“It was never just about the bunker,” declared Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson), or by code name “Sinatra,” in the teaser trailer for season two of the hit Hulu series “Paradise.” With the two first episodes releasing on Feb. 23, the second season takes viewers outside their comfort zone, in a literal sense, and it picks up right where season one left off.
For those unfamiliar with the show, “Paradise” focuses on a small group of the population that have transitioned from normal life to living inside an underground bunker following an extinction level natural disaster. Among those survivors is Xavier Collins, (Sterling K. Brown), a secret service member and his two daughters. Xavier’s wife Teri, (Enuka Okuma), was also supposed to be in the bunker, however could not make it in time when the disaster hit. The bunker is in Colorado, and Teri was in Atlanta when a supervolcano erupted underneath the Antarctic ice sheet. The eruption caused an extremely high tsunami, destroying coastal cities, and covering the sky with a worldwide ash cloud. This caused temperatures to plummet and brought about arctic conditions. While in the bunker, President Cal Bradford is murdered, sending Xavier on a mission to investigate his death and leading him to uncover dangerous secrets.
What makes season two so different from season one is the fact that the characters and audience are no longer confined to the bunker. Season one’s plot took place in one setting, allowing it to be more intricately weaved together. Character interactions were always purposeful and revealed just how complicated, and nuanced their relationships were. In the final episode, everything came together in a shocking finale, tying together all aspects of the story and leaving audiences satisfied. However, in season two, since Xavier travels outside the bunker, two distinct storylines form that make the show feel a bit disjointed.
Inside the bunker, the characters are still trying to uncover mysteries and find out the truth that Sinatra has been hiding. President Bradford’s son, Jeremy Bradford (Charlie Evans), is trying to expose this corruption and has been working with Xavier’s daughter, Presley (Aliyah Mastin).
Outside the bunker, a whole new set of characters are introduced with their own struggles and conflicts. In fact, the first episode of the new season does not even feature Xavier until the final couple minutes. Instead, it centers around Annie Clay (Shailene Woodley), a tour guide at Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion who survived the disaster and has been living there ever since. A group of survivors are also presented and are searching for the underground bunker.
While it is exciting to learn more about the outside world in this season, since there are so many subplots, the main storyline seems to get lost. Unlike season one, which always came back to the murder of President Bradford, this season does not have a central plot. One could argue it does and is Xavier’s mission to find Teri, however due to the sheer scope of this season, it does not feel that way.
It might sound odd to say, but part of the charm of the first season was the mystery of life inside the bunker. It created an eerie tension since the characters had nowhere to go and were confined together. This made the stakes of the show higher, convincing audiences to continue watching. In a sense, it also caused audiences to reflect back on their own lives, and wonder how they would act if they were stuck underground. How would it feel to live in a completely artificial world? A world where that lacks the warmth of the sun, or the sound of birds chirping.
Episodes for this season were released weekly on Mondays at midnight, with the finale airing on Mar. 30. A third and final season of “Paradise” has been confirmed by Hulu with production starting in early 2026. Audiences will not have to wait long either, as a potential release is already being set for 2027. Even though there are a couple faults to season two, “Paradise” is still an intriguing watch that is definitely worth the time. It offers highly emotional characters, a captivating plot, and a constant element of mystery that keeps audiences on their toes.
