Who Killed President Cal Bradford In Paradise? The Twist Explained

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Hulu’s freshman sci-fi series “Paradise” has concluded its inaugural season, captivating many viewers due to standout performances from James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown, along with fans of “This Is Us” eager for creator Dan Fogelman’s latest venture. Initially, the show appears to revolve around Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) investigating the surprising assassination of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). However, by the end of the first episode, it becomes apparent that a multitude of other intriguing events are unfolding beyond just a high-profile murder.

Although James Marsden delivers a remarkable performance as Bradford (glimpsed in flashbacks), the death of the President gradually becomes less crucial to unravel in each episode, particularly as characters like the mysterious billionaire Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) and secretive Agent Robinson (Krys Marshall), who was involved with the President, are cleared as suspects. However, it’s eventually disclosed that the killer had been right before our eyes all along; the city librarian, Trent (Ian Merrigan), was actually responsible for Bradford’s murder.

It transpires that Trent doesn’t primarily function as a librarian; instead, he has ties to the world dating back before an apocalyptic occurrence that drove humanity underground. In this series “Paradise”, all characters reside in a massive, intricately designed underground bunker resembling a spotless, affluent American city. The intriguing enigma for the audience lies in discovering why they’re there.

The librarian did it (sort of)

As a dedicated gamer, if I were Samantha Redmond, billionaire and climate-conscious visionary, learning from a scientist about Earth’s imminent doom, my instinctive response would be to dive headfirst into building an underground sanctuary within the sturdy embrace of a Colorado mountain.

In this grand endeavor, I’d have Ian Merrigan, a seasoned construction foreman, leading the charge. During the course of our mission, he uncovers a lethal mineral called arsenopyrite that threatens to claim the lives of my hardworking crew by the project’s end. Feeling a sense of duty and concern for those under his command, he brings this alarming discovery to the attention of the lead architect on the project, pleading for their safety.

However, instead of addressing his concerns with understanding and urgency, I, Samantha Redmond, choose to dismiss him, leaving Ian and his team exposed to a fate they do not deserve.

The site supervisor grows fixated on uncovering Redmond’s secret construction in the mountains, but his concerns fall on deaf ears. He makes an attempt to assassinate President Bradford on the White House lawn, only to be thwarted when Xavier Collins steps in front of the bullet. On the day of the massive Antarctic supervolcano eruption that triggers a colossal global tsunami, the site supervisor manages to escape prison, head towards the bunker entrance, murder Trent — who was actually the librarian — and his wife, grab a hapless woman along the way, and (posing as the librarian and his wife) successfully gains access into the subterranean city.

In a relentless pursuit of vengeance for those overlooked and underestimated, I, a gamer on a mission, infiltrated President Bradford’s private sanctuary, striking him with a lethal rotary drill bit. Though he clung to life, Bradford managed to send a final message to Xavier before I ended his struggle. With the city’s watchful eyes averted, I fled the scene.

Later, armed with the directions to the hidden bunker that Bradford had left for Xavier, I attempted my escape. However, pinned down by Collins and Robinson on the city’s scaffolding, I found myself in an unescapable corner. In a final act of defiance, I chose to take my own life rather than face the consequences of my actions.

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2025-05-05 21:30