In many ways, it could be seen as a surprise. When Dan Fogelman, showrunner behind “This Is Us,” unveiled his latest small-screen effort, “Paradise,” last year, it was likely safe to assume his trajectory would continue to be small-scale, possibly in keeping with the familial atmosphere of the seven seasons comprising his multi-award-winning. Indeed, retaining Sterling K. Brown, fresh off his starring role on Fogelman’s now-former ensemble effort, and with a premise that seemed to revolve heavily around the (near-literal) fallout emanating from a political assassination, it did appear to be a step forward in concept, but was there more to what many could easily label as overdone?
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Fortunately, by blending Fogelman’s penchant for late-episode twists, another “This Is Us” carryover, and the reveal that said took place in a massive city housed underground for reasons as yet unknown, Season One represented a well-crafted rug pull that was truly only the beginning of a tipping series of dominoes, ready to move in any direction Fogelman saw fit. With flashbacks adding backstory and a cast completely committed to all that’s unfolding, one season in and “Paradise” sits as a perfect example of political intrigue and post-apocalyptic mayhem working together well.
Expecting to pick up where we left off, the final scenes showed Brown’s Secret Service agent Xavier Collins leave the relative safety of his underground bunker in search of his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), long believed deceased following the horrific world-ending events seen in Season One episode “The Day” but as unexpectedly heard on a radio broadcast, may very well be alive. Season One followed Collins as he navigated the murky waters following the sudden death of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) and, though hardly the only plotline in a sea of many, the investigation as to who might have been behind it all certainly cast a long shadow. Though viewed initially as a suspect, it’s beyond apparent that Presidential advisor Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) played a role; as someone initially tipped off years earlier to what would eventually befall our planet, it was Sinatra’s funding that helped build the bunker, as well as assist in laying out a plan for continuity of government in the aftermath. With the first season primarily focused on Collins’ quest for the truth of who may have been behind Bradford’s murder, it would make sense to continue following in his footsteps as he ventured outside for the first time in years…right?
Wrong. It’s time for another flashback, right off the bat, this time centering on a new character, here played by Shailene Woodley, seen both as a child and as an adult as she copes with unexpected loss as a youth and, years later, her eventual departure from med school. Feeling lost, directionless, and at the end of her rope, her dour mood leads her to the pearly gates of none other than Graceland, also the name of the season premiere, where a job as a tour guide awaits as a form of salvation, or possibly a temporary fix, as she contemplates her next move.
However, when the combination supervolcano/tsunami/nuclear attacks that would come to decimate the globe inevitably occur, sheltering at Elvis’ home sees her survive long enough to encounter a group of marauders, soon revealed to be “the good guys,” as they claim, with the leader eventually forming a connection that would quickly lead to an offer that she accompany said group to Colorado, where a particular bunker lies. Deciding instead to stay behind, a nearby plane crash soon after might be worth investigating, and who might be the pilot?
Yes, it’s Collins, and it’s in his own episode that we see him emerge from the wreckage of his plane, only to subsequently encounter a group of orphaned children before being taken in by our Graceland-dwelling heroine. Her new plan now entails Colorado, where the long-departed group is still heading. Although her demand stands in the way of Collins’ plan to reach Atlanta in hopes of finding Teri, the two soon bond, with the new plan: Atlanta first, Colorado second, now set. However, a particular event was teed up at the end of Episode One, one that is now ready to play out and thrust the show further into “The Last of Us” territory than before. Remind me, this was initially a show set in, essentially, a massive fallout shelter, correct?
Don’t worry. We will get back down there soon enough, with life down below seeing some semblance of forced normalcy with newly elected President/former Vice President Baines (Matt Malloy) attempting to run the show. There’s still plenty of behind-the-scenes chaos ready to launch, with Sinatra now on the verge of leaving the hospital following Collins’ final episode shootout and a clearly false claim that she doesn’t remember much of what happened. Just as quickly, we’ll be back on the surface once again, with Collins now taking to the open, empty road and all that lays in wait. Trust me, if it seems like hope may lie just around the corner, best exemplified when its shown when Bradford suggested the first baby born underground that her name should be Hope, it’s not what it seems, and it’s in this realization that another twist stands at the ready.
In what could be considered something of a twist itself, Fogelman knows how to use each twist far more effectively throughout this second jaunt, even if some later in the season seem a touch over the top, perhaps somewhat unnecessary, though the quality of dialogue overall sees a tighter overhaul following Season One’s exposition-heavy overload. The slow burn, however, does show up here once more, this time present in every scene outside the bunker as the story eventually transitions into Collins’ quest. It’s here that those comparisons to any post-apocalyptic media of the past decade begin to materialize, even tossing in a pinch of “The Mandalorian”; in doing so, differentiating a second trip into “Paradise” quickly begins to offer little any predecessor hasn’t already done, thus forcing the screenwriting need to head back in the shelter and see what’s what. Which is more interesting, an exhaustive journey through the remains of humanity, or that which lies in the bunker, now feeling that there may not be enough in which to substantially care?
Luckily, everyone on board understands the assignment; Nicholson hasn’t lost that ability to show her two faces working in perfect tandem as she orchestrates the next part of her plan, one that clearly has larger implications for any survivors and which may be the motivation for a certain group to head out towards Colorado in pursuit—seeing the dichotomy between Collins in flashback, once a stoic agent at the President’s side, and the weary, hardened, determined Collins of the present, see Sterling K. Brown at his absolute best. In every scene she inhabits, Woodley owns the screen, and the fear Collins feels of her moving him aside once he enters her ecosystem is immediately quelled as the two balance each other beautifully.
Yes, the slowed-down versions of several pop hits, the same heard en masse last season, turn up again. However, one heard during a particular scene in Episode Three does underscore a tremendously emotional moment. Yes, it’s easy to point out the presumed fallacy in trying to squeeze something new, yet seemingly beyond redundant in what might be viewed as a mere change of scenery, into that which Season One established. Yes, it begs more than a few questions about whether there are still scraps of story to tell underground, and whether Collins’ surface-level jaunt has enough to offer in the long term. It’s easy to point out the lengths to which someone might go in their darkest hour. It’s this that powers all that transpires once Collins takes to the skies. Maybe we know where it’s heading. Maybe Dan Fogelman has something else up his sleeve. Either way, it remains interesting enough to stay tuned. [A-]
