Paradise Season 1 Finale Review: I Was Shocked By The Mystery Reveal That Convinced Me The Destination Was Better Than The Journey
Warning: This review contains spoilers for the Paradise season 1 finale
The season finale of Paradisedelivers on the promise of a whodunit. I didn't see the librarian reveal coming, which made Paradise'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, but Paradise is 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. Paradise knows that all too well, and the best flashbacks are in the final two episodes.
A Finale Done Right
The Road Was Rough, But We Got There
Paradise chooses 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. Paradise found its audience over the course of the season and delivered an overall enjoyable finale. Paradise has been confirmed for season 2, and Sterling 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 is a crime drama set in an affluent community where prominent residents' lives upend after a shocking murder.
- Cast
- Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin, James Marsden, Percy Daggs IV, Krys Marshall, Jon Beavers, Cassidy Freeman, Scott Lawrence, Richard Robichaux, Gerald McRaney, Rafael Cabrera, Eddie Diaz, Roberto Portales, Verlon Roberts, Christopher Sanders, Darin Toonder, Laith Wallschleger, Betsy Zajko, Matt Malloy, Tuc Watkins, Geoffrey Arend, Charlie Evans
- Creator(s)
- Dan Fogelman
- The reveal of the killer is good and ties up a big mystery
- Paradise highlighting a new character worked as it justified his existence
- There are still too many flashbacks
