When Secret Service agent Xavier Collins rushes in to discover that the president has no pulse, there is nothing he—or the audience—can do besides panic.
The first episode of Dan Fogelman’s newest show Paradise was released on Jan. 26 as a surprise drop. For all who loved Fogelman’s family drama This Is Us, Sterling K. Brown is back in the form of Collins, the head of security for the president. Brown brings his quietly brilliant acting skills to this new role, stealing every scene.
While at first, the show’s plot seems straightforward—the former president is assassinated, leaving his Secret Service team disconcerted—the entire premise of the series is challenged by the end of the first episode. This unique twist makes viewers yearn for more as questions arise about the show’s true setting and theme.
Paradise opens with Collins jogging through his picture-perfect small town, waving to neighbors and leaving notes for his kids. The glimpse of a bullet scar on his shoulder, however, is one indication that all is not as idyllic as it seems. It is later that morning that the plot commences, as Collins discovers former President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) has been murdered in his bedroom.
The show cuts between five years prior and the present, allowing the viewer to slowly fill in the details along the way. Having to piece together details between past and present, the audience is left to wonder what caused the stark differences between the two timelines.
After discovering the assassination, Collins calls for a lockdown and lets only two trusted colleagues, Billy Pace (Jon Beavers) and Jane Driscoll (Nicole Brydon Bloom), know what happened. Collins orders them to take mental pictures of as much evidence as possible before the authorities take over.
In flashbacks, viewers see the close camaraderie that develops between the charming, charismatic, but clearly troubled President Bradford and Collins. This bond grows stronger after Collins saves Bradford from an assassination attempt, with the president then inviting him into his inner circle.
Brown’s acting conveys more emotion with a single glance than most can do with a whole scene of dialogue. His solemn expressions make the audience feel like they are experiencing the stress of an actual Secret Service agent who is trying to navigate the death of the president.
Collins and Bradford’s complex relationship changes greatly over the five years. Marsden’s humor contrasts with Brown’s seriousness, creating an interesting dynamic between the two that entertains viewers while simultaneously raising questions about the nature of their friendship and what exactly may have caused the eventual rift between them.
Constant foreshadowing of Bradford’s death—and some unknown world danger—adds to the suspenseful music and sudden camera movements to give the show an eerie and disturbing feeling as if there is, even more, the audience does not know.
In the final scene of the episode, Collins is jogging through the town, while a haunting cover of Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise” plays in the background. The camera begins to pan to details in the outside world that turn the plot on its head and leave viewers stunned. What was once a commentary on modern-day politics turns into a dystopian scene, successfully setting up a promising rest of the season.
These subtle but chilling scenes are disturbing and push the audience to ponder what could be occurring both in this town and the outside world. Fogelman does a great job using the final minutes of the premiere to elicit questions that are sure to bring viewers back for answers.
