Wine & Watch No. 17

Tempranillo & Paradise

Hey friends,

Look who’s finally posting her first official Wine & Watch for the year! It feels really good to tap back into this space again fully. I won’t lie, I’ve been in full escapist mode this first quarter. Not to mention that I didn’t really feel like anything I watched warranted me sharing my thoughts on. That is, until today’s TV show. But before we jump into that, let’s get into today’s sip.

The Sip: Since I completely forgot to include the wine bottle in my last Wine & Watch post (yikes) and because it happens to be a new favorite, I’m repeating my wine choice today lol For my thoughts on the notes, flavor profile, and more, click here.

The Show: “Paradise” is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high-stakes investigation unfolds. [synopsis from Hulu]

It’s no secret how popular Paradise is or was! As for me, I had already planned on watching it simply because of Sterling K Brown. However, every single one of the actors in this series did a phenomenal job. So much so that I anticipate that Paradise will sweep the award season early next year!

Then there was the impeccable storytelling, which is told in both past and present timelines and felt more cyclical than linear. The writing, the characters, their development, and the small revelations that you don’t know are revelations until we’re amid bigger revelations, all played a factor in why this show is amazing!

If you’re new here, welcome! Grab a libation and kick your feet up for all of my musings. Just be warned that these reviews or thoughts contain spoilers! So, if you haven’t had a chance to watch this show yet, please wait until you do and then come back!

For this particular Wine & Watch, I’ll be focusing on the characters with minor attention to two of the plot themes. Let’s jump in.

Xavier Collins

To better understand Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins, we must examine the different relationships in his life.

Relationship with his wife - From the beginning, it’s clear that he loves his wife and that losing her affected him in the usual ways that grief strikes. It was also clear that they had enough chemistry that the moments of hilarity, tension, and wit felt authentic. But there was nothing romantic about them. Even when they kissed, it felt like an acting kiss. Not a searing one.

But I loved to see how his grief for her was a guiding force, that it ebbed and flowed until it swelled under injustice. That it tempered when necessary, even if most of the time I didn’t agree with it. It’s a compass of sorts for him.

Relationship with his kids, especially his daughter - From the first episode, you see there is a system set for Xavier, Presley, and James. You can also feel the love he has for his children. However, there’s an underlying message or tone regarding the bond between him and his daughter, Presley. I must admit I am partial to father-daughter bonds because I had the best one with my own. But, what caused a layer of cognitive dissonance for me is the portrayal of young Black women having to grow up much faster because of their circumstances.

Presley, for all intents and purposes, more often than not steps into the role of mom throughout the episodes. So much so that it is expected of her when crisis and tragedy strike. Though I understand why she had to, and even admired how quick she was to do so with little to no complaint, it still frustrated me.

For example, in this moment she didn’t truly have the opportunity to grieve her Uncle Billy before Xavier gave her more responsibilities. Justice for the Black girls that have to grow up too fast. Matter of fact justice for eldest daughters!

Relationship with President Cal - The most interesting aspect of their dynamic is their formed friendship. Xavier seamlessly rises up the ranks of the President’s detail, and we see how stringent he is regarding his work ethic. But we also see how their relationship often forces Xavier out of his comfort zone.

Cal manages to break through that exterior and forms a friendship that might seem surface-level but is as deep and wide as the ocean. Because it is only in true friendship that one can feel the depths and the never-ending abyss of betrayal. It is only when you care, and I mean deeply care for someone, that you can be as angry as the sea during high tide. And that anger and love and hurt propel’s Xavier throughout the story as he determines who is responsible for killing Cal.

Relationship with Billy - Justice for Billy Pace!

Agent Billy Pace and Xavier had the best friendship in this entire series. Although Xavier is his senior, you immediately feel and sense the camaraderie between the two of them from the first episode. The implicit trust and love, the jokes, and respect for one another, even when the road got a little rocky, was just chef’s kiss. Their friendship was the personification of starting over, and I loved every second of it.

Billy quite unexpectedly became one of my all time favorites in the show.

Relationship with his Father - Shoutout to the writers, for many reasons. But one of the main ones for me is a peek at Xavier’s history and lineage.

Xavier’s grandfather was one of the Tuskegee airmen who flew, fought, and helped change the tide in WWII. Xavier’s father was one of the first Black pilots during a time when that was unheard of. Xavier himself was on the protective detail for the current President and had the opportunity to show his dad Air Force One.

Beyond that, the relationship between Xavier and his father was indicative of his worldview. For most of the show, we see that Xavier sees the world as black or white and only deals in absolutes. [very Randall coded if you ask me lol] He is only able to see the world as what is right and what is wrong with little to no gray. So when his father finally admits to having Parkinson’s but refuses to step down and retire, Xavier, in his conviction, forces his hand.

This behavior permeates throughout the season until something breaks.

Relationship with Himself - Did I mention that Xavier only deals in absolutes? He’s rigorous with his routines, he tries to do everything himself, and he never processes or deals with big emotions because, simply put he doesn’t know how to without fracturing himself.

That is noticeable especially with his resistance to therapy, which is not uncommon in the Black community.

Xavier has to get pushed to the edge for his control to snap and just like his wife forshadowed, one day the bough did break and I felt sorry for the motherfucker on the other end of it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I didn’t feel at all sorry for Sinatra.

Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond

An entire case study could and probably should be done on the character that is Sinatra. I think the writers and maybe even the actor, Julianne Nicholson, intended for our (the audience's) feelings about and towards her to swing like a pendulum. On one hand, we’d be able to see just how cutthroat, vile, wicked, and evil she is. But on the other hand, we see that all of it, well, at least most of it, stems from love. Love for her family, more specifically her children. Sinatra’s relationship with and to grief sends her on a spiral that costs lives, and I want to dissect that.

Relationship with grief: Although Sinatra isn’t the president, she’s the embodiment of what truly holds power in this world: money and the top 1% of people who control it. But all the money in the world couldn’t save her son. Mix the grief of her son with the potential cataclysmic end of the world due to environmental conditions, and you’ve got extreme trouble.

(Marvel Universe spoiler ahead) Much like The Scarlet Witch did in WandaVision after the death of her love, Vision in Endgame, Sinatra created an entire city, which let’s face it it’s practically a world, all under the guise of saving not humanity from its impending doom, but her daughter and by extension her husband and anyone else who is handpicked to survive. From her fear and grief, she and a bunch of other billionaires birthed a nation based on zero-sum game theory. If they were to survive, unfortunately, people would have to die. There’s some Darwinist theory wrapped up in this as well but I digress.

And I thought wow! Another personification of how white people are allowed to grieve so big and openly and thoroughly to the detriment of others and still survive. The luxury, the privilege, its astounding. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to seeing how her character develops in the next season. But make no mistake, Sinatra, at least to me, is a villain. One who consistently chooses herself to the detriment of others. She was the final string that made Xavier snap. And although I LOVED that he became ruthless for the same reasons, for his family, not once did he lose his humanity.

Agent William “Billy” Pace

Billy is your typical mercenary. Troubled past, was given a “second chance” to be used as a puppet, and survived simply because someone (Sinatra) needed a trained killer in her new world.

BUT Billy isn’t just those things, and in a lot of ways, we see how this new city and world was really the second chance in life he needed.

Relationship to community: For all intents and purposes, Billy is a lone wolf for the majority of his life. So when he is plucked from obscurity by Sinatra and placed on President Cal’s detail post the apocalypse, as aforementioned, he gets to have a second chance. One that incorporates doing the one thing that he hasn’t really done most of his life, trusting other humans.

But he does. The friendship that develops between him and Xavier transcends their supervisor-employee dynamic.

Then there’s the relationship Billy has with Xavier’s kids. Especially with Presley. He isn’t the lovey dovey or proper uncle. But the sound advice and clear love he has for them is portrayed, even when I found myself second guessing who he was and his motives.

He even opens himself up to romantic love.

So yeah, he was imperfect, life dealt him a really shitty hand but at his core Billy is a good person and deserved so much more. JUSTICE FOR BILLY!!

President Cal Bradford

For all intents and purposes, Cal is technically the star of the show. After all, it’s his murder we spend the entirety of this season trying to solve. And though there are many layers to Cal’s character and his development, there are only two I’d like to focus on.

People Pleasing: Cal is your typical candidate for President. Think Fitz from Scandal. He’s groomed to either take over his father’s company or for politics. And although neither was his passion, he did it to please his father.

In fact, most of the major decisions and choices he makes in his life were to please his father. But then that also extends to Xavier, Special Agent in Charge (and his lover) Nicole Robinson, and his son Jeremy Bradford.

The hardest thing about witnessing his final days was to see the apology tour of sorts he went on to the people who mattered most to him, and that every single one of them either threw it back in his face or turned their back on him. Although for the most part, and I mean all except for one, I understand their perspective, I also saw all that he was trying to do to fix what he recognized to be poor decisions in those people’s lives.

Stereotypical Hero: Although he should be one, if not the most powerful person in the upper echelon, there are important secrets that even Cal isn’t aware of. There are levels of security clearance that he isn’t even cleared for. The realization of that leads him on a path to try and uncover the underlying nefarious actions happening right under his nose.

See Cal believes he’s the good guy. When his back is pressed against the wall, he’d like to believe that he doesn’t choose the easy or less traveled way but will instead stare down the barrel of a gun for the good of humanity. The truth is, he has those qualities. They just usually arrive when it’s too late.

One Liners on Other Characters

Dr. Gabriela Torabi - waste of space and matter.

Jane Driscoll - The true villain.

Special Agent in Charge Nicole Robinson - Redeems herself lol

Thoughts on Plot and Plot Development

Overall, Paradise does a great job of showcasing how those who are deemed the winners in a zero-sum game create not only their own demise but also unwillingly take casualties with them.

Which was firmly personified in the Librarian. Someone who, in the grand scheme of the underground city plan, was only to play a small role, as project manager, ends up being a force of vengeance and retribution for those who were wronged in silence.

His justifiable anger ends up being a catalyst in unexpected and expected ways. And though I hate that Cal is the one who suffered the consequences instead of the true people who were in charge, his actions demonstrated how the smallest pebble can start a powerful avalanche.

Then there was the facade of creating an egalitarian society, by giving everyone houses, effectively erradicating the need for “currency” as we know it, and only maintaining the pillars of American society for the sake of “consistency” and normalcy in order to cope with the world ending.

Even then, the top percent was still in control. Whether it was the narrative, the people etc. Which goes to show that even in so-called “paradise” everything is not what it seems.

Honestly, I could go on and on and dissect even more about this first season. It’s truly an amazing show so far and I look forward to the next season.

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of my ramblings, then you deserve a little treat lol Gift yourself a book or something that brings you joy on me lol

In all seriousness, what are some of your thoughts on Paradise? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Have any fave characters? Least fave characters. Tell me all the things!