Paradise Has A Rare 100% RT Episode That Shows How Flashbacks Are Done

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Dan Fogelman, known for creating the emotional drama This Is Us, brings his talent for understanding people and relationships to Hulu’s new political thriller, Paradise. The first season of Paradise has been generally well-received, earning an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sterling K. Brown worked again with creator Dan Fogelman in the series Paradise, playing Secret Service agent Xavier Collins. The show follows Collins as he continues to protect President Cal Bradford (played by James Marsden) three years after a global catastrophe. While the series is very good overall, the seventh episode of Paradise was particularly outstanding, mainly due to a flashback that dramatically shifted the story.

Paradise Season 1’s Penultimate Episode Is A Flashback That Upends The End Of The World

The second-to-last episode of Paradise, titled “The Day,” is a fantastic example of how to tell a story on television. It expertly combines suspense, compelling characters, and a clever structure, which explains its perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. Throughout the season, the show led viewers to believe a nuclear war had destroyed the world. However, this episode reveals the disaster in Paradise was actually a natural disaster, but global panic over limited resources ensued.

This episode brilliantly builds suspense by weaving in news reports throughout the day, making the danger feel increasingly urgent. President Cal Bradford is forced to make an impossible decision: either launch nuclear weapons, guaranteeing the end of the world, or shut down all technology – including the nukes – and risk everything on a chance for survival.

I was so glad to see Cal really step up in the latest episode of Paradise! He’s often come across as a bit timid, but this time he was genuinely brave. He risked everything – even our safety in the bunker – to do what was right. His speech felt so real, like he was just speaking from the heart, and using the EMP to save people outside was a huge decision. It was a total redemption for his character, and I’m really proud of him.

I was really struck by Xavier, played by Sterling K. Brown. He’s so different from the other characters – much colder and more calculating, it seems. It was unsettling to see him tell the President’s secretary he was helping her son when it wasn’t entirely true. It just shows how morally gray everything is in this show, and how no one is completely good or bad.

Fogelman expertly uses quieter moments, such as Cal’s touching conversation with a longtime janitor who’s witnessed nine presidential administrations, to connect the intense plot with genuine human feelings. The episode begins by alluding to the Cuban Missile Crisis, subtly suggesting that history often repeats itself and that periods of power struggles and fear tend to come and go in cycles.

“The Day” is a truly exceptional thriller. Despite knowing how the story ends, the skillful storytelling, well-developed characters, and fast-moving plot keep you completely engaged. It’s a perfect illustration of how captivating and emotionally powerful television can be.

Paradise Has A Unique Use Of Flashbacks

I’ve been really hooked on Paradise, and one thing they do brilliantly is use flashbacks. Even beyond that big flashback episode, they’re woven throughout the whole first season. It’s not just looking back for the sake of it, though – these glimpses into the past actually build suspense. We’re constantly jumping between what characters are like now and what happened before, and it makes you really wonder how their relationships and feuds started and how they’ve changed over time.

What sets this show apart is how it uses flashbacks. They aren’t simply used to reveal a character’s past or inconsistencies; instead, they’re crafted to feel like actual memories – fragmented and personal. The show seamlessly blends past and present, often showing how past events directly influence characters’ current reactions, which creates a more immediate and intimate viewing experience.

This approach lets the show delve into characters’ reasons and shades of gray, creating a personal and surprising experience. Instead of simply explaining things, Paradise builds suspense, revealing secrets as the characters discover them and making each new piece of information feel impactful.

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2026-01-10 19:58