The second season of "Paradise" is different from the first. It expands the show's universe, introduces many new characters, and alters the fundamental format of the series in some important ways. It's also much easier to now categorize "Paradise" as a post-apocalyptic melodrama similar to "Station Eleven" or "The Last of Us," except "Paradise" is more hopeful about humanity than either of those shows, and avoids the bleakest material. I never believed for a moment that our main character, Xavier Collins, was ever in any real danger as he searched the ruins of America in search of his missing wife.
However, "Paradise" is still capable of some pretty strong dramatic hours of television, presenting several compelling portraits of different characters in the show's universe. The season opener is about a tour guide at Graceland named Annie (Shailene Woodley), and her experience of the apocalypse and its aftermath. Another is about a mailman, Gary Jones (Cameron Britton), and his survival story. While much of the season is spent with Xavier, "Paradise" also keeps an eye on what's going on with the community he left behind in Colorado. Agent Driscoll from last season gets a spotlight episode as the character dynamics of the rest of the regular cast go through some shakeups.
The eight-episode season seems a little too short, considering how much incident is packed into some of the storylines, but I thought that the creators did a decent job regardless. While the plot twists often feel a little unlikely, the execution is always very good. The deaths feel meaningful, big decisions carry weight, and the character arcs are satisfying, even if the logic of certain developments isn't quite there. I get a sense that some elements are being set up for a potential third season that doesn't exist yet and may never exist, which is a little infuriating. However, "Paradise" also manages to pull off some really good twists and subversions in a way that only happens when you have seasoned television writers who understand how to write good melodrama. And that's rarer than you'd think when it comes to big, expensive genre shows these days.
The shape and the strengths of the series have become clearer. Nearly all the best episodes of "Paradise" to date have been the little individual character studies, episodes that break away from the main stories and dig into people's pasts. Sure, the big apocalypse flashback from the first season is still the high point of the show to date, but where "Paradise" has been consistently excellent is in how it explores the lives of specific individuals. So many of the people who cross paths with Xavier this year are complete strangers to him, but their stories are just as compelling and eventful. The way that the show gives these smaller histories the narrative space to play out in meaningful ways is the big thing that distinguishes "Paradise" from most other post-apocalyptic shows.
There's still plenty of genre material too - the finale features several impressive large scale action set pieces that feel appropriately epic. Getting to that point is pretty rocky this year, though. The Colorado storyline is the weaker part of this season, reorienting to focus on Sinatra, Agent Driscoll, and Sarah Shahi's therapist character, Dr. Torabi, who find themselves in the middle of a power struggle as outside threats emerge. A couple of additional episodes really could have helped here, if only to keep much of the talented cast from feeling underutilized. As for Xavier's storyline, I won't spoil whether or not he finds his wife, but I imagine that this also would have played out better over a longer stretch of episodes.
Still, I appreciate that the season wraps up pretty conclusively and manages to find a natural end point, in case this turns out to be the last season. The alternative would be "The Last of Us" approach, where the material for one season got awkwardly split up over two, with a very long gap in between. This season's ending might be rushed, but it's serviceable. Of course, the door is left open for more, and if the show does come back it's very likely going to be a very different show again. I think I'd be okay with that.
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