‘Paradise’ Review: Sterling K. Brown Investigates a Presidential Murder in Hulu’s Twist-Driven ‘This Is Us’ Reunion

by

Caution: To avoid revealing crucial plot points from Hulu’s latest drama, Paradise, I will instead discuss significant plot twists from Apple TV+’s series, Sugar. Proceed with caution if you wish to avoid Sugar spoilers.

In the series “Sugar”, which debuted in April, Colin Farrell portrays a private investigator based in Los Angeles who happens to be an alien – that’s the final spoiler alert. The twist, unveiled in the sixth of eight episodes, isn’t a departure from the storyline or a surprise turn of events – it is, in fact, the core concept of the show, a captivating hook that turns frustrating because the series invests six episodes in building suspense and dropping hints before explaining why we should have been invested in a rather routine mystery.

As a devoted fan, I appreciated Farrell’s slightly askew portrayal, and the intriguing concept of the series was certainly captivating. However, in anticipation for a second season, I yearn for “Sugar” to truly shine without the frustratingly cryptic hints that made me squirm at times.

[End specific spoilers for Sugar.]

Examining the series “Sugar” was challenging due to the need for critics to engage in a prolonged deception aimed at viewers. This deceit hindered our ability to delve into the true essence of the show – its concept and execution – be it positive or negative.

So it goes.

The series “Paradise” on Hulu, similar to “Sugar,” presents a drama that has an unexpected element as its foundation, but this twist is more or less foreseeable. In the case of “Sugar,” my notes contained three potential solutions for the twist, one of which turned out accurate; in the case of “Paradise,” I only noted two plausible twists, one of which proved correct.

Dan Fogelman’s creation, Paradise, doesn’t prolong its twist unnecessarily. Instead, it lays its cards out quite early and maintains a straightforward approach without being overly mysterious. The twist itself isn’t particularly shocking, as it incorporates elements that are quite common, predictable, and have been used in numerous shows from the recent past. If you’ve seen some of the popular shows from the last few years, you might find yourself saying, “Ah, I see… It’s similar to…” referencing five to ten such series.

Nevertheless, the series titled “Paradise” remains quite captivating overall. It’s primarily propelled forward by the charismatic performances of Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson. Moreover, the conversations exchanged between characters are often witty, although they may occasionally lean towards being too elaborate.

What can I tell you about Paradise?

Brown portrays Xavier Collins, who serves as the head of security for Cal Bradford (Marsden), a former U.S. president now out of office. Xavier, who appears to be in mourning over his deceased wife, has a teenage daughter named Aliyah Mastin and a younger son Percy Daggs IV. They all reside in the charming town of Paradise, which offers a mix between the brightness of Spielberg’s settings and the surreal atmosphere of Lynch’s worlds.

Cal, a prosperous, forward-thinking Democrat from the South, appreciates having a drink, compiling playlists (a detail that becomes significant in the series as it employs poorly done covers of many of his preferred ’80s and ’90s pop tunes), and engaging in friendly discussions about basketball with Xavier.

Later on, Xavier unexpectedly arrives at Cal’s mansion one morning, noticing that Cal is unusually late. He ascends to check on Cal and discovers him lifeless on the floor of his bedroom. Completely deceased. In contrast to his rule-abiding nature, Xavier deviates from standard procedure and starts investigating without alerting any other authorities. This action raises eyebrows when figures such as agent Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall) and enigmatic billionaire Samantha Redmond (Nicholson) learn about it. Matters become even more questionable when security footage implies that Xavier was the last individual to see Cal alive.

In a short span of time, Xavier finds himself relying on his rough-around-the-edges coworker Billy (Jon Beavers) and potentially psychiatrist Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi), as the individuals he feels he can confide in.

Who killed Cal? Is somebody setting Xavier up? Is there a bigger conspiracy afoot?

These things matter, but these things are not really what Paradise is about.

And that’s all that I’ll obliquely say about that!

Fogelman skillfully manipulates time in storytelling to insert puzzles within simple narratives, as seen in Paradise. He strategically introduces moments of perplexity and subsequently clarifies them through flashbacks, enhancing the plot. This technique allows Marsden’s character, who dies early in the pilot, to continue playing a significant role in the series, offering the Jury Duty actor numerous chances to showcase his charming Kennedy-like persona.

Most of the hidden details in Fogelman’s planned revelations for This Is Us weren’t as captivating as he intended. Additionally, the plot twists, which were crucial at first, became less central throughout the series, especially on This Is Us. The flashbacks primarily provided depth and minor details until the seventh of eight episodes, which was shown to critics. This final episode aimed for a significant shift in tone, resulting in an emotionally charged hour of television that didn’t resonate with me as something consistent with what had been presented earlier.

Over the course of the film, Paradise maintains its watchability and emotional authenticity largely thanks to Brown’s performance, a talent Fogelman is well-versed in showcasing. Brown skillfully takes a character that could easily become pompous and inflexible, using his exceptional posture, one of many admirable qualities often overlooked, to inject a touch of humor and a lot of the raw grief and anger he portrays so effectively. He and Marsden, at the top of their game, engage in amusing banter. The third main character, Nicholson, is mostly used sparingly, portraying a character who seems menacingly powerful yet rarely develops beyond that, though she does have some flashbacks that add depth to her role.

The film Paradise‘s watchability and emotional impact are mainly due to Brown’s performance, a talent Fogelman knows how to emphasize well. Brown transforms a character that could be seen as pompous into one with humor and raw emotion by using his excellent posture, among other talents, less often discussed. He and Marsden, both at their best, engage in amusing banter. Nicholson, the third main actor, is mostly used sparingly to portray a powerful yet one-dimensional character, but she does have some flashbacks that add depth to her role.)

The series is peppered with good supporting work.

Beavers, who had brief appearances in two episodes of the now-revealed show “Sugar”, is particularly skilled at playing mischievous characters that could be interpreted as malicious or simply edgy. This role seems poised to become a major breakthrough for him. Furthermore, Gerald McRaney delivers outstanding performances as Cal’s father, a character reminiscent of Joe Kennedy, an influential oligarch who tirelessly worked to secure his son a position in the White House. Glynn Turman graces one episode with his presence, making it even better, as is customary for him. Marshall performs well, but if you want to see all her acting abilities, watch “For All Mankind” instead. As for Shahi, although I generally appreciate her work, I find myself struggling to understand her character; none of the inconsistencies seem to be related to her performance.

The show “Paradise” is marketed as an ongoing drama series rather than a limited one. Once the central mystery no longer drives the narrative, this allows for numerous possibilities in subsequent seasons. It’s possible that when I evaluate these future episodes, I’ll be able to provide more insights on the plot developments.

Read More

2025-01-24 23:55