This post contains spoilers from Paradise episode 6 from this point forward.
When we first started watching Paradise on Hulu all those weeks ago, did we ever imagine we would get to this place so soon? This place being Xavier effectively declaring war on Sinatra and attempting to overthrow her power. The ending twist of the pilot wasn't the only punch the show had to pull, and it hasn't slowed down a single bit yet.
Following last week's revelations in the wake of Billy Pace's death and Xavier's pointed message in the sky, Xavier has gone full Die Hard. He hadn't seen the classic action movie before President Bradford had showed it to him, but he's now taking plays from John McClane's handbook and quoting the character as he works with a team of allies to take down Sinatra.
"They're lying to you" was only the first message Xavier had programmed in the sky. He seemingly also had Carl queue up "Do you want to know the truth?" along with "Who is Sinatra?" and "They Can't Take That Away from Me" by Frank Sinatra playing over the dome's loudspeakers with a ticking countdown. Sinatra's in full panic, but the residents don't really know what's going on.
Chaos ensues in Paradise episode 6
Dr. Torabi talks Sinatra out of doing a manual reboot of the sky to get rid of Xavier's message, fearing what the mental and emotional impacts would be on the residents. Torabi also presses Sinatra on what Xavier knows and why he's coming at her like this, fireworks against the tower windows and all. Sinatra initially agrees against the reboot, though she keeps her secrets under lock.
Meanwhile, the episode finds Xavier and Robinson teaming up and going off the grid, along with many others who join their team and remove their tracker bracelets. Sinatra can't find Xavier, so she calls on the help of her secret weapon, Jane. She tracks down Presley at a rally where Jeremy speaks to the crowd about the truth he discover on his dad's tablet. (Presley had the table because she found it in the residence's bushes after she played Wii with Billy. She wanted to get info on her mother.)
It's currently unclear what Jane's plans are for Presley now that she lured her in with her fabricated heartbreak and ice cream. But back in the tower, the threats from Xaiver are getting to be too much for Sinatra, so she demands the reboot. Honestly, the reboot wasn't as dramatic as Torabi made it out to be and the sky returned to normal in what seemed like a matter of seconds.
But the reboot prompts high-ranking officials to be escorted to safety in a calvacade of SUVs, which Xavier obviously tracks. He notices one particular SUV takes off in a different direction, as Sinatra was seemingly tipped off by Torabi. Xavier, armed with one of the many weapons he and his allies stole, arrives at Sinatra's home to confront her. He first finds Torabi on the steps.
Xavier's wife is still alive (allegedly)
Xavier holds Sinatra at gunpoint, having every intention of potentially killing her. But she denies killing President Bradford, though she admits she was going to if he continued to follow the breadcrumbs, learn the whole truth, and inform the public about what she was hiding. It's curious then: Who did kill Bradford if not Sinatra or by her order? It has to be someone connected to her, right?
The beginning of the episode had offered some insight for the first time into Xavier's dynamic with his wife Teri, who flew to Atlanta for work just before all hell broke loose. We'd been under the impression that she didn't survive the nuclear attack that sent everyone into the Paradise bunker, but in a last ditch effort to save her own life, Sinatra tells Xavier that Teri is alive and she will help him find her.
Do we believe her? Not completely. Does Xavier believe her? Probably not, but he's likely on the hook enough to lay down his weapons and see what kind of ball she will play. If there's a chance that Teri is really alive and he doesn't pursue this information that only Sinatra has, he wouldn't forgive himself. Presley wouldn't forgive him either if she were to ever find out.
We're two episodes away from the season finale, and there's no real lead on who killed President Bradford beyond Sinatra. But all of her self preservation moves will be for nothing if she can't meet Xavier and the rest in the middle. She can't claim Teri is alive then not follow through with evidence, no matter how much more that implicates her in shielding the public from vital information.
Episode 6 was the show's most exciting yet with real stakes on the line for both Xavier and Sinatra. Each opposing force is pushed to the absolute limit of their desperate measures. Where they go from here will, fingers crossed, continue to be unexpected. Paradise has wasted no time in propelling the story forward, and it's so close to sticking a perfect landing.