Hulu Summary:
A security service team gets assigned to safeguard a former president.
FYA Summary:
The Hulu summary does nothing to explain what this show is about, but less is better when it comes to learning about this show before you watch. So, to add a bit of color without giving anything away:
Cal Bradford (James Marsden) is the son of a very rich man, and was groomed from birth to become something more than himself. As President of the United States, he finally comes to terms with just how little control he ever had.
Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) is the latest heroes in a line of heroes, stemming back to his grandfather, who was a Tuskogee Airman. Although he wanted to be a pilot, too, Collins’s eyesight kept him from achieving that goal. Instead, he went into the secret service, and became the man who took a bullet for President Bradford.
As their lives become more intwined, the world becomes irrevocably changed. And when Collins finds Bradford, murdered, in his home, he embarks on a journey of discovery that will throw his entire worldview for a loop. Whether it’s for the better remains to be seen.
Familiar Faces:
Sterling K. Brown as Xavier Collins and James Marsden as Cal Bradford
Collins is a no-nonsense, very good as his job, family man. He loves his kids, he loves his wife, and he loves his position on the President’s detail. Brown plays him with a quiet intensity that demands your attention but also has moments of lightness that are just as poignant. Brown is a brilliant actor, and this role is no exception. (Plus, dude is FIT.)
Bradford is pretty much the complete opposite of Collins. He’s a spoiled rich boy who gained a position of power through the machinations of old white men. He drinks like a fish and is barely there for his wife and son, but they play the part of a loving family to appeal to the American masses. He’s also more than a little racist and sexist. Marsden plays him with a chemistry that will be familiar to anyone who’s seen him in anything else he’s ever done, and it’s easy to understand why Bradford won the presidency. Thankfully, the character also has layers, so he’s not just a boozy bigot (or, you know, all-too-reminicent of real life).
Julianne Nicholson as Sinatra
Sinatra is a mysterious figure who seems to have her finger in all sorts of pies. You learn more about her as the show goes on, and one episode in particular, her story had me sobbing. (Content warning for death of a child.) Nicholson is surprisingly adept at playing someone with so much depth but who is ultimately pretty dang evil (semi-spoiler, sorry); it’s very interesting to see her character’s path.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Call Your Cheering Section
I ended up watching all of this show alone, partly because I couldn’t wait to see it through and partly because I didn’t think my husband would find it all that interesting. But as the show progressed, and as it got more and more twisty, I wanted someone else to be able to talk about it with. I had many predictions, and I had to keep them all to myself. It’s less fun to pat yourself on the back than to have someone look at you with an impressed look when your theories turn out to be true.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Top Shelf Only
There’s a lot of drinking in Paradise, and it’s all quality stuff (for plot … reasons). I wouldn’t get drunk, as there are a lot of plot lines to unravel, but something to keep you relaxed wouldn’t be a bad idea. The show can get very stressful at times.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Sleeper Agent
I binged Paradise over the course of a few days. It was slow at first, but I quickly got sucked in by the interesting and unexpected plot twists, the fantastic acting, and a need to figure out what all was going on. I have my fingers crossed for a second season because there are still many, many, things to learn about this story and the world in which it’s set.
