Danger Agent Robinson. Paradise’s second season finale finds the elite sanctuary succumb to the worst-case scenario. As Xavier rushes to save his family again, Sinatra seems eerily resolved as Alex is finally revealed.
The episode opens nine years earlier, with a young Dylan in his mentor’s college science class. The professor’s talk of the future use of quantum physics prompts Dylan to explain that the future is now: he’s already constructed an AI apparatus. It is this technology Sinatra eyes years later to delay the catastrophic event. However, she’s warned the AI is too advanced, delivering a solution to a problem that had yet to exist.
In the present, all worlds collide as the dual lockdown and destruction of the bunker’s mechanical resources force its nuclear reactors to overload. In Samantha’s absence, Gabi takes the lead. With Link’s caravan at their doors, she orders them open to relieve the reactors pressure. But it’s no use as the dome begins to fall. Their only solution is to evacuate the structure: protocol Exodus is activated.
Down below, Hadley and Presley remain imprisoned in the elevator. The wreckage kills Thaddeus, leaving Jeremy and an injured Robinson. She insists he leave her behind as a last duty to Cal. But, in a turn of events, Jeremy returns with help and assists her to safety.
In the mass hysteria, Xavier and Teri reunite with James. Xavier finds Sinatra and calls a truce to rescue Presley and Hadley. As the calamity intensifies, survival becomes the goal. In search of Alex, Link’s crew help Xavier and Samantha rescue their daughters. In the parting shot, Sam lets Xavier know someone must stay behind to ensure the ship goes down. Xavier races toward the exit as Sinatra calmly finds the storefront horse ride, awaiting to see her son again.
Hours later, the 5,000 refugees watch the bunker collapse. As Xavier reunites with his family, we learn the last message Sam delivered. With the mysterious data key, Sam tasks Xavier with locating Alex in a bunker underneath the Denver Airport to prevent all of this. When he asks why him, she insists because he’s done it before.
The finale is a somewhat fractured ending to an uneven season. The big reveal — that Alex is a quantum machine that manipulates time — had been alluded to throughout. However, it feels like a huge leap from what the show does best: the interconnected drama. Sinatra finding solace that a version of her son exists is better than him coming back from the dead, but feels a bit too ambitious. It’s clearly enough for the already written third season, but execution will be the ultimate test.
Overall, the season deserved at least two additional episodes to bring a bit more gravitas to the finale.
Rating: 7/10