Xavier & Annie’s Paradise Season 2 Relationship Clarified By Sterling K. Brown

2 weeks ago 22

Sterling K. Brown as Xavier sitting in the kitchen while looking at a book in Paradise season 1

Published Feb 23, 2026, 8:00 PM EST

Betty Robertson is a Contributor at ScreenRant. She's new to Entertainment Journalism, starting her career with it in 2026. Prior to joining Valnet, she was a full time Writer and Narrative Designers for Games like Assassin's Creed, Alien: Rogue Incursion, Lovelink, and Poppy Playtime.

Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available.

She is an award-winning screenwriter, a member of BAFTA, and a contributor to UBC's Game Writing Program.

When she's not writing she's playing sports (soccer, softball, basketball, and pickleball), watching travel shows, or walking her dog, Banana.

The following contains spoilers for Paradise season 2, episodes 1-3.While there's plenty of trouble in this Paradise, a love triangle with these characters isn't part of it.

Citizens of Paradise were told that an extinction-level event had wiped out all human life on Earth, except for their exclusive community. Following the assassination of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden), Collins follows a trail of twists and turns to learn that there is life outside the underground city. The Paradise season 1 finale has Collins leaving his children in the care of Secret Service Agent Nicole Robinson (Krys Marshall), while he ;eaves the safety of Paradise to see if he could track down his missing wife, Teri (Enuka Okuma).

Paradise season 2 begins with an explosive premiere, in which a survivor on the surface, Annie (Shailene Woodley), investigates a fiery crash, looking for her missing lover, and the father of her child, Link (Thomas Doherty). Instead, she stumbles upon Special Agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown).

Even with both Collins and Annie pining for lost loves, there is already speculation about a potential romance blossoming between them this season. Brown took the opportunity to talk with Deadline to clarify the journey they're taking together, emphasizing that it will be one of platonic friendship and that he wishes more of these relationships were shown in film and television. Check out his comments below:

I think what I like about this relationship, and we don’t get a chance to explore enough of these relationships on camera, but I think they’re happening more is a purely platonic relationship between a man and a woman, and that they can be friends and that they can help each other through incredibly difficult times, and there doesn’t have to be anything else attached to it.

While Collins nurtured a budding romance with psychotherapist Gabriela Torabi (Sarah Shahi) in the first season, the revelation that his wife is still out there turned his focus back towards the woman he married. He needs Annie's help to find Teri, and in return, Collins can help her find Link. For now, they are bonded by this agreement, but Brown hints that their relationship will transform into something deeper as the season continues.

"It’s interesting because she’s very guarded, for obvious reasons; the world has ended as she’s known it. She is pregnant and alone and has to survive. The world is in a state of survival. And what does that mean? It means I take care of myself. You take care of you. [...] There’s a mutual agreement of: we’re not buddies, but we can be of service to each other, and then it slowly evolves into [something more]."

The first season of Paradise was well-received, which gained it critical attention and a hungry fanbase. With a 90% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, Paradise season 2 reviews have also been positive.

Paradise releases new episodes Mondays on Hulu.