Paradise Episode 5's Xavier & Robinson Twist Raises The Stakes Against The Show's Big Villain
The following contains spoilers for Paradise episode 5, "In the Palace of Crowned Kings," now streaming on HuluParadise's newest character alliance sets up a clear battle between the show's heroes and villains, who have become increasingly clear following the show's initial approach to more complex shades of grey. Paradise has been a compelling thriller, blending elements of character drama and post-apocalyptic sci-fi into a story about how the privileged struggle to stay in charge following catastrophe. Paradise's characters have been well-constructed, with potentially one-note characters given a layer of complexity that makes morality far greyer than it usually is.
That's been changing in the second half of the Hulu show's storyline, however. The fifth episode of Paradise cements the biggest villain in the cast (as well as their most effective agent), while also allying the show's clearly heroic protagonist with other characters he once bristled against. The result is one of Paradise's episode 5 twists laying the groundwork for the show's big climactic battle, as well as a tease over who remains an unpredictable wild card.
Paradise Teams Up Xavier And Robinson
Paradise Turns The Prickly Enemies Into Important Allies
Image via Hulu
Paradise episode 5 teams up the formerly adversarial Xavier and Robinson, which quietly helps confirm who are the heroes and who are the villains in the twisty Hulu thriller. "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings" splits its focus between the final days of Cal Bradford before the main events of the show and the aftermath of Billy Pace's death in episode 4. As they both grieve their lost loved ones at the local bar, Xavier and Robinson end up finding unexpected common ground. In Paradise's first episodes, neither character trusted one another.
That carries over to "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings," with Xavier admitting that he still can't bring himself to fully trust Robinson. However, their shared fury over the unjust deaths they blame on Redmond leads the pair to team up, forming a plan that could upend the power structure of the city forever by exposing the sheer depths that Redmond has embraced for the sake of consolidating her power. Xavier and Robinson are arguably the only two characters who could bring her down, as their own places of authority in the community perfectly positions them to rebel against Redmond.
Paradise Is Cementing Which Characters Are Heroes And Which Are Villains
Paradise Episode 5 Proves Who Is Heroic And Who Is Villainous
One of the interesting things about Paradise has been the way the show has developed the morality of the main characters. The first few episodes of the show highlighted the complicated motivations behind even seemingly villainous figures like Redmond and Billy Pace. The latter, while committing terrible acts for Redmond, was also shown to be a far more complicated person with genuine goodness and regret in his soul. By the time of "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings," it's become clear which characters the show wants the audience to root for and which ones they want to see brought down.
While it may not be as complex from a personality stand-point, it does give the winding conflicts of Paradise clear heroes with a centralized threat to deal with.
The death of Billy Pace was tragic, and helped cement Redmond as well as her secret agent Jane as overtly dangerous characters. By contrast, Cal Bradford's flaws are shown to not have made him a terrible person, but a well-meaning man who found true agency in his final moments. Xavier and Robinson being aligned together against Redmond ensures that their tensions from the early episodes doesn't detract from their more heroic qualities. While it may not be as complex from a personality stand-point, it does give the winding conflicts of Paradise clear heroes with a centralized threat to deal with.
Paradise's Biggest Wild Card Could Be Playing Both Sides
Gabriela's True Role In Paradise Makes Her A Unique Figure In The Conflict
Image via Hulu
Paradise may still have one major wildcard in play, however. Gabriela has proven a unique figure within the world of Paradise, due largely to her connections to both sides of the conflict between Xavier and Redmond. Having been previously Cal Bradford's therapist before his death, Gabriela is a long-time friend of Redmond who helped her overcome the grief of losing her son while also helping design the city. Meanwhile, her attraction to Xavier led to them sleeping together. However, despite her attraction to Xavier and commitment to Redmond, Gabriela has yet to reveal her true motivations in the show.
During an interview with Screen Rant, Gabriela actress Sarah Shahi discussed her approach to the character and her relationship with Xavier.
Her ability to provide help to either side (and lie to them just as easily) has made Gabriela an interesting wildcard in the latter half of Paradise. She could turn out to be the key to bridging both sides of the increasingly intense conflict between Redmond and Xavier. She could also turn out to be a master manipulator, who could be covering her tracks and her real motivations. Going into the latter half of Paradise, the increasingly clear line between heroes and villains makes Gabriela an even more pronounced wild card than before.
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