Paradise’s season one finale answers the mystery of who killed Cal Bradford as Agent Xavier Collins races to save his family from Sinatra’s grasp.
Episode 8, “The Man Who Kept the Secrets,” begins with a flashback years before the catastrophe. We follow construction workers tasked with developing the underground crater, which they believe is the site of a future recycling center. The strangers, mostly men of color, build relationships and grow camaraderie. Soon we focus on two men: the crew’s project manager and an immigrant worker named Adam. The two form a strong bond.
This bond is broken when the project manager learns the site contains high levels of arsenic. Exposure to the toxin causes illness and eventually death in his workers. When he brings his findings to Sinatra’s lead scientist, he’s told to ignore it and is later fired. He isn’t deterred from helping save the men he sees as family. With his efforts ignored, he’s pushed to his limits and attempts to assassinate President Bradford.
Back in the present day, Xavier returns to the crime scene to replay his last day with Cal, trying to see if there is a clue he overlooked. He remembers Cal slipped something near the CD player and finds the mixtape for Jeremy. Later, he realizes the code on the cigarette - 812092 - is a Dewey decimal number. He races to the library and finds a book next to a Frank Sinatra autobiography. The Man Who Kept the Secrets holds a transcript of Billy and Sinatra’s audio conversation regarding the murdered scientists as well as the alleged coordinates of the survivors, including Xavier’s wife. Suddenly, someone hits Xavier unconscious from behind.
As Xavier pieces the clues together, Sinatra witnesses her grip on control loosening. Things escalate with Jane, who still has Xavier’s daughter in custody. When her request for a Wii is denied, she sends a simple text concerning Presley that terrifies Sinatra. Knowing she’s crossed the point of no return, she relieves Gabriela of her duties, citing the monstrous things she’s done and will continue to do.
Later, Agent Robinson seeks Gabriela’s help to locate the killer. With Sinatra indicating an outsider murdered Cal, they must review the logs from arrival day to see who entered under a false identity. Gabriela discovers Maggie Davis, the waitress at the diner, is listed as having a particular food allergy that would prevent her from enjoying those delicious cheese fries. Gabriela interrogates Maggie, who tells her he made me do it.
Xavier awakens handcuffed to a bookshelf, sitting face-to-face with the culprit: the librarian. The man details his motivations through another flashback.
Sentenced to prison for the attempt on Cal’s life, he remained determined to expose the truth about Colorado. He learns his friend Adam is dying, and is fueled by revenge. On the day of the catastrophe, the inmates revolted and escaped the prison. As he exited the facility, he took on the identity of a detention officer. Escorting citizens toward the bunker, he misleads a couple to a detour, murdering them both and taking on the identity of Mr. Davis. He randomly selected a stranger to pose as his wife and they entered the haven undetected.
He explains he grew comfortable with life, forgetting his mission, until the day Cal entered the library that fateful day. That night, he snuck into Cal’s bedroom and hit his head with a blunt staff. When Cal refused to die, he bludgeoned him until he lay motionless.
Mr. Davis leaves Collins tied until Robinson finds him. The two race after Davis and find him in the rafters looking above the city. He rants about how this place was supposed to be different, but, “Instead they built more of the same. Made this place a prison. The American f**king dream.” Xavier attempts to talk him back from the ledge, but he leaps to his death, crashing hundreds of feet below.
With the murder mystery solved, Xavier returns to Sinatra demanding where his daughter is. Samantha, tears in her eyes, believes the worst has happened. Enraged, Xavier murders her two armed guards before turning the gun on her. Suddenly, a shot rings out, piercing Sinatra in her throat. It’s Jane, confessing that Presley had been with her and is now safe with Carl and James. As Xavier reunites with his family, Jane warns an injured Sinatra that she’s more valuable alive.
As the episode closes, we see our main leads’ fates etched for the second season. Sinatra lies motionless in a hospital with a long road to recovery. Gabriela comes to terms with how Sinatra had her fooled. Jeremy, hearing his father’s words on the mixtape, becomes a voice for the people. And Xavier, whose piloting dreams were deferred, boards an aircraft on a mission to find his wife.
The finale accomplished its mission of solving the season’s main mystery and left breadcrumbs for viewers to follow for the second season. However, the episode felt rushed at times with the killer reveal feeling a bit anticlimatic. Fortunately, this weak point is bolstered by the surprising development between Jane and Samantha, as their power dynamic shifts. Her backstory along with the perceived dangers that await Xavier will be plenty to explore.