This second season of Paradise began with a self-contained episode that took us back to the beginning and told us the story of a survivor. In the fifth episode, we essentially take the ride again.
This time, it helps us get to know Gary (Cameron Britton), the man who appeared at the end of last week’s episode when Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) finally made it to Atlanta. The episode, “The Mailman,” tells the story of how he and Teri (Enuka Okuma) managed to survive.
A lonely mailman
We start five years previously. It’s still some time before the world implodes, and we find Gary working as a mailman. He does his route, gets to know some of his customers, and spends his evenings playing video games. He’s a loner without many connections to the world. The only friend he seems to have is Ennis (Andy McQueen), a fellow game player.
As they pass evenings playing together, Ennis and Gary begin to discuss rumors of the end of the world. They begin to form a plan—one informed by the fact Gary’s Post Office is a fallout shelter. He starts buying supplies to make it survivable, while Ennis starts recruiting. When the end of the world finally comes, they’re prepared.
Gary picks up Ennis, but along the way, he can’t leave a kid on his route, Bean (Benjamin Mackey), behind. Bean’s parents are addicts and checked out. So, he grabs the kid and heads for the shelter. A crash happens, and there they come across Teri. Ennis is hesitant, but Gary invites her to come.
They arrive at the shelter with five others who’ve been selected for their skills—Crystal (Connie Shi), Jackie (Jojo T. Gibbs), Bob (Steven N. Gaynor), Ruth (Karly Rotenberg), and Roberto (Alejandro Patino). Together, they will shelter for 21 days, then live in the Post Office. It’s a blow for Teri, who is emotional after being cut off from her family.
But, over time, Teri finds a purpose. She forms a close friendship with Gary. She invests in Bean and gives him as normal a childhood as this new world allows. And she keeps trying to reach Xavier, while making plans to get to Colorado.
But now she’s been taken. So, Xavier asks how to get her back after hearing Gary’s story.
Rescuing Teri
As it turns out, Teri is being held by an armed group on a train. They have made camp to get supplies before heading out. Gary has told Xavier that Ennis betrayed the group and allowed them to be taken. So, Xavier sets his aim toward getting Teri back. He’s also wary of Gary, who he believes is withholding something.
Xavier gathers supplies and makes a plan—and a bomb. But he needs some more pieces. So, Gary takes him to a swap meet. There, he finds Crystal and Jackie, who had left to move there before Teri’s abduction. They not only help Xavier, but their story also inspires him to leave the baby with them. He’s going to risk it all to get his wife, but he doesn’t want to risk Annie’s child.
So, with the supplies he needs, Xavier heads to rescue Teri. Gary asks why Xavier was willing to trust the ladies more than him. Xavier tells a story about his wife, which gets Gary to open up. He admits that he’s in love with Teri and that she wasn’t in love with him. He shares that he’ll do whatever it takes to help get her back. But, Gary is still holding back.
Gary’s truth
The train arrived a few weeks earlier. Gary and Ennis headed to check it out. Rather than a gang of thugs, they find a welcoming, open, and honest group. The train is bound for Colorado, simply needing more fuel for the journey.
As they walk back, Ennis remarks on how lucky it is for Teri. She has a quick path to getting to Colorado and can even provide her bio diesel. Ennis shares how it’s almost meant to be, despite Gary’s unrequited love for her. At that, Gary shoots and kills Ennis.
This revelation means his story can’t possibly be true. It leads to a question of what really happened to Teri, Bean, and the rest. Worse yet, it leads to a question of where he’s leading Xavier right now.
Thoughts on Paradise season 2 episode 5
We’ve gotten a lot of stand-alone episodes this season, which has prevented us from getting a cohesive flow. With three weeks left, it feels like this second season is going to be a lot of table setting. It’s already been announced that the third season will be the last, which means we probably won’t see reunions or resolutions this season. That can be okay but it feels like there’s some lost momentum here, despite how compelling it’s been at times to see this larger world.
Paradise streams Mondays on Hulu!