This post contains spoilers from Paradise episode 5 from this point forward.
After an explosive fourth episode, how could Paradise top that unexpected death and all of those shocking revelations? Well, for starters, the new hit Hulu original political thriller slowed down a bit to allow us to catch our breath and fill in the gaps. But the series also went full stream ahead on dropping more bombshells as Xavier carefully plots his next move. (Hint: It's a checkmate.)
"In the Palaces of Kings" finds Xavier learning about the sudden death of his friend Agent Billy Pace, and just like when he found President Cal Bradford dead in his home, Xavier knows that there's something much more sinister at play. He doesn't know who to trust or what's going on, but he's getting closer after episode 5's developments and exploration into President Bradford's final days.
Once again, Paradise concludes its latest episode with another jaw-dropping moment that moves the story forward in ways we didn't see coming, especially since there are still three more episodes left in the season. Without any further ado, let's get into all of the biggest spoiler moments from the episode, including how Cal learned the truth and how Xavier pushed back against Sinatra.
Cal knew the truth before he was killed
In a flashback to 1997, well before Cal became the President of the United States, he meets with his oil tycoon father Kane, and it's their tense relationship in a nutshell. Cal tells his father he would like to step away from the company and teach high school, but Kane will never allow that to happen. The only path forward for Cal is politics to further the family name and Kane's agenda.
In a flashback to his last days, we finally get to see the fight between Cal and his son Jeremy that led to the youngest Bradford's regrets. Kane, who has dementia, confuses Cal and Jeremy and keeps referring to Billy Pace as "sniper." Along with other details about "those four" and being "lost at sea," Cal's suspicions have risen, which he attempts to bring to Agent Robinson.
Later, while heavily drinking alone, Cal's curiosity inspires him to snoop around his tablet to look for answers. He discovers he somehow doesn't have clearance to look at reports about the mission to the surface, but somehow his father does. As Kane snores in a peaceful slumber, Cal uses his hand to unlock the classified files and learns about the survivors, the conditions, and Sinatra's order to Billy (a.k.a. sniper) to kill everyone involved.
Cal seems moved to do something about this breach in justice and transcribes what he's learned in a notebook while making a mix CD for his son. He next has a therapy session with Dr. Torabi, where he expresses his trust in Xavier and gives her a silent message via his palm about Billy. We see his tense meeting with Sinatra about what she's done and her fear about everything learning about the survivors, Jeremy bailing on dinner, and Cal writing the code on the cigarette.
Xavier sends a message to Paradise residents
All the pieces come together for Cal as he gained the courage to expose the truth, and it's clear that he was killed because of that knowledge. But we're still nowhere near closer to finding out who pulled the trigger because it could be anyone. Cal gave Robinson the code to a basement full of guns. Xavier's daughter Presley stole Cal's tablet (which Kane seems to remember, by the way). And then there's obviously Sinatra and her minions.
But Xavier's far from putting these pieces together, as he learns with Jane by his side that Billy has "died by suicide." Jane puts on a brilliant display of grief to mask her responsibility for poisoning Billy, and while it seems to work on Xavier, he doesn't trust anybody. He's even wary of Robinson, and she's the closest thing he has to an ally besides his neighbor and dog owner rebel Carl.
Still, Xavier isn't silly enough to not assume Sinatra didn't have something to do with Billy's death. So, he does align himself with Robinson, who clues him in on the fact that she knows where they can get their hands on some weapons to protect themselves. Xavier also calls in his favor with Carl, who works in the tower and is able to broadcast a message for him in the sky in big, red letters: "THEY'RE LYING TO YOU."
Xavier stands in the street looking directly into the "streetlight" as the message casts a harrowing red glow over Paradise. He's staring Sinatra down into the hidden cameras she's installed, lighting a match he can't blow out. It's officially war, game on, whatever you want to call it. This is what she was hoping to avoid with Cal, but there's no taking Xavier down now.