Explaining the ending of the second season of “Paradise”: from dystopian drama to full-blown science fiction

Season 2 of heaven It came to an explosive end on Monday, but by all accounts, it’s not the end (it has been renewed for a third season, after all). The second part of Dan Fogelman’s hit song holo series It took a major turn in the genre, moving away from the dystopian disaster drama feel of the first season.

Over the past eight episodes, the show has starred Sterling K. Brown As fugitive Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, he expands to Science fiction area. Now that a giant AI quantum computer named Alex has been revealed as the one running things, there are all kinds of questions about where the story will go in its third season.

The first season ended with Collins drawing a plane out of the bunker to track down his missing wife. Most of Season 2 followed him as he completed his mission. This process involves him having a newborn baby, competing with a lonely mailman with a fatal crush, then returning to the bunker to reunite with his family, only to face an impending nuclear meltdown and reveal that he may be the only one who can save the world and make everything go back to normal.

Okay, I admit, that was a lot. Honestly, I’m not sure how things will play out moving forward. But, like all of you, I have some burning questions about how it all ended. there Main story spoilers Forward, so move slowly if you are not caught. Otherwise, let’s reveal the Paradise season 2 finale.

So, is Dylan Sinatra’s son dead?

Let’s start here. Season 2 of Paradise introduced a woman named Annie who found shelter in, of all places, Graceland. After living there for some time, a group of burglars entered Elvis’ old house to find shelter and supplies. It took a while for them all to warm together, but the group eventually gained Annie’s trust. Then she became intimate with Dylan.

It is in these early moments that I overhear the group’s plan to head to the hideout in Colorado to “kill Alex.” Annie did not go with them on the trip, but months later, she met up with Xavier after his plane crashed. Annie, now very pregnant, wanted him to take her to the bunker for safety, while everything was tracking down his wife. She then died in childbirth, leaving the baby with Xavier.

All this time, Dylan and his crew continued their mission to infiltrate the bunker. He ends up meeting face to face with Sinatra, who becomes completely convinced that he is her dead son and that Alex is responsible. How is that possible? Okay, I admit, quantum computing is pretty confusing to me, but the point is that Alex is a technological marvel that can predict the future, but also manipulates time and introduces anomalies to those affected by her — which is, I guess, everyone.

In simpler terms, I think we are dealing with alternative facts here. This would explain the appearance of Sinatra’s dead son and her message to Xavier at the end of the episode, implying that he is the only one who can save the world and make things right – because Alex has already decided that.

What’s the deal with Alex?

I wasn’t expecting Dylan to be Alex’s creator, but here we are. The epilogue provided some flashbacks regarding the beginning of the computer, Dylan’s partnership with quantum physicist Dr. Henry Miller (whom Sinatra had ordered to kill, so she could get the blueprints to build Alex to his full form) and that moment when Sinatra discussed using Alex to stop climate change – you know, because AI uses a lot of water and energy and isn’t good for the environment.

But I digress.

Miller saw the damage Alex could cause with his ability to manipulate time and called for the project to be shut down. But as we saw in this episode and the episodes leading up to the finale, that didn’t happen.

Is Alex the HAL 9000 from heaven? i don’t think so. The real question is, how can Xavier use Alex to save the world? I don’t know the answer, but I really hope he doesn’t push a button in Season 3 only for everyone to wake up from a dream to find that none of this ever happened. We’ll see how it goes when the show returns.

Is Sinatra really dead?

The first season of Paradise ended with Sinatra being shot by Jane (Nicole Brydon Bloom), a Secret Service agent who has become a murderous monster in these new episodes. She didn’t die after that. But is she dead now?

The finale ended with Sinatra coming to terms with the choices she made and the damage she caused, all through her skewed lens of saving humanity. When Dylan and his crew showed up, it was decided to close the bunker. Little do they know that the late President Bradford’s son, Jeremy (Charlie Evans), has delved into the depths of the bunker with the scientist he helped build and Agent Robinson (Kris Marshall), the President’s former lover, to destroy everything and force open the doors.

Having both of these things happen simultaneously overloads the system, causing a meltdown that prompts Dr. Torabi (Sarah Shahi) — who killed Jane in the shower in self-defense — to call in Exodus, the name of their evacuation plan. After a visit with Alex, Sinatra returned to a state of total disarray and decided to stay while everyone else fled.

As the exodus of the bunker’s inhabitants ended, a large crowd of survivors outside watched as the mountain the bunker was built within crumbled and collapsed. Sinatra was last seen walking the streets of the utopia she helped build. By all accounts, she died in the destruction of the bunker. But if Alex is indeed messing with time and schedules, something tells me this won’t be the last we see of her.

Surprise: There is a second cache

The final moments of the episode found the survivors in a camp not far from the hideout. Dylan met his baby daughter, Xavier’s family got back together, and he felt like everything was getting closer to a happy ending. That is, until a brief flashback sequence occurred between Xavier and Sinatra.

Earlier in the episode, Sinatra was handed a card printed by Alex which contained a set of numbers and a person called “User X”. She realized that X was Xavier’s and handed him the card with the mission to make things right with Alex and the world.

How does he do it? I don’t know. But in this conversation, she told him there was a second bunker under Denver International Airport, about 100 miles away. This is where Alex is. So, if he is the savior of humanity, all indications are that he will lead a group to infiltrate this other hideout. I bet it won’t be easy, can you imagine the security measures taken to protect this supercomputer?

Moreover, now that the series has evolved from dystopian drama to sci-fi adventure, I wonder what kind of genre it will take in season three. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to find out.