The following contains spoilers for Paradise episode 5, "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings," now streaming on HuluParadise has revealed a major secret about the state of the world in episode 5, which could introduce plenty of complications and new threats to the show. Paradise follows the inhabitants of a small community that have survived the apparent end of the world underneath a massive mountain. Paradise's characters have been struggling to reckon their own survivor's guilt with the machinations of the powerful within their community, setting up a show that shifts from sci-fi thriller to human exploration scene by scene.
The fifth episode of Paradise further pushes the mystery surrounding Samantha Redmond, the wealthy tech CEO who has become a major figure within this community. The previous episode, "Agent Billy Pace," revealed she had been forcing the titular special agent to carry out assassinations for her, ensuring her power within the city remains absolute. However, the true motivation behind these killings could actually be the key to expanding the world of Paradise and introducing plenty of new possible threats.
Paradise Confirms People Survived The End Of The World Outside
Paradise's Scientists Confirmed That Other People Survived The End Of The World
Image via Hulu
Paradise's fifth episode, "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings," confirms that other people survived the apparent end of the world, which could become a major beacon of hope for some — and stands as a major threat to people like Samantha Redmond. "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings" focuses on flashbacks through the life of Cal Bradford, including much of his final day before being assassinated. It turns out that Cal had been unaware of Redmond's decision to have the scientists sent to the surface killed, preventing them from revealing the truth about the continued existence of life on the surface.
Hulu's new action thriller series looks to be a great replacement for Apple TV+'s acclaimed sci-fi drama Silo with its similar dystopian setting.
"In the Palaces of Crowned Kings" confirms that the scientists didn't just prove that the air is breathable and that the environment is adapting, but they also seemingly located a survivor. Despite Redmond's orders to the group, the scientists defined her and were in the process of bringing this survivor back to the hidden city when Redmond ordered their deaths. The fact that there is at least one survivor on the surface suggests there could be more as well. This could be the key to preventing the potentially grim fate that awaits Paradise's relatively small population.
Why Redmond Is Nervous About The Outside World's Impact On Her City
Redmond Makes A Good Case For Why People Would Fear
Image via Hulu
On the surface, Redmond's decision to have four innocent scientists murdered to keep her authority enforced is a purely villainous move. However, Redmond's conversations with Billy in the previous episode and with Cal in "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings" suggests she does have some rational concerns. There's the very real possibility that they could overtax their supplies if they start bringing people into the city, potentially leading them to starvation. There's also the concern that other survivors could see the hidden city as a target.
Given that Remond's entire purpose behind building the city was to protect her family, all of these possibilities make sense as reasons to fear the outside world impacting the city.
It's been repeatedly referenced, especially in "In the Palaces of Crowned Kings," that very few actual firearms are in the hidden city. It wouldn't be enough to force back an army of potential invaders. If words gets out from the survivors that there's a place with plenty of supplies and energy, it wouldn't be impossible for more vicious survivors to stage an assault on the city. Given that Remond's entire purpose behind building the city was to protect her family, all of these possibilities make sense as reasons to fear the outside world impacting the city.
Paradise Could Introduce Rival Cities
Paradise Could Be Setting Up Season 2 Storylines By Introducing More Survivors
Paradise introducing the existence of other survivors is a potential game-changer, especially if the show were to receive further seasons of possible spin-offs. Other survivors could bring a very different outlook to the setting of Paradise, especially as they potentially wrestle with what made them disposable enough not to be invited to the city. Even bringing in new survivors to the city could spur on that sort of conflict, laying the groundwork for more conflict. The underground city might not be the only community that survived the apparent end of the world.
At the time of writing, Paradise has not been confirmed to have a second season in development. As reported by Screen Rant, star James Marsden has expressed interest in possibly returning for a potential second season in some capacity.
This could set up further ideological conflict between the people who were able to escape the end of the world, further forcing the survivors to reckon with their personal guilt and hang-ups. There may even be other portions of the United States government or military that have survived, which could bolster the city in certain ways but also introduce new rivals for power. Paradise has opened up the world at large by revealing other people survived the end of the world, and it could easily seed plenty of story ideas for a possible season 2.
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