Take the most affluent and influential people in the world, move them into a private community with well-funded schools, pristine parks, zero homelessness, and ample free time, and you have a utopia, right? The new, Hulu drama Paradise is less optimistic, but it’s a really good time for viewers. As political thrillers go, Paradise is great, featuring intriguing characters, plenty of social drama, and a giant slice of conspiracy.
The touchstone for viewers is Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), a Secret Service agent charged with protecting the community’s most famous resident, U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). It should be an easy gig since the community is small, pristine, and seemingly secure. Alas, things go wrong, and Collins finds himself unwinding a taut mystery that may involve the most powerful members of his ridiculously well-connected society. Adding to the complexity is the fact that Collins blames the president for the recent loss of his wife. Because of this, Collins is jaded, angry, and insanely protective of his teenaged daughter and even younger son.
Created by Dan Fogelman, also responsible for Brown’s breakout hit This is Us, Paradise seems like a stew created by tossing White House Down, The Handmaid’s Tale, and All the President’s Men into a boiling pot. That’s a simplistic analogy, of course, but it is helpful when explaining a complex thriller without revealing the intriguing twists … and there are several.
Brown is an extraordinary actor, and Agent Collins is, to put it bluntly, a badass. He is kind, but also ruthlessly devoted to family and duty. Despite carrying scars from a serious past injury, he is an impressive physical specimen who doesn’t fear confrontation. In a community of stuffed shirts, black ties, and soft hands, he is dangerous.
Marsden is equally wonderful as Bradford, and – as is often the case – his fictionalized version of the U.S. president inspires more confidence than most who actually hold the job. It doesn’t matter that he dies in the first episode because Paradise is a reconstruction, and Bradford is always present in memory. Viewers start with the tragedy and follow Collins as he slowly assembles puzzle pieces.
The show also has episodes that step beyond Collins’s point of view to offer background on other key players, including Bradford; Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson), the architect of the idealistic community; and Billy Pace (John Beavers), Collins’s most trusted fellow agent. Each episode brings Collins and the audience closer to a full understanding of the community they inhabit. It’s a splendid and tense ride with great acting throughout.
Hulu made all but the final episode available for review. It is, perhaps, the best compliment I can offer to say, I really want to see the closing installment.
Author Bio:
Forrest Hartman is Highbrow Magazine’s chief film critic.
For Highbrow Magazine