Paradise on Disney+: Everything from season 1 you need to know ahead of its return
It's just another day for you and me in Paradise...
Paradise on Disney+ is a show where nothing is what it seems to be, and no one knows that more than Xavier Collins.
As a US Special Agent, it is Xavier’s job to protect President Cal Bradford – so when he winds up dead in his locked office, there’s a lot of questions. There’s also a lot of suspects: Xavier himself being one of them.
So as Xavier goes on a mission to find the culprit and clear his own name, he soon finds himself discovering there is nothing – and no one – you can trust in this world.
With season 2 right around the corner, there’s a lot to remember before you dive in. But don’t worry, we have you covered.
Here are the the key things you need to remember before we return to Paradise on Disney+…
What is Paradise?
So, here’s the thing. Paradise looks like every typical American neighbourhood… except it’s very much not. It’s actually a climate-controlled underground bunker, which just resembles the world left behind.
Officials selected a group of 25,000 citizens and leaders to live there before a catastrophic climate disaster struck, as a series of tsunamis ultimately brought about the end of the world.
As head of the President’s security team, Xavier (Sterling K. Brown) secured spots in the bunker for himself and his two children—but his wife didn’t get there in time, and officials now presume her dead.
Billionaire visionary Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) conceived and built Paradise beneath a mountain. As its creator, she fast-tracked herself into the government that runs it, and now pulls more strings than many people are comfortable with.
Sinatra likes the power though, and is intent on keeping hold of it. She even has her own team of assassins ready to take out anyone who may threaten that power. Her main recruit? A service agent named Jane. Her biggest puppet? President Bradford.
President Bradford’s biggest confidante at one point was Xavier, who saved his life during an assassination attempt. However, their friendship has been fractured since entering Paradise, with Xavier blaming the President for his wife’s death.
What else is Sinatra hiding?
Sinatra is definitely a woman with secrets. Turns out, the outside world isn’t as over as everyone thinks. In fact, an expedition group found survivors still living above ground. Millions of them in America alone.
Unfortunately for them, Sinatra is keen to keep it quiet. After all, why would she give up this perfect utopia she’s created? She’s essentially a God.
In order to keep things under wraps, she dispatches security guard Billy to get rid of those who went on the expedition. When Billy begins to doubt the reasons behind it, she tasks Jane, Billy’s girlfriend, to kill him too, essentially getting rid of anyone who could rat her out.
Who murdered President Bradford?
President Bradford’s murder is just one central mystery in season one. How can someone manage to sneak in to the President’s living quarters, kill him, and leave without a trace?
Xavier is an obvious early suspect. It doesn’t help that he and the President fought shortly before he was found dead. But over time he becomes convinced Sinatra is behind it, even attempting a coup against her.
However, Sinatra destroys his entire theory when she reveals that none of Paradise’s DNA matches the sample found at the crime scene.
Eventually, of all people, it turns out it was Paradise’s librarian, Trent.
As a project manager involved with building Paradise, Trent discovered a chemical compound on the site was killing workers. He promptly fired for raising the alarm.
When his efforts to warn the public had him dismissed as a conspiracy theorist, he took matters into his own hands and tried to assassinate the President. He missed, with Xavier catching the stray bullet instead.
Taken to prison, Trent escaped when the disaster occurred. Getting to get to the bunker in time and desperate to survive, he kills a husband and wife before assuming their identity with another woman. He’s since been living under the radar in the library.
But when the President started becoming a frequent visitor – loving the music archive it has – Trent eventually snapped, battering him to death with a metal rod after sneaking into his own.
As he was never officially meant to be in Paradise, his DNA was never in their records.
Knowing he’s been rumbled, Trent confesses everything to Xavier, runs to the tallest point of Paradise, and jumps.
How does season 1 end?
In the season finale, Xavier is left under pressure when Sinatra kidnaps his daughter. Holding her hostage, she demands Xavier find out who killed the President.
She also reveals his wife survived the disaster above ground, and is still very much alive outside of Paradise, now living in Atlanta, Georgia. To prove it, she provides a tape of his wife’s voice.
When he succeeds, Jane goes rogue. Instead of releasing her as Sinatra requests, she instead claims she’s killed her, leaving Xavier ready to shoot and kill Sinatra.
However, Jane jumps in, shoots Sinatra herself, and allows Xavier to make a run for it. She then chillingly tells Sinatra she has her own plans for her. Looks like the tables have well and truly turned.
Xavier decides to look for his wife, breaking out of Paradise in a ship to find her as the season comes to a close.
What lies ahead for season 2?
There’s a lot of changes ahead for Paradise as it returns on Disney+ on February 23. For starters, we’ll get to see the world left behind after the disaster, and Xavier’s mission to find his wife.
Paradise will see some changes too. Now President Cal Bradford is dead, it looks like his son Jeremy, will take his place. This could cause commotion among the community, especially the billionaires who believe they hold power within the group.
Finally, there’s the Jane/Sinatra problem. Who holds the upper hand in that relationship? What does Jane want from Sinatra?
We don’t have too long to wait to find out…
