GoKawiilSeason 2 of Paradise came to an explosive end on Monday, but by all accounts, this isn't the end (it's been renewed for a third season, after all). The second installment of Dan Fogelman's hit Hulu series took a major genre turn, straying from the dystopian disaster-drama vibes of season 1.
Over the past eight episodes, the show, which stars Sterling K. Brown as fugitive Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, has expanded into sci-fi territory. Now that a giant AI quantum computer named Alex has been revealed as the one running things, all sorts of questions are swirling about where the story will go in its third season.
Season 1 ended with Collins charting a plane out of the bunker to track down his missing wife. Most of season 2 followed him as he completed his mission. That process played out with him acquiring a newborn baby, contending with a lonely mailman with a deadly crush and venturing back to the bunker to reunite his family, only to be faced with a pending nuclear meltdown and the reveal that he's probably the only one who can save the world and make it all go back to normal.
OK, I admit -- that was a lot. Honestly, I'm unsure how things will pan out moving forward. But, like all of you, I've got some pressing questions about how it all ended. There are major story spoilers ahead, so tread lightly if you're not caught up. Otherwise, let's unpack the Paradise season 2 finale.
So, is Dylan Sinatra's dead son?
Thomas Doherty stars in Paradise on Hulu. Disney/Ser Baffo
Let's start here. Season 2 of Paradise introduced a woman named Annie who found shelter in Graceland, of all places. After living there for some time, a group of marauders entered Elvis's old home to find shelter and supplies. It took some time for them to all get cozy together, but the group eventually earned Annie's trust. And then she got intimate with Dylan.
It was in these early moments that she overheard the group's plan to head to the bunker in Colorado to "kill Alex." Annie didn't go with them on the trip, but months later, she met Xavier after his plane crashed. Annie, now very pregnant, wanted him to take her to the bunker for safety, while his whole thing was tracking down his wife. And then she died during childbirth and left the baby with Xavier.
This whole time, Dylan and his crew continued their mission to infiltrate the bunker. He ended up meeting with Sinatra face-to-face, who became fully convinced he was her dead son and that Alex was to blame. How is that possible? Well, I admit that quantum computing is super confusing to me, but the idea is that Alex is a technological marvel that can predict the future, but also plays with time and presents anomalies to those affected by it -- which is, I think, everyone.
In simpler terms, I think we're dealing with alternate realities here. This would explain the appearance of Sinatra's dead son and her message to Xavier at the end of the episode, which implies that he's the only one who can save the world and make things right -- because it was already decided by Alex.
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