The following contains spoilers for Paradise episode 6, “You Asked For Miracles,” now streaming on HuluParadise’latest wild genre shift works surprisingly well, underscoring one of the biggest attributes of the show.Paradisehas proven to be a hard-to-define streaming show, given the way it unravels its mysteries. At times,Paradise’s cast of charactersare portrayed as painfully human, with extensive flashbacks exploring their emotional baggage. At other times, it embraces more pulp sensibilities when it’s about a murder mystery surrounding the President or when it becomes a sci-fi show about extreme environmental damage.
These turns are anchored by the characters, which keeps the show from becoming too unwieldy. This is especially apparent inParadiseepisode 6, “You Asked For Miracles.“With Xavier Collins and his allies finally open about their dissent against the forces of Samantha Redmond, the show steps away from the deliberate pacing of a murder mystery to a more purposefully chaotic tone. The result is surprisingly effective, which is a testament to howParadisehas figured out how to thread the needle between several different tones to produce a compelling drama.
Paradise Becomes An Action Movie In “You Asked For Miracles”
ParadiseEmbraces More Action Tropes Than Before In Episode 6
Paradiseshifts gears tonally in “You Asked For Miracles” and briefly becomes an action-thriller, highlighting the show’s ability to hop between genres with ease.Paradisehas been many things in a short amount of time, shifting from character drama to political thriller to dystopian sci-fi with ease. In the show’s sixth episode, Xavier and Robinson have formed an alliance and decide to make their move againstthe villainous Samantha Redmond. Alongside the rest of their allies, the duo are able to disrupt the tranquility established in the domed city and sew discord among the population.
To do this, the pair recovered a large amount of weaponry from a secret cache established when the community was founded. The episode then shifts into a more action-packed tone, with car chases and small explosions. A well-placed explosives trick lures the powerful into retreat, which gives the rebellion to quickly move and take almost all of them captive. It’s an effective beat, with the framing and editing shifting away from the longer takes of character dramasto more kinetic movement and editing to reflect the shift into a greater action tone.
The Build-Up To The Action Turn Feels Very Natural BecauseParadiseTakes Time To Build To It
Image via Hulu
What makes this turn so tonally effective is the way that it’s been building all along. WhileParadisehas long teased that there could be a dangerous element to Xavier under the surface, the show hasn’t really shown him or other characters in much action. It’s been teasing how dangerous the characters could become without showing it. Even the storyline surrounding Billy Pace, the character most seen in the line of duty during moments of action, is portrayed as a tragedy instead of a thriller.That means when the heroes finally move, the show takes on a different energy.
Paradise Has Been Hiding Two Major Dangers Inside The Dome All Along
Paradise episode 6 reveals that despite the peaceful vaneer playing out throughout the Hulu show, two major threats have been hiding in plain sight.
This slow-burn approach heightens the tension of the scene. After establishing through character-driven flashbacks that Xavier’s wife believed someday he’d be forced to break his stoic approach to situations,Xavier finally reaches that point feels fulfilling on a character level. Xavier and his allies are also specific and restrained in their approach, with no unnecessary gunplay or fury. It feels very tactical in a way that fits the tone of the scene while ensuring that they remain coded as the heroes of the story. By this point, the characters are all well-established enough that it doesn’t feel blunt or unearned.
Paradise Embracing A Wild Genre Fusion Has Extremely Compelling Results
ParadiseWorks So Well Because It’s Able To Shift Between Styles So Quickly
“You Asked For Miracles” feels a genuine culmination of howParadisehas developed over the course of the season, with the different tones all blending together well to increase the tension and stakes of Xavier’s decisions. The show initially seemed to be just a balance between a thriller andThis is Us-style character examination, but the first episode also introduced elements of science-fiction to the mix. This meant the show has been able to stay wildly unpredictable, introducing romance subplots and secret killers with ease. It’s been a real benefit forParadise.
Paradisebeing capable of shifting so easily into an action story is a real strength of the show and helps make it one of the wildest shows currently on TV.
These shifts feel naturally defined by the characters instead of the tropes, in part due to the way the show doesn’t spend enough time in any one genre to be beholden to it. The show can jump genre from scene to scene, which allows the potentially obvious plot twists like Agent Jane Driscoll being so dangerous to be hidden behind the veneer of other genres.Paradisebeing capable of shifting so easily into an action story is a real strength of the show and helps make it one of the wildest shows currently on TV.
