline in the early episodes, particularly his interactions with a group of orphaned children in Episode 2, provides some of the season’s most emotionally devastating moments. Brown’s chemistry with Shailene Woodley proves equally compelling.
Julianne Nicholson returns as Sinatra, waking from a month-long coma after Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) shot her in the neck. A flashback sees Sinatra questioning Dr Louge (Geoffrey Arend), revealing she is unaware of Venus syndrome. Louge warns that the apocalypse goes beyond a single catastrophic event: survival does not mean safety; initial devastation may only be the beginning.
Sinatra refuses to let her family live in “a hole” for decades. With both the motive and the resources, she will do whatever it takes. Yet Louge reminds her that the one thing capable of fixing this is time, something even billionaires cannot buy. Nicholson delivers a remarkable performance, portraying a woman so utterly convinced of her vision that she will sacrifice everything else to achieve it. This includes reclaiming her position from President Baines (Matt Malloy). Tension within the bunker slowly comes to a head, with paranoia and power plays threatening to undo the little stability that remains.
Elsewhere, Nicole Brydon Bloom embodies Jane’s sinister presence, creeping under your skin at every turn. Season 2 delves deeper into her backstory as she emerges as a key player within the bunker, orchestrating events behind the scenes while maintaining a loyal façade for discretion’s sake. After all, Sinatra is of no use to her dead. It’s not enough to keep Robinson and Dr Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi) at bay, however. Their growing unease only heightens the tension Paradise does so well to create, as Jane’s influence becomes harder to ignore and trust within the bunker begins to unravel.
The first four episodes are fast-paced, drawing viewers into the story. While Paradise as a whole stands as an ode to humanity and community, this theme resonates most strongly here. Creator Dan Fogelman underlines the importance of human connection, a message well-suited to the times we live in. Episodes 5 and 6 slow the pace but remain important, nonetheless. Episode 7 is a triumph, ending on a cliffhanger that will leave viewers thinking of little else in the week that follows. If there were ever an episode suited for an awards push, this would be it.
With seven episodes available at the time of writing, Paradise‘s sophomore season already stands as an impressive feat, cementing it as one of the best shows currently on television. If you have not yet watched Season 1, make sure you do before Season 2. Event television feels rare now, but one thing is certain: Paradise is it.
