Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown has reunited with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman for Paradise, a Hulu series sci-fi thriller drama series that revolves around a Secret Service agent in charge of the protection of a former US President. The first episode of the series debuted on Hulu and Disney+ two days before the scheduled three-episode premiere of the show, and its ending is causing quite a stir among the viewers. During recent interviews, Brown and Fogelman explained the big twist in those last few minutes of Episode 1.
Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman explain Paradise Episode 1’s ending
Toward the end of the episode, it is indicated that Paradise takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and the “town” the characters inhabit in the premiere episode is a bunker. Further, the episode implies that Brown’s character, Xavier Collins, might be responsible for the murder of James Marsden’s President Cal Bradford because he seemingly believes the other man caused his wife’s death. In separate interviews with Variety, Brown and Fogelman spoke about the ending and what the viewers can expect in the coming episodes.
Reflecting on the concluding moments of Paradise Episode 1, Brown noted how unexpected the big revelation about the bunker can be. “There’s sprinklers on, etc., and then you fast-forward to the end, and come in close, and the sprinklers are releasing dye, because you have to color the grass,” he said. “The ducks are a part that maintained from beginning to end. And then you realize, like, ‘Oh, this is the f***ing Truman Show? Like, are you kidding me? These people are in a bunker?’ Your mind just goes, ‘Boom! You got me again!’ And you’re not expecting it, right?”
Fogelman revealed in his interview with the outlet that there were two mysteries in Paradise. One revolves around the big conspiracy about what happened to the world beyond the bunker. Meanwhile, the other involves the circumstances surrounding the death of Xavier’s wife, what role Cal played in it, and Cal’s murder.
Fogelman stated that the viewers would have all “have answers to all the questions about the big picture mystery of the world” by the end of the seventh episode. However, they have to wait until Episode 8 to get answers to the second mystery.
Following the three-episode release on January 28, the remaining five episodes of Paradise will come out weekly on Tuesdays on Hulu and Disney+.
