Hulu’s new sci-fi series “Paradise” has just concluded its debut season, captivating audiences with stellar performances from James Marsden and Sterling K. Brown. Fans of “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman were eager to dive into his latest project. Initially, it appears the series centers on Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) as he investigates the shocking murder of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden). However, by the end of the first episode, it becomes evident that the plot holds much more complexity than a high-profile assassination.

Though James Marsden delivers one of his finest performances as President Bradford, with his character often featured in flashbacks, the focus on his mysterious death diminishes with each episode. The storyline branches off as various intriguing figures are introduced, including billionaire Samantha Redmond (Julianne Nicholson) and secretive Agent Robinson (Krys Marshall), who turns out to be an unlikely suspect with whom Bradford had an affair. In a dramatic finale, viewers learn that the real perpetrator was right before their eyes all along: Trent (Ian Merrigan), the seemingly inconspicuous city librarian, who is revealed to have killed Bradford.

On the surface, Trent may appear as just a librarian, yet his true identity links back to a time before an apocalyptic event forced the remnants of humanity to seek refuge underground. Remarkably, everyone in “Paradise” inhabits a vast subterranean haven, meticulously crafted to mimic an affluent American city. The primary mystery for the audience, however, lies in unraveling the true reason behind their underground existence.

When billionaire Samantha Redmond finds out from a climate scientist that the Earth will most likely be destroyed in the near future, she immediately begins construction on an underground bunker inside a Colorado mountain. The construction foreman (Ian Merrigan) discovers that his crew is being exposed to a poisonous mineral called arsenopyrite that will claim their lives by the time the project is done. When he reports his findings to the lead architect on the project and asks that his team be spared exposure, he is fired.

The foreman becomes obsessed with exposing what Redmond is building in the mountain, but no one will listen to his suspicions. He attempts to assassinate President Bradford on the lawn of the White House, but is foiled when Xavier Collins jumps in front of the bullet. On the day of the Antarctic eruption of a supervolcano that causes an enormous worldwide tsunami, the foreman is able to walk out of prison, head to the bunker entrance, murder Trent — the actual bunker librarian — and his wife, pick up a random woman, and (having stolen the librarian and his wife’s identities) gain entry into the underground city. 

Driven to take revenge for all of the people who weren’t rich or important enough to earn a place in the bunker, “Trent” infiltrates President Bradford’s home and hits him over the head with a rotary drill bit. Bradford stays alive long enough to leave a message for Xavier, but “Trent” finishes him off and gets away before anyone sees him. Later, “Trent” takes the directions for leaving the bunker that Bradford left for Xavier and tries to escape, but ultimately commits suicide after he is cornered by Collins and Robinson in the scaffolding above the city.

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