Just as President Cal Bradford predicted during one of his early tours of what was to become of the bunker, the empire his administration had built has finally crumbled. In Paradise season 2, episode 8, "Exodus," the carefully crafted re-creation of society comes to a brutal and destructive end as nearly everyone must escape the bunker that survivors had called home for three years.
"Exodus" blends every main plot from season 2 together while delivering on the payoff of seeing legitimate stakes play out for the bunker. Everything from Xavier and Teri's reunion with their children, Presley and James, to Dylan meeting his and Annie's daughter for the first time is given an opportunity to shine.
It is a culmination of everything season 2 had worked toward. However, for as much as the season 2 finale may have pulled all the right strings and set itself up for a massive final season, this installment of episodes as a whole bounced back and forth in stakes, emotionally driven moments, and struggles in keeping the main characters apart for far too long.
In its first three episodes, Paradise season 2 is three completely separate shows. The season premiere, "Graceland," is a complete deviation from where season 1 had left off. Rather than following Xavier in the immediate aftermath of his leaving the bunker, "Graceland" is all about a newly introduced character, Annie, and the trauma she faces surviving the natural disaster on the surface.
As its own episode, "Graceland" is solid. It establishes the emotional devastation and drastic stakes in place for all those who were not in the safety of the bunker. Annie's slow acceptance of newcomers also sets the tone for the emotional stakes that follow, as Annie is later revealed to be pregnant. The revelation of Annie's pregnancy places more questions at the center of the series in episodes 2 and 4, "Mayday," and "A Holy Charge," which dive deeper into the dangers of what it means not to have doctors, nurses, and an established medical team in place for when something goes wrong. "
Graceland," in some ways, perfectly describes season 2 as a whole. There are several solid episodes; however, they work better as individual pieces rather than acting as a collective narrative.
Although Xavier shows up in the final moments of "Graceland" to show that he is, in fact, going to be sharing the screen with Annie, "Mayday" is the one that finally gives answers about Xavier and the start of his journey. Xavier's centered episode is all about his desperation to reach his wife. But, seeing as his plane crashed in Memphis, not Atlanta, he still has a while to go before he can finally see Teri again.
"Mayday" is entirely about Xavier, and for some reason, a group of children who had survived the apocalypse but are not relevant again for the rest of the season. "Mayday" introduces a few obstacles, but none that last longer than the one episode. In comparison, the season's third episode, "Another Day in Paradise," is entirely about what is going on in the bunker.
This is part of where season 2's structure falters. At the conclusion of "Another Day in Paradise," Jane kills President Baines. However, the aftermath of this is not relevant again until the season's sixth episode, "Jane."
In theory, the murder of a second president in the bunker, not that long after President Bradford had been killed, should have been a big deal and resulted in the residents of the bunker becoming scared or angry. However, there are two whole episodes between Jane committing this murder and returning to the bunker.
Xavier's separation from the rest of the main characters causes a decline in the stakes for the bunker. As the main character, Xavier's story is the one that holds more weight narratively and emotionally. He set out on a journey, not entirely knowing what he would find, in a mission to reunite with Teri.
Of course, that does not happen right away. Yet Xavier's main mission in being away from the bunker also means that nothing inside the bunker can happen too quickly. Sinatra, Jane, Nicole Robinson, and the rest of the residents underground are mostly filling time and space until Xavier finally returns with Teri.
Paradise finally blends all of its storylines together in one episode in "The Final Countdown," which is the first episode of the season that actually finds the time for all of its main plot lines. To its credit, most of season 2 does not feel rushed. The sporadic nature of the way the season is written never comes across as if the audience is waiting so long for Xavier and Teri to come face to face again.
Instead, Paradise demonstrates a strong presentation of the build-up to understanding Xavier and Teri's backstory as a couple, as well as learning what Teri had gone through before they reunite. The decision to devote episodes to understanding Teri's and Jane's backgrounds helps give a better understanding of the circumstances that led each of them to the present day. Choosing to make sure that neither episode was entirely taking place in the past was also a benefit, as the present-day plot moved forward as well.
Season 2 has many exciting elements happening, but it cannot help but struggle under the weight of so many storylines occurring in different locations. It took time away from storyline development and character growth. Paradise's second season also did not devote as much time as it could have to truly understanding how those on the surface had actually survived the drastic climate changes. The choice to remain with Annie, who never left the house, prevented the ability to have a greater grasp of what it meant to leave an initial hiding spot and explore the world in the aftermath of all the destruction. Yet, this is a story that is wide open to tell in season 3.
The destruction of the bunker and the 100-mile journey to Alex, the AI robot, means seeing parts of the country that no one had seen since going underground. How do the survivors who were underground and acting like every day was normal react to the void the apocalypse left behind? How will they react to those who have lived drastically different lives, fighting for scraps of food and building a community in comparison to the sheltered existence they have been living for the last three years?
Season 2 sees Paradise taking its place among one of the more captivating dystopian futures or post-apocalyptic series available. Its unique first season helped lay the foundation for a series that, in many ways, felt original even in a very familiar genre. With its conclusion, Paradise steps further into science fiction due to its connection with AI. The second season's struggle with its multi-location storylines was prominent. However, that never stopped the show from being an emotional thriller.
Stay tuned for more news about Paradise season 3!