It's just another day in Paradise until Agent Xavier Collins discovers one of the world's most powerful individuals has been violently murdered. Xavier analyzes the crime scene while recalling his complex relationship with the victim.
The characters reside in the serene community of Paradise. It should come as no surprise that this bucolic landscape is not exactly what it seems. It fulfills what is meant to be life's greatest aspiration. This is the place where people would like to spend their days. It comes after a lifetime of struggles. This is their reward. And yet, a death has shocked this community. It's all informed by how each of its residents got to this place. Xavier Collins is a Secret Service Agent. He was the lead agent of President Cal Bradford's detail. That service continued after the President left office. This is meant to be retirement for someone who was once the most powerful person in the world. He should be resigned to a life of peace. One where he gets to choose what to do with his day. It exists outside of politics. That was Cal's story before he entered public office too. He declares himself a decent person trying to make the right decisions. Enough people trusted that perception of him to give him the highest office in the land. While there, he realized the scope of the threats. He received the most horrifying intelligence reports imaginable. He knew what was coming. He had to keep secrets to protect people. They were resigned to blissful lives in the dark. It was his burden to carry the pain of seeing what life holds for the future.
It's a bleak outlook because of the final twist. It's already tragic because the former President is killed during this picture-perfect life. Xavier's reaction is very telling. He assesses all the facts before he even enters the bedroom. He is expecting everything to be a perfectly average day with nothing to report. It's a simple job. It's one with a ton of responsibilities should the worst ever happen. The agents have to keep their guards up at all times. They don't see any immediate threats. They simply look after Cal while he goes about his lonely existence. He bemoans how his wife hates him and probably voted against him. He doesn't have a relationship with his son. Every dynamic is strained. So much of the outside world is at a distance. This protection is a side effect of the job. Cal wanted it. Now, he has to face the fact that his life has changed. He now needs to interview people who will hopefully take a bullet for him. Xavier and Cal are polar opposites. Yet they get along. Part of it is channelled through Cal's directness. Xavier follows orders. He's committed to the mission. That's important. Sure, the two of them can discuss racial politics. Cal isn't as enlightened as his public image would lead others to believe. He has good intentions. That's admirable. Tension still radiates throughout the entire proceedings.
Xavier doesn't report Cal's murder right away. He understands that others will take over the investigation quickly. He will be forced out. He refuses to accept that. He breaks protocol because he needs to pursue answers himself. He needs to get a reading on the crime scene before it's disrupted. He can only delay the inevitable so long. The residence has to be locked down. He can't keep his fellow agents in the dark for too long. They ask questions. They want to know what's going on. Xavier trusts Billy. And yet, his right-hand man was literally asleep on the job. No one was monitoring the house for a two hour window. The footage was frozen in place. That wasn't unnatural overnight where nothing typically occurs. It's a damning piece of evidence once the crime is exposed. The investigation into Cal's average day provides the viewer with an understanding of what matters in this community. Cal yearns for family but his father is the only one who lives with him in the guest house. The agents all have comments about how Cal lives. It's sad. They pity him. They try their best to act professionally. They also failed at their jobs. That's even more striking when the final twist is revealed. Xavier carries the personal burden of this disaster. He aims to control the narrative and flex his own authority. However, he pledges that Cal's death is the only way he'll be able to sleep at night again.
The world has ended. The government constructed a bunker underneath a mountain in Colorado to survive an extinction-level event. Cal learned of that possibility early in his presidency. He read Xavier into the operation after he took a bullet for the President. Cal honors the agent with life. Xavier gets to continue living with his family. They are incomplete though. Xavier's wife didn't make it to paradise. Instead, he's left yearning for her and struggling as a single parent. It's mesmerizing to watch Sterling K. Brown go into a monologue crafted by Dan Fogelman. The two work solidly as creative partners. That provides the insight necessary for this drama to feel grounded while revealing its fantastical premise. Everything in this community is artificially produced. It's nothing more than a gated community meant to preserve the most influential people in the world. Disaster still struck. Those in power want answers. Xavier has a cautious relationship with those who seemingly have authority over him. He doesn't trust them. They control his fate. His own sense of agency is only truly present as he runs through town. Everything he looks at seems perfect. None of it is real. Cal made this choice to preserve the human race. He made the decision of who to save. And now, his life is cut short in the aftermath. Xavier is determined to find answers. He can't remove his personal feelings from the situation either.
