Dan Fogelman gave us one of the worst movies of the past decade with 2018’s “Life Itself.” At the same time, he’s also responsible for some of the best TV shows to premiere since 2015, like the phenomenal fantasy musical “Galavant,” the rather underrated “Pitch,” and, of course, “This Is Us.”
Those last two series are significant because they debuted within a couple of days of each other and share one very big thing in common: their pilot episodes end with a pretty big plot twist that radically changes what you think the show you’re watching is about. This article will not reveal what those twists are, but suffice it to say that Fogelman has a particular style and has continued this trend with his latest TV show, the Hulu political thriller “Paradise.”
“Paradise” reunites Fogelman with his “This Is Us” star Sterling K. Brown. The latter plays Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, the man who discovers the dead body of former U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden, achieving a great balance between playing an inspirational and progressive leader straight out of “The West Win,” and a George W. Bush-esque racist, alcoholic clown).
This is and of itself already makes for a compelling murder mystery from the get-go. It’s a story you want to follow not just to get answers, but also to get the kind of interpersonal, flashback-heavy character drama that Fogelman used so effectively for six seasons in “This Is Us.” Aside from Bradford and Collins, there’s also the intriguing “Sinatra” (Julianne Nicholson), a billionaire with a tragic past whose influence touches every aspect of the show.
And then there’s the obligatory Fogelman twist that comes at the end of the first episode (itself the first part of the series’ three-episode premiere on Hulu and Disney+ internationally). It’s the kind of twist I love to see — one that radically re-contextualize the kind of show you think you’re watching.
The twist is only the beginning of what makes Paradise good
Huge spoilers for the “Paradise” premiere to follow.
It might be early, but reader, the way I jumped in shock the moment I realized what “Paradise” is actually about has only happened with two non-“Lost” shows this past decade: the great anime “Deca-Dence” and every time “Attack on Titan” delivered an incredible, game-changing twist.
At the very end of the first episode of “Paradise,” we learn that the show’s setting — which seemed like an average (if idyllic) American neighborhood — is actually a massive underground shelter deep inside a mountain. That’s right, “Paradise” is not just a murder mystery, but also a post-apocalyptic murder mystery set after some catastrophe wiped out most of the U.S. population. (It’s also tragically funny how much we’ve come to accept that this is what the future will inevitably look like, with shows like “Silo” and “Fallout” similarly telling stories set in underground bunkers after the apocalypse).
More than just a remarkable twist for a sci-fi TV show, this also gives rise to an intriguing theme once “Paradise” reveals more about the preparation work that went into the bunker before it was populated. Through flashbacks that show Bradford’s entanglement with Sinatra, “Paradise” acts as a searing indictment of the way oligarchs can swoop in and grab power on the verge of a disaster. It’s no coincidence that Sinatra is the most powerful person in the bunker despite not technically being President; she even had a hand in picking every single one of the people who would survive the apocalypse.
That’s the key to what makes Fogelman’s twists effective; they don’t just create a mystery, they also clue viewers into what any one of his shows is actually about. In this case, “Paradise” is an exploration of the messy relationship between political power and money, on top of being an enjoyably pulpy thriller. It remains to be seen if the answers to how exactly the world was destroyed and who killed the president are compelling, but one thing is certain: after watching the first three episodes of “Paradise,” I can’t wait to learn more.
“Paradise” is streaming on Hulu.
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