[Editor’s note: The A.V. Club‘s recaps of Paradise begin February 23.]
The first season of Hulu’s Paradise had such a gotcha premise that the company asked critics not to even reveal what the show was about in pre-air reviews. Like a lot of series with incredibly high concepts, Dan Fogelman’s thriller felt like something that was nearly impossible to maintain over multiple seasons. The truth is that out-there premises often lose some of their luster as time goes on, and while some shows have found their way through the weeds (Severance, Lost), others never recovered from failing to present new ideas as interesting as their first ones (Heroes, Westworld). On which side of the historical ledger will Paradise fall? While the end of the second season hints at a potential Lost-esque recovery, the truth is that the bulk of this year lives in the shadow of the last.
Paradise‘s second season opens with what is almost a standalone short film, a brave move to sideline the show’s three Emmy nominees that fans have been hoping to reconnect with for almost a year. Instead, we meet Annie (Shailene Woodley), a Graceland tour guide who we watch through the near-apocalypse that fell upon the Earth and forced the most powerful people in the country into an underground city. A show that opened by detailing the people who were lucky enough to be chosen to avoid the end of the world starts on the other side of the bunker here, allowing a window into what happened. (Think tsunamis and ash clouds.) Annie meets another key player in Link (Thomas Doherty), a leader who comes upon Graceland and forms a connection with her on his way to a rumored safe haven in the Rocky Mountains.
Of course, Paradise isn’t going to only be about two new players in the home of Elvis. Eventually, Annie crosses paths with Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), the Secret Service agent who ended last season by taking off in a plane to find his wife Teri (Enuka Okuma), who he believes could still be alive in Atlanta. Xavier spends this season outside of “Paradise,” which gives the show a very different energy than season one. It’s no longer a mystery about a man trying to solve a murder in an impossible place; it’s something closer to The Walking Dead for large stretches as Xavier encounters other survivors on his quest to find the woman he loves. It would be a spoiler to reveal who he meets along the way, but part of the problem with season two of Paradise is it feels like it divides its captivating protagonist from what works best about the show: a deconstruction of how idyllic settings can’t exist without pain, class, and subjugation.
Naturally, Fogelman & co. haven’t completely left Colorado. Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) survived the chaos of the end of last season but doesn’t seem to remember the role played in all of it by the sociopathic Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom). Nicholson is such a phenomenal actor that she holds interest every time the show spins back to the bunker, but the rest of the ensemble often seems adrift. The writers can’t figure out what to do now with Dr. Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi), who suspects things about Sinatra and Jane but can never quite figure it out. Nicole (Krys Marshall) is similarly adrift, used as a pawn late in the season instead of being further fleshed out as a character. Perhaps the most interesting Colorado arc this season goes to Jeremy (Charlie Evans), the son of the deceased President (James Marsden, effective but minimized in fewer flashbacks), who has now been forced into the rebellion against a new regime. And Jon Beavers deserves some praise for a few key beats for his work as another Secret Service agent, Billy Pace, a more morally pliable counter to Xavier’s hero.
Paradise follows a similar structure to season one, with extended flashbacks cut together with present-day material (the former designed to comment on the latter). Fogelman’s voice from This Is Us can be heard loudest in the relationship material, such as in an extended episode in which it’s revealed how Xavier and Teri met. Without spoiling, the backdrop of Xavier and Teri doesn’t say much about their relationship beyond their loyalty to one another, which was already readily apparent. Flashbacks in season one (such as Sinatra’s heartbreaking story of loss) felt like they illuminated the present-day choices by these characters more than they do this time around. It doesn’t help that several of the new characters—Woodley’s most of all—feel generally wasted by the time their arc is complete.
That said, Paradise can still be very watchable. It’s the kind of show that’s easy to pull apart when one considers its missteps, but the production value, quality of the ensemble, and overall plotting keep it moving in ways that a lot of saggy streaming shows don’t. Brown is just consistently engaging as a performer, able to elevate material and add depth. You believe every choice made by Xavier, even the wrong ones, and that’s a testament to the actor’s ability to sell his characters. And he’s not alone. There aren’t bad performances on Paradise, and there are several good-to-great ones. Plus, on a technical level, this show is often excellent, especially in its editing, which has to intertwine characters across not just hundreds of miles but through flashbacks and back again.
Hulu sent critics all but the series finale for review, and, just like last season, things are building to an impactful ending. If the second season sticks the landing and sets things up for an inevitable third outing, then a lot of the qualms above will surely be forgiven. Maybe it’s all setup, a bridge to what could be an impressive, tighter third outing. If the loose threads of this season are tied together in a way that pays off next year, Paradise will have avoided the curse of shows that never capitalized on their initial wonder. But right now it feels stuck more in TV purgatory than paradise.
Brian Tallerico is a contributor to The A.V. Club. Paradise season twopremieres February 23 on Hulu.
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