Finally, we return to Paradise, the city in the bunker. Episode 203 has arrived and this post-apocalyptic rabbit hole is getting complicated. They’ve turned up the science fiction up, but it’s a slow burn. Here are THE MAIN QUESTIONS this week, basically our first reactions, a partial explainer, but not quite a recap—with spoilers sprinkled in.
Episode 203: “Another Day in Paradise”
There’s so much going on in the episode, I don’t know how to start. Let’s go with the main beats before the questions. Dan Fogelman and the creative team behind Paradise are mad at billionaires and it shows. Sinatra is awake. Presley (Aliyah Mastin) and Jeremy (Charlie Evans) are on their revolutionary path—Viva! And Nicole (Krys Marshall) knows Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom) is suss. She just can’t prove it. Billy (Jon Beavers) is back, though.
Quote to look out for: “That man needs a breath mint.”
It’s “Another Day in Paradise,” and the machinations go hard. The newly “elected” President Baines (Matt Malloy)—what?—is on an ego trip. He wants Paradise to have seasons, like weather, but there’s not enough power. Why? Sinatra is siphoning it off for a clandestine project. That’s where the flashbacks go harder than the power plays, digging deeper into the bunker’s origins AND Sinatra’s secrets. Gabriela (Sarah Shahi) is attempting to pry those secrets out of her old friend’s mind. She adds psychological games to the mix. It’s just hard to tell who’s outsmarting who.
Nicole is doing her own digging. She finds evidence that Jane lied in her testimony about Billy’s alleged suicide. But that’s not what will do your head in. There’s some kind of super science project that Sinatra hired Billy to “take care of” before the eruption. The Project has something to do with quantum entanglement and those peeks into the future Xavier’s been having. Turns out he’s not the only one. Other people have seen what’s coming, and they’re committed to making sure things play out the way they think they should. That means Jeremy might be a problem, especially since the authorities have him in lock-up. Jane—the woman who keeps slitting the free world’s throat—could be a bigger one.
The Scientist (Patrick Fischler), who was the former head of Sinatra’s Secret Project, had a cryptic question for Billy before he euphanized his wife and took a bullet from our favorite dead assassin. Here’s the thing: the scientist’s wife was named Alex, and the ‘son of his heart’ is a genius quantum physicist, Link (Thomas Doherty). By the end, we find out Sinatra’s housekeeper, Carmen, is the caretaker for another Alex, an Alex who might be the computational brain behind this madness.
What is going on? I can guess, but I can’t tell you yet.
Looking for THE MAIN QUESTIONS from “Graceland” – Paradise Episode 201? Here are our First Reactions, a recap of sorts, and an explainer all in one.
Looking for THE MAIN QUESTIONS from “Mayday” – Paradise Episode 202? We have so many thoughts.
THE MAIN QUESTIONS:
Do you think things happen for a reason, or are they just random?
That question comes up twice. Both times it’s asked by the Scientist who Billy assassinated before the world ended. “Are you here by random happenstance or because you’re supposed to be?” The writers behind Paradise are signaling that the various plotlines are connected and have been for a long time. But in this post-apocalyptic world, we have to wonder what the endgame is.
I miss Billy. Do you miss Billy?
Does the name Link have multiple meanings?
We already know he’s called Link in reference to Zelda or The Legend of Zelda from episode 201. A character who looks like Robin Hood—the original context in which we meet him. However, Zelda’s Link is a ranger—a heroic archetype who’s often adjacent to royalty in epic fantasy. Now that we know Link is headed to Paradise and that part of his origin story aligns with the bunker’s origins, we have to believe his name means he’s linked to the future of Paradise in meaningful ways. His father says that to Billy when he tells him that saving the kid might save the world. Since it’s all connected, could this character be our missing link to The Project and the fate of the world? Is he a remedy for Sinatra or another problem?
I’ve said it before, but who is Alex and what is this project?
We’ve learned The Project has something to do with quantum entanglement and that somehow leads to predicting the future. We also know the Scientist had a wife named Alex, who was somewhat of a second mother to Link. However, the Alex related to The Project on the current timeline is still alive and Sinatra has her. Sinatra made it clear before the end days that she wanted to save the world, but only for her children. Can Earth withstand being remade by Sinatra and the scientific advancements she stole?
Did the breath mint comment tackle you to the ground? How about that chopped, twisted, and screwed remix of “Another Day in Paradise”?
Are they going to keep taking out Bunker Presidents in the United States of Paradise until they get to Kiefer Sutherland? I really need to know who the designated survivor is this time.
Paradise – Episode 203: “Another Day in Paradise”
Streaming: February 23
Director: Ken Olin
Writer: Scott Weinger
